Material loans

Because of the unique and irreplaceable nature of many items in the Small Special Collections Library, and because of the public trust in which its collections are held, permission to borrow items for exhibition from Special Collections is offered subject to the following considerations:

  • formal loan requests must be received at least one year in advance of the exhibition opening to be considered
  • the number of items loaned is limited to 4 items per venue
  • request complies with any donor agreements and all copyright restrictions
  • any item loaned must be digitized so that a facsimile is available for library users while the original is on loan; borrower will bear costs unless the item is already digitized
  • nature of items requested
  • physical condition of the items
  • items are to be displayed in a secure area under stable environmental conditions with respect to light, temperature, humidity, fire suppression, etc.
  • borrowers will supply a standard American Association of Museums facilities report
  • borrowing institution provides and demonstrates proof of insurance on the material to be lent at values assigned by the University of Virginia Library, and that if a current appraisal of the material is required to determine insurance values, the borrowing institution is responsible for any appraisal fees; a certificate of insurance coverage must be supplied to the University of Virginia before the requested items will be released
  • mode of transportation is approved by the University of Virginia Library
  • all aspects of the loan must be documented on a loan agreement form supplied by the University of Virginia Library and must be signed by appropriate representatives of both parties
  • items will not be included in a traveling exhibition

 

Conservation Treatments: Appropriate University of Virginia Library staff will determine if conservation treatments for items to be borrowed are required. If requested, the Borrower will be provided with a condition report and a treatment analysis report prior to treatment. The Borrower may be required to pay the expense of needed conservation treatments.

Borrowers Fees: Borrowers agree to bear all costs for items loaned for exhibition including transportation, appraisals, insurance, security, conservation reports and treatments, digitization, and a $250.00 processing fee. Fees must be pre-paid and are non-refundable. Fees will not be applied to public (state-supported) Virginia institutions requesting loans for exhibition.

The borrowing institution must agree to abide by any other regulations concerning the security of the materials lent by the University of Virginia as may hereafter be established by the latter.

Please address all loan inquiries or questions about our loan policies to:

Holly Robertson
Exhibitions Coordinator
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
P.O. Box 400110
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia, 22904-4110
(434) 243-5861
holly@virginia.edu