Loans In Use Cases

Owned by Megan Forbes
Last updated: Mar 01, 2010 by Kirsten Vittrup (Unlicensed)Version comment
6 min read

Walker Art Center

Loans-in: Works are borrowed either for a specific exhibition or for long-term deposit at the institution.  In both instances a loan-agreement (sample enclosed) is issued to the lender prior to bring the work to the museum.   Each exhibition at Walker has a standardized individual File Maker Pro Database (data form enclosed) that is shared between the Visual Arts and Registration Departments.  Whereas long-term loans records are grouped into a long-term loan File Maker Pro database (data form enclosed). Upon receipt of a signed loan agreement, a work is shipped to the museum, is given a loan number, L2009.3.1-2, is entered into the Registration ledger, a condition report is written, and receipt is issued.   Location records for works borrowed for a specific exhibition are maintained on a central paper log.  Locations for long-term loans are maintained within the database. At the conclusion of a loan, the work is condition checked, is returned to the owner, and a receipt of delivery (sample enclosed)  is produced for the lenders signature, to close the loan.

There are 5 attachments to this use case.

Statens Museum for Kunst

Procedure on arrival of “INCOMING LOANS” to the museum

An “Incoming loan” is a work of art that the museum has collected for a special exhibition in the museum.  The work is registered with a Key number in RAPID, the museum’s database for incoming loans,  and is therefore totally separate from the register of the museum’s own collection.

For “Visiting work of art”, “New acquisitions” and “Deposit”, please refer to the respective folders on the intranet under ’Procedures on arrival of a work’.

Before the arrival of a work

  1. The Registry Office is informed about the case by SAFO.
  2. The Registrar of Incoming Loans makes an agreement with the owner or the responsible person of the work about the arrival of the work to the museum.
  3. The Registrar of Incoming Loans seeks tenders for the transport and arranges the transport with a security-cleared transport agent.
  4. A museum conservator assesses whether the work shall be transported in bubble wrap or transport box.
  5. Unless otherwise agreed, SMK is liable for the insurance during the entire exhibition period, inclusive of the transport to and from the museum.  The value of the work will be passed to the Registrar of Incoming Loans who, in collaboration with the Exhibition Coordinator and Head of Security, will arrange the appropriate insurance ( The self-insurance of the State or National Indemnity).
  6. The Registry Office will reserve the gate and distribute a form regarding the arrival of the work. This is sent to: The Reception, Art Handling, Control Centre, the relevant curator, the conservator in charge, the relevant conservation unit (this secures backup in case of sickness absence) and, in specific cases, Photography (details of which will appear on the arrival form from the Registry Office).

On arrival of a work

  1. The Reception checks the registration number and the names of the drivers, which are mentioned on the arrival note from The Registry Office.
  2. When the “Incoming loan” is handed over to the museum, the hauler and the museum sign for the delivery of the work on a form which is handed over by the Registry Office or found on the intranet under “Procedures for arrival of a work’. This is the documentation of the arrival of the work to the museum. A transport agent’s transport note is also a valid form of documentation of the transfer. The receipt is handed over to the Registrar of Incoming Loans.
  3. The reception must always contact Art Handling, or outside normal working hours, the Out of hours Guard who, together with the hauler, arranges the placing of the work in M1 or in the prearranged exhibition hall.
  4. Before the arrival of the work, the curator in charge will have assigned a Key number to the work in RAPID. Changes or special circumstances are recorded in RAPID by the Registrar of Incoming Loans or the Exhibition Coordinator and the Key number is referred to internally as well as externally.
  5. Art Handling arranges a time for unpacking as soon as possible after the arrival by agreement with SAFO and KONS. This is (among other reasons) necessary for a potential insurance liability. (Usually a climate box can only be unpacked after 24 hours unless otherwise agreed upon with the owner or responsible institution). At the time of unpacking, KONS assesses the condition of the work and composes a status report along with the courier if there is one.
  6. KONS instructs Art Handling regarding handling and hanging. Three representatives for SMK must be present at the unpacking (an art handler, the relevant curator and a conservator).
  7. Together SAFO and KONS plan possible conservation/mounting/remounting.  If time allows or if there is a need for conservation, transport to KONS is arranged. An appointment regarding conservation must typically be agreed upon before the work arrives in the museum.
  8. If the work is not immediately hung, Art Handling arranges for the necessary storage and communicates the location to REG.
  9. Incoming loans must not be moved before informing the Registry Office in deference to potential demands from the owner. All moves /placements are communicated to The Registry Office by form or e-mail with reference to the KEY number of the work.
  10. At the return/delivery of the work, the person who collects the work and the contact person from the museum sign a form for the return/delivery (cf. point 2). 

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Records for incoming objects: loans for SFMOMA-organized exhibitions

Contact

The curator contacts a potential lender requesting the loan of a specific work(s).

Initial exhibition information record

Assistant curator creates an exhibition record in CMS, which includes the name and dates of the exhibition and additional venues, if any. If contact with potential lender is successful, the assistant curator creates an agent record for the lender (if none exists) and an object record in CMS. The initial record includes the lender's contact information and all available object information, such as artist, title, date, medium, dimensions, provenance, and reason for deposit.

Temporary ID number

Each incoming work is assigned a unique temporary identification number.

Loan forms

Assistant curator prints a loan form from CMS for signature by lender. Assistant updates the work's CMS record with any further information (e.g., specific loan requirements and insurance values) received from the lender via a returned loan form.

Receipts

The registrar creates a shipping record in CMS with information about the work's transportation and delivery. Receipts are printed from CMS and sent to the lender after the work arrives at the museum. A second receipt is issued when returning the work to the lender.

Tracking

Registrar records the location of the work in CMS once it is under SFMOMA's jurisdiction.

Condition reports

Registrar completes a condition report upon receipt of the work. The condition report form is printed from CMS and filled out as a hardcopy.

UC Museum of Paleontology

For UCMP, documentation for "loans in" is considered the responsibility of the loaning institution and is primarily an agreement between the loaning institution and the UCMP scientist.

UCMP uses a legacy loans information system to document the return of specimens loaned to UCMP scientists.  Basically this creates a record (and letter) that documents that specific specimens are being returned by the UCMP scientist to the loaning institution. It is not clear whether all returns are processed in this manner.