[NHCOLL-L:3243] Electronic Loans

[rjb at ou.edu]

NHColl:

We have received several requests for electronic loans from our collection. These loans consist of taxonomic quality images of specimens in standardized views. I am curious how many other institutions are receiving requests for electronic loans, how the paperwork is handled, and if any problems have arisen.

We have an active NSF supported database grant for our collection which includes imaging the specimens for the in-house database, distributed database and web, so at least some of the specimens are already imaged and the remainder will be imaged over the next couple of years. I definitely see the merits of electronic loans, no specimen loss or damage in shipping, less wear and tear on objects that never leave the collection, no loss from mishandling or misplaced objects, researchers leaving, natural disasters, etc. 

I have been working with our Registrar to formulate a better way of tracking this type of loan. Currently, we have used copies of email or other correspondence, but I think tracking the loans in a way similar to physical loans is needed. Any experience or suggestions would be appreciated.

Roger J. Burkhalter

Collections Manager, Invertebrate Paleontology
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
University of Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
http://www.snomnh.ou.edu/