Request a loan

Educational Loans

For education or outreach loans, prepare a request with the following information:

  1. The species, number of individuals, and types of specimens (e.g., skin, skeleton, skull, live mount, horn mount) you are interested in borrowing.
  2. The proposed dates for the loan retrieval and return.
  3. A brief description of how the specimens will be used. In particular, describe the settling, student ages, and amount of hands-on activity.
  4. An acknowledgement that you have read and agree to the UMZM Loan Conditions.

Education and outreach loan requests will be evaluated based on potential for specimen damage and availability and condition of specimens in the UMZM teaching collections.

Allow at least 2 weeks for approval and processing.

Submit loan requests to: umzm@mso.umt.edu

Research Loans

Specimens available for research loans are searchable in Arctos (UMZM:Mamm, UMZM:Bird, UMZM:Para). Prepare a loan request with the following information:

  1. Your name, institutional mailing address, email address, and phone number. Students, postdocs, and support staff should make requests through their adviser or primary investigator.
  2. A short (300 words max) summary of the research question, methods, type of data you expect to gather, and, if applicable, database(s) the data will be deposited (e.g., GenBank, MorphoSource, Dryad). The UMZM may edit and post this summary on our website or other public media to illustrate research supported by our collections.
  3. List of specimens and parts you would like to borrow or sample, and how UMZM specimens fit into your overall sampling scheme. Indicate if there is taxonomic or geographic flexibility in the specimens that would meet the project needs.
  4. Destructive or consumptive requests must include explicit details regarding the amount and nature of material required, degree of expected damage to the specimens, and demonstration of successful methods for sampling and analysis of similar materials. You should also indicate whether the borrower or the UMZM is tasked with destructive sampling.
  5. A statement agreeing to carefully credit the UMZM and specimens by GUID, as outlined in the UMZM Loan Conditions.
  6. A UPS or FedEx account number to which shipping may be charged. If cost of shipping is prohibitive, the UMZM may elect to cover it upon request.

Research loan requests will be evaluated based on scientific merit, potential for specimen damage, and availability and condition of specimens.

Allow at least 4 weeks for approval and processing.

Submit loan requests to: umzm@mso.umt.edu

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