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Borrowing for exhibitions
Discover how we can help with exhibitions at a library, museum or gallery.
The policy intends to:
outline the institutional requirements that must be met by the requestors for loaning a record
provide guidance to staff making decisions on loaning records
ensure our and the Chief Archivist's legal and preservation requirements for external loans are met.
Institutional statement on loaning
The Chief Archivist is responsible under section 11.1.c.iii of the Public Records Act 2005 for the function of facilitating access to and promoting the use of public archives. Loaning records for exhibition is one means of fulfilling this.
Loaning archival records can form part of Archives New Zealand’s and the Department of Internal Affairs’ desired outcomes of:
New Zealand is recognised for creating, sharing and using knowledge for social, cultural and economic well-being
the people of New Zealand have a strong and valued national identity, culture and heritage.
Loaning is a collegial activity within the galleries, museums, libraries and archives sector and is mutually beneficial for building relationships and cross-pollinating awareness of and knowledge about collections with institutions and the visiting public.
We will endeavour to approve any loans requested if all requirements listed in the ‘Requirements’ section are met.
Criteria for loaning
Record
The request must be for a physical record in our holdings. Reproductions, born-digital material and digital surrogates are not eligible for loan.
The record must be open-access, unless it is restricted for preservation reasons — for example, a painting that cannot be retrieved for reading room handling but is able to be safely exhibited if hung properly.
If records are restricted for preservation reasons they will be assessed by the Preservation and Repository Services staff and the requestor will be advised if they are suitable for loan. The display history of the record will be taken into consideration by staff when determining whether a record is suitable for loan.
If records that are restricted for content reasons are requested the loan will be declined unless permission to access and publicly exhibit the record/s is obtained in writing from the transferring agency or, in the case of obsolete agencies, its successor agency or delegated access authority.
If a restricted record is requested for which we administer the restriction, access to it will be determined via the usual channels as per the Access Statement and the requestor will be advised of the outcome.
If a record requires treatment beyond normal remedial treatment in order to be prepared for exhibition, the requestor should incur the cost.
Institution
Loans are made only for the purposes of public exhibition or display.
Loans will be made only to institutions that have a track record of successful exhibition or display, suitably qualified professional sector staff, and are able to demonstrate that they meet our loan requirements.
Declining a loan
Although loans will be approved whenever possible, we reserve the right to decline a loan request for any reason it deems fit. We reserve the right to terminate a loan if the terms and conditions of the loan agreement are breached.
Requirements
Requestor
In processing a loan request, we require:
a formal request directed to the Chief Archivist
at least six months’ lead-in time before the record must be installed for exhibition opening
all exhibition details including title of exhibition, venues and dates, organiser’s name, address and contact details, scope of exhibition, expected duration of loan, complete list of records requested, including references, reason for including the records
names and details of staff responsible for preparing the exhibition
a completed facilities report including security assurances and climate control data and specifications
transport, packaging and the cost of treatment beyond remedial treatment to be paid for by the Requestor
details of the Requestor’s insurance or indemnity and a certificate of currency proving same
whether a publication will be produced, and if permission is needed.
The Requestor will agree to
Complete all mandatory documentation we require:
adhere to all terms, conditions and specifications of the loan agreement
meet all costs as specified in the loan agreement
ensure that only qualified or Archives-approved staff handle, install and de-install the record in accordance with our instructions
assume responsibility for the care and protection of the record whilst in the Requestor’s custody. Any damage or loss is to be reported to us immediately. In the event of damage no treatment is to be undertaken by the Requestor except for immediate stabilisation measures without advice and approval from us
adhere to our preservation specifications, which will be specified in the individual loan Agreement, but in general:
for works on paper the temperature must be no higher than 25°C and preferably be below 18°C and kept as stable as possible, typically no more than ±5°C change within a 7 day period, and relative humidity no lower than 30% up to 65% RH and kept as stable as possible, typically no more than ±10%RH change within 30 days.
works on paper and textiles shall be exhibited only in artificial light not exceeding 50 lux unless otherwise specified. Paintings shall be exhibited only in artificial light not exceeding 250 lux unless otherwise specified.
Additional requirements for long-term exhibitions
In the event that a long-term loan is requested, the following terms will be agreed and specified in the loan agreement:
the term of the loan and the renewal period
arrangements for the maintenance of the record
the name and reference of the record/s to be substituted or rotated, should we specify that this must happen
arrangements for our staff to visit and sight the record/s, should we specify that this must happen
confirmation that the Requestor’s insurance and indemnity will cover a long-term loan
confirmation that relevant staff will be made aware of long-term loans in the institution
should international customs clearance be required the Requestor will arrange this in consultation with us.
Touring exhibitions
In the event that a record is requested for a touring exhibition, one contract is to be negotiated for all exhibition venues.
Insurance and indemnity will be agreed and specified in the Loan Agreement by the Requestor and representatives from the Department of Internal Affairs’ Procurement team. We expect the Requestor to cover the costs of insurance.
We require a detailed facilities report and transport plan for every venue at which the exhibition will be held.
We reserve the right to refuse a record for display in any of the exhibition venues should it not meet requirements.
Our responsibilities
We will provide:
the loan agreement covering all terms and conditions and specifications to which the requestor agrees to adhere
names and contact details of our staff who will assist with the loans process
condition reporting, remedial treatment, display and transport instructions for the record
archivist or curator advice about alternative records that can be loaned if the original request is declined
a loan courier, if required. A loan courier will be required if:
we determine if the records for loan are high-value
due to the fragile nature of the record/s, a courier is required to oversee the handling of the works
due to special installation and packing requirements of the record
to protect the record/s against careless and inappropriate and excessive handling, changes of environmental condition etc
to protect the record/s during long and complex transportation arrangements
to assess the new venue and their facilities and/or provide specialised training to the staff
to deliver seminars, talks and workshops about the exhibition
The courier will be a member of Preservation and Repository Services, or a properly briefed representative selected by the Manager of Preservation and Repository Services.
If a loan courier is required, the requestor will meet the costs of their travel and accommodation.
Loan of Taonga
If we define any records requested are taonga, the requestor, or the community associated with the record, then the Principal Advisor Ratonga Māori will be asked to describe and implement the necessary tikanga and kawa relating to the loan.
If a Māori staff member must travel with the loan to fulfil tikanga and kawa, the cost for this will be met by the requestor. In the event that none of our staff member is available then a representative from the requestor or the community associated with the record may take their place if approved by the Principal Advisor Ratonga Māori.
Terminology
Courier — a person who travels with the loaned record to ensure its physical and cultural safety and that correct procedures are followed during the transport, installation, de-installation and return of the record
Kawa — protocol
Loan — temporary physical custody of a record for exhibition or display purposes
Loan agreement — the contract entered into between the requestor and us specifying the terms and conditions of the loan
Long-term loan — a loan that is more than twelve months in duration
Record — a physical object that we hold and is capable of being loaned. The term “record” is used in this policy instead of “item” or “archive” for clarity. Born-digital material, digital surrogates and reproductions are not considered records for the purpose of this policy
Requestor — the requesting organisation or institution
Short-term loan — a loan that is less than twelve months in duration
Taonga — in this context, a record held by us that holds cultural value for tangata whenua
Tikanga — Correct practice, custom