Specimen Loans

A COMPLETE loan request must include the following:

• The loan request form with required signatures
• Confirmation of an acceptable return shipping method; borrower MUST state the name of the shipper or the return shipping method that will be used. All returning Type specimens must have a tracking number.
• International Loan Additional Requirements

1. Copies of all required permits and MTAs, or a signed statement that the borrower has contacted their local Customs Office and Scientific Authority and has been told that no permits are required.
2. A transmittal letter prepared on the requesting institution’s letterhead in English and the primary language of the country of import which includes:

• The purpose of the shipment
• Describes the contents of the shipment
• A description of how material is packed (ex. IATA A180)
• States that the contents are not pathogenic or infectious
• The contact information of the responsible party

Loans are made to museum professionals and researchers with permanent or tenured appointments at academic or research institutions, or governmental organizations conducting mission-related biodiversity research. Students or individuals with temporary or non-tenure track appointments who need to examine our specimens should arrange for a tenured faculty member or permanent staff member to request and assume responsibility for the loan. We do not make personal loans nor do we ship loans to personal addresses. 

Our specimens are most often maintained in 70%-75% ethanol, 50% isopropyl alcohol (cephalopods only), 10% formalin (=4% formaldehyde), or are preserved dry or on slides. Maintaining our specimens in the original storage fluid at all times is an absolute requirement of any loan. Whenever possible fluid preserved specimens are shipped in 30 ml or less of fluid to meet hazardous goods "excepted quantity" shipping regulations. Larger specimens that cannot be safely shipped in 30 ml or less of fluid are packed and shipped according to appropriate DOT and IATA hazardous goods regulations. The borrower is responsible for opening the package immediately upon its arrival and placing the specimens into appropriate storage containers with sufficient quantities of the SAME kind and concentration of preservative to prevent desication. We expect the borrower to monitor the condition of the specimens throughout the period of the loan and properly curate the specimens to prevent damage or loss. We also REQUIRE that the specimens be returned to us packed in the same kind and concentration of alcohol (or formalin). All labels included with the specimens must be kept with the specimens at all times and must be returned with the specimens.

No more than 20 lots of specimens may be requested in a single loan request.

An individual borrower is limited to two (2) OPEN loans at any time with a maximum of no more than 40 lots of specimens. If one or more of the loans are PAST DUE, no new loans will be approved until ALL specimens have been returned and all OPEN loans are satisfactorily closed. In the case of faculty advisers (primary borrower) of students, the faculty adviser may also request one (1) loan of no more than 10 lots of specimens per student. If any student loan is PAST DUE, no new loans will be approved until ALL student loans and loans to the primary borrower have been returned and are satisfactorily closed.

• Email the curator who approved your loan and confirm specimens are still in your possession and properly curated.
• Extensions for Types are 1 month max, non-types 6 months max.
• An extension may be denied if the borrower has any past-due loans or if a loan leaves their possession at any point.

Requests to use our specimens for tissue sampling, destructive analysis, dissection, histology or other techniques that permanently alter or damage specimens are not "Loan Requests". Please refer to the section "Requesting Specimens for Sampling, Analysis or Special Preparation" for information about requesting permission to take a tissue sample from the specimen(s) for DNA or other molecular analysis. The Curator or the IZ Collection Committee will consider: 

• the historical and/or scientific importance of the specimen
• the consequences of sampling on the future use of the specimen(s)
• the preparation history of the specimen(s) (n.b. We do not have fixation/preparation information for most of the specimens in our collection collected prior to 2000 and only limited information for specimens collected since 2000. You should assume that our specimens were first fixed in formalin before transfer to 70% ethanol for long term storage.)
• the probability that the specimen will yield a useful molecular extract
• evidence of the borrower's success extracting and analyzing DNA from preserved specimens [submit a list of your publications or copies of key publications that describe your techniques and discuss your results.

Loan requests are processed in the order the completed requests and associated documentation are received from the borrower. The complete request must include:

• the formal loan request form (domestic and international loans)
• copies of all required permits and MTAs, or a signed statement that the borrower has contacted their local Customs Office and Scientific Authority and has been told that no permits are required (international loans)
• for foreign loans, a signed statement written in English and the primary language of the country of import and prepared on institution letter head that describes the contents of the shipment, the purpose of the shipment, and the name and contact information of the responsible party (see sample text)
• confirmation of availability of an acceptable return shipping method domestic and international)

Type specimens are lent for a period not to exceed two (2) months. Other material is lent for a period not to exceed six (6) months. Specimens MUST either BE RETURNED or a LOAN EXTENSION REQUESTED on or before the due date.

Requests to use our specimens for tissue sampling, destructive analysis, dissection, histology or other techniques that permanently alter or damage specimens are not "Loan Requests". Please refer to the section "Requesting Specimens for Sampling, Analysis or Special Preparation" for information about requesting permission to stain, section, dissect or otherwise destructively analyze specimen(s). The Curator or the IZ Collection Committee will consider:

• the historical and/or scientific importance of the specimen
• the consequences of the proposed activity on the future use of the specimen(s)

Subject to the availability of funds the Smithsonian currently covers all costs associated with the out-going packing and shipping of most routine loans. Some international loans cannot be shipped door-to-door. In these instances we pay shipping costs to the FedEx port-of-entry or clearance port. The borrower is expected to, and must agree to, pick up the shipment at the delivery point and pay all costs associated with inspections and customs clearances. The borrower is also responsible for paying all packing and shipping costs related to the return of the specimen(s) to the Smithsonian. The borrower MUST ship the return door-to-door to the Smithsonian even if the shipment requires the use of a commercial customs broker. Due to country-specific hazardous goods shipping restrictions, loans involving fluid preserved specimens may be extremely expensive for the borrower to return. Borrowers must provide us with documentation that they have an acceptable hazardous goods shipping method at the time they submit their loan request. We will be unable to approve a loan request unless we are certain the borrower can return the specimens at the end of the loan period.

With the exception of loans involving CITES-listed species, permit requirements are usually country specific, and change frequently. At this time we have been advised that European Union countries are requiring import permits for some, perhaps all, preserved museum specimens. Borrowers from EU countries should contact their EU office regarding import and export permit requirements. Currently, Brazil and Argentina have Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) requirements that impact our ability to lend some material originally collected from those countries.

Fluid preserved specimens are packed according to US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations. Loans containing fluid preserved specimens are shipped from the Smithsonian to the borrower via FedEx, a service that accepts alcohol in small quantities for both domestic and international shipments. Loans that involve ONLY dry preserved specimens or glass slides are usually shipped from the Smithsonian to the borrower using Registered or Certified air-mail. At the conclusion of the loan period, the borrower is expected to pack and ship specimens back to the Smithsonian following all DOT, IATA and US Postal Service regulations and procedures. Given the complexity of shipping hazardous goods, US borrowers who do not have access to a shipping department within their institution should contact a commercial shipping company for guidance on packing and shipping fluid preserved specimens. International borrowers are advised to contact a Customs Broker to assist with permits, packing, shipping and customs clearance.