Research & Collections
Loan Request/Collection Policy
Outgoing Loans
The term "outgoing loan" refers to an object loaned by The University of Tennessee, through the Frank H. McClung Museum to another institution or other approved party. There is no transfer of ownership and the loan is undertaken only under the terms of a loan agreement.
Loans are made only to the following borrowers: other University departments, museums, schools, universities or colleges, and other organizations with the Director's approval. Requests must be made by permanent employees of such institutions. In the case of student research, the faculty advisor must request and be responsible for a loan on the student’s behalf.
The University will only consider requests to lend objects which are in adequate condition to endure the purpose of the loan. The University reserves the right 1) to impose a loan fee; 2) require a facilities report from the borrowing institution; and 3) impose special conditions such as packing requirements, couriers or certain methods of shipping. Such conditions will be set forth in the loan agreement as requirements for the loan.
Loaned specimens may not be transferred or forwarded to another institution, organization, or individual without prior written permission from The University, through the Museum Director or appropriate Curator. The Office of Risk Management will be notified of such transfer.
In considering requests for loan of objects in University collections maintained by the Frank H. McClung Museum, Museum officials will consider: a. the implication of the removal of the object if on exhibition or display; b. benefits to the Museum or reciprocal possibilities resulting from the loan; c. any potential damage that could result from travel, display or handling of the object(s) while on loan; d. risks of seizure, levy or similar type of action.
All loans must be approved by the Director on the basis of recommendations secured from the appropriate Curator, Registrar, Museum Educator, Exhibits Coordinator and, if warranted, a professional Conservator. The Registrar shall be responsible for administering and processing the loan and all relevant documentation.
Intramural loans (temporary physical transfer of objects to another locale within The University of Tennessee) must be approved by the Director on the basis of recommendations secured from the appropriate Curator, Registrar, Museum Educator, Exhibits Coordinator and, if warranted, a professional Conservator. The safety and preservation of the requested object will be paramount in the decision.
Requesting a Loan
Requests for loans should be made in writing to the Museum Director or appropriate Curator. Requests should include the purpose of the loan, description of the object(s) in as much detail as possible, and where and under whose responsibility the objects will be housed while on loan. The Museum’s Curators, their areas of responsibility, and contact information are:
- Dr. Gary Crites, Curator of Paleoethnobotany (archaeological botanical collections, modern comparative seed/fruit collections, and Quaternary plant macrofossils)
Email: gcrites@utk.edu
- Mr. Gerald Dinkins, Curator of Malacology (comparative and archaeological collections of freshwater mollusks)
Email: biodink@frontiernet.net
- Dr. Lynne Sullivan, Curator of Archaeology (Southeastern U.S. archaeological and bioarchaeological collections, North American ethnology collection)
Email: lsulliv2@utk.edu
- General Collections
Email: museum@utk.edu
The Museum’s Registrar is:
- Mr. Robert Pennington
Email: rpennin1@utk.edu
All curators and the registrar may be reached by phone via the Museum’s main office: (865) 974-2144.
Conditions Governing Outgoing Loans
As a condition of the loan, two copies of any publication, poster, film, video, or catalog containing reference to objects on loan from The University of Tennessee's Frank H. McClung Museum are to be provided, gratis, to the Museum, and sent at the expense of the borrower.
The Borrower assumes full responsibility for any loss or damage to the loaned object(s) during the entire period of the loan.
If the Borrower is a museum or comparable institution, then it shall exercise the same care with respect to the loaned object(s) as it does in the safekeeping of comparable property of its own. If the Borrower is other than a museum or comparable institution, then it shall exercise extraordinary care with respect to the loaned object(s).
Objects estimated to have a value of over $250 should be photographed prior to leaving the Museum on loan. Objects valued less than $250 may be photographed upon the recommendation of the appropriate curator.
All objects must be handled only by experienced personnel and must be protected against loss, damage, deterioration, and theft.
The Borrower agrees to meet any special requirements for installation, packing, transportation, and handling.
Upon receipt and prior to the return of the object(s), the Borrower must make a written record of the condition of the object(s). The Director of the Frank H. McClung Museum is to be notified immediately if any damage or loss to the object(s) is discovered. This initial notification should be followed by a full written report, including photographs.
Each object shall remain in the condition in which it is received by the borrower. No object may be altered, cleaned, conserved, repaired, or transported in damaged condition without the written permission of the Director of the Frank H. McClung Museum. Should damage occur in transit, the receiving party shall be responsible for notifying the carrier, and all packing material shall be saved for inspection.
Each object shall be insured during the period of the loan for the value stated on the face of the loan agreement under a wall-to-wall policy against all risks of physical loss or damage from any external cause while in transit or on location.
If the Borrower is insuring the object, the Frank H. McClung Museum must be furnished with a certificate of insurance or a copy of the policy, or both if requested by The University of Tennessee, made out in favor of The University of Tennessee prior to shipment of the objects. The certificate of insurance shall list The University of Tennessee as an additional insured. The Museum Registrar must be notified in writing at least 20 days prior to any cancellation or change in the Borrower's policy that would affect insurance coverage of the object(s). The Borrower will not be released from liability for loss or damage by any failure on its part to secure insurance or by any lapses or insufficiencies in its insurance coverage. The failure of the Frank H. McClung Museum or The University of Tennessee to adhere to any of the notification provisions of this agreement shall not release the Borrower from liability for loss or damage.
The University of Tennessee may periodically review insurance value, and reserves the right to require the Borrower to obtain increased insurance coverage. The insurance value for each object set forth by the Frank H. McClung Museum on the face of the loan agreement is for the purpose of the loan only. This value in no way constitutes an appraisal of the object(s).
Packing and transportation shall be by safe methods approved in advance by The University of Tennessee. Unpacking and repacking must be done by experienced personnel under competent supervision. Repacking must be done with the same or similar material and boxes, and by the same methods as the objects were received. Any additional instruction noted in the loan agreement shall be followed.
Each object shall be labeled and credited to the Frank H. McClung Museum of The University of Tennessee. Unless otherwise stipulated in writing by the Lender, the visiting public may take impromptu photographs, but no other reproduction is permitted except photographic copies for catalog and publicity uses related to the stated purpose of the loan and approved in advance by The University of Tennessee, pending copyright restrictions.
Unless otherwise noted, packing, transportation, customs, insurance and other loan-related costs shall be borne by the Borrower.
Objects loaned must be returned to The Frank H. McClung Museum of The University of Tennessee in satisfactory condition by the stated termination date. Unless otherwise notified in writing by The University of Tennessee, the Borrower shall return all objects to the Frank H. McClung Museum at the address stated on the face of the loan agreement. Any extension of the loan period must be approved in writing by the Museum Director or his/her designate and covered by parallel extension of insurance coverage. The University of Tennessee reserves the right to recall the object from loan on short notice. Furthermore, The University of Tennessee reserves the right to cancel a loan at any time, and will make every effort to give reasonable notice thereof.
Collections Policies
The full text of the Frank H. McClung Museum’s Collections Policies and Procedures can be found HERE.