The handling of loans from other institutions impacts the reputation of the University of Georgia Herbarium.  Neglectful treatment of loans may affect inter-institutional cooperation, result in loss of loan services, and damage future research at the University of Georgia.  Both the lending and borrowing institutions incur expense in the preparation and shipping of loans: administrative staff time is necessary to maintain loan records, and herbarium specimens require suitable storage space.  Receiving a loan is a privilege with associated responsibilities.  Borrowers at GA follow all rules and regulations provided by the lending herbaria.  These guidelines and agreement are designed to help our loan operations run smoothly and to help prevent the embarrassment of returning unannotated or improperly annotated loans.

LOAN REQUESTS
Loan requests from the University of Georgia Herbarium are submitted by the Curator of the Herbarium or the Curatorial Assistant as proxy for the Curator.  Herbaria generally do not honor requests made by individuals due to legal ramifications.  Consult the Curator about the preparation of loan request letters and prepare the following information:

· title and nature of the project
· predicted time-frame
· complete list of the species and synonyms
· list of the standard acronyms of the loaning herbaria
· list of type specimens with locality, collector, and herbaria where they are deposited.  (Many institutions file type specimens in special sets and do not respond to general requests for type material).
· destructive sampling requests, i.e., special permission to remove material from specimens for purposes such as SEM, DNA, palynological and anatomical studies.  (Most institutions prefer to review their material before sending it to determine if it will support the procedure.)

STORAGE AND HANDLING OF SPECIMENS
· Storage. Specimens will be stored properly, i.e., in an airtight steel herbarium case with proper fumigation. Keep herbarium doors closed as much as possible, especially when taking folders away to a table for examination.  Return all material to a cabinet the same day.
· Handling.  Do not bend, beak, or tear the specimens.  Do not turn sheets face down.  Specimens may not be Xeroxed (e.g., for label data).
· Repair. All sheets with loose pieces should be repaired immediately.  Notify herbarium staff about sheets requiring repair.
· Insect damage control.  Please report immediately any evidence of insect damage.  The specimens should be regularly monitored for infestations
· Destructive analyses.  Material will not be removed from sheets without prior permission of the lending institution.
· Annotations.  Do not write directly on a specimen or its label.  All comments should be made on an annotation slip (see below).

LOAN EXTENSIONS
Note the loan period of each loan. Most institutions will grant extensions for only one year at a time (six months for types).  Approximately two months before the material is due the Curator should be informed of the following details:

· institution
· loan number or date
· description of specimens
· project title and progress made in the project
· length of extension requested.

Examples of annotations:
 

· Placement.  Show the Curator your annotations before you affix them!  Consult the rules of the lending herbaria concerning annotation of their specimens.  In some cases, annotations are attached in a specific location.  Generally, the annotation slip should be affixed to the herbarium sheet in a blank space as near as possible to the original label or most recent annotation.  Standard practice is placement above the label and flush with the right side of the sheet or to the left of the label.  If other annotations are present, the new one should be positioned above the most recent, unless it will not fit or the most recent is in a very unusual position.  If blank space on the sheet is insufficient, an annotation may be glued only at one end and overlap mounted plant material.
· Attachment.  A white glue, DucoCement or any other permanent glue should be used to attach the annotation slip.  Do not use rubber cement (impermanent).  Glue should be applied only to each or one end of the annotation.  Some institutions do not want annotation slips to be affixed.

PACKING LOANS FOR RETURN
Students must prepare loans for return before graduating.
The investigator is responsible for packaging and return of loans.  The Curator will place a hold on graduation with the University Registrar if all loans have not been returned prior to graduation.  Allot ample time for this time-consuming procedure.  The Curator should be informed at least one month before specimens are ready for return.  In times of financial crisis, the payment of the return postage may also be negotiated.  All specimens should be sorted by institution and counted before any loans are packed for return.  The Curator must inspect the material to certify its condition for return.  Once all loans correlate with the records, the Curator will explain the preparation of shipping invoices, shipping labels, and customs declarations.  Packing must be done in the Herbarium under the supervision of the Curator or Curatorial Assistant.

PARTIAL RETURN OF LOANS
The partial return of a loan should be avoided.  If partial return is necessary, both the returned material and the remainder should be carefully counted and checked against the original loan total.

VOUCHERS
Students must have their vouchers labeled and sorted before graduating.
· Definition.  A voucher -- literally "a piece of evidence" -- is an essential component of the scientific method.  All published research on organisms should be vouchered.  These specimens are physical proof validating the identity of the plant used in a research project.
· Policy. Students in the Botany Dept. at the University of Georgia are required to deposit a set of their voucher specimens in the GA herbarium. Although not collecting as extensively as those participating in floristic projects, students undertaking revisionary studies (and who request loans) usually also have their own collections to prepare for deposit in the home herbarium and for exchange to other herbaria.  In addition, most journals now require citation of the repository for vouchers in molecular studies before publication is allowed.
· Labels.  See the Curator, "Floristic Study Agreement," and http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/herbarium/voucher.htm for details and policies on specimen and label preparation.  The label should indicate if the specimen is a voucher for a molecular study.
· Sorting.  See the Curator and "Floristic Study Agreement" for details on sorting.

CITATION OF SPECIMENS IN PUBLICATIONS
· Standard herbarium acronyms, listed in Index Herbariorum, are used in specimen citation in publications.  The University of Georgia Herbarium is cited as GA.
· Institutions with multiple herbaria.  Some single institutions actually administer specimens for separate herbaria.  Examples: Harvard University Herbaria [Oakes Ames Orchid Herbarium (AMES), Arnold Arboretum (A), Gray Herbarium (GH), the Economic Herbarium of Oakes Ames (ECON), New England Botanical Club (NEBC), and the Farlow Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany (FH)]; Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT, SMU, VDB), University of Texas (TEX, LL), University of Alabama (ALU, UNA), and California Academy of Sciences (CAS, DS).

PUBLICATIONS
· GA Herbarium library.  A complimentary copy of all theses, dissertations, and published papers relating to the specimens borrowed should be donated to the University of Georgia Herbarium.
· Lending herbaria.  A copy of published papers (when possible) pertaining to borrowed specimens should be sent to the lending institution (c/o the Curator or official correspondent) in appreciation for the use of their specimens.

Graduate Student Agreement:
1.  I have read and agree to comply with the University of Georgia Herbarium guidelines outlined in "Synopsis of GA Herbarium Policies" and "Collections Use Policies."
2.  I have read and consent to handle loans to GA for my study in accordance with the attached "Loan and Voucher Guidelines and Agreement."
3.  As detailed above, I acknowledge that annotating my study specimens and providing properly labeled vouchers are part of my graduate project.  I understand thatI will not be allowed to graduate until my loans are properly annotated and packaged for return and all voucher specimens from my study are properly labeled and sorted for deposit at GA.  Failure to comply will prevent completion of my degree.
 
 

____________________________________
Printed Name

____________________________________         _________________
Signature                                                                       Date
 
 

____________________________________         _________________
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor Signature                             Date