Enrichment · Passion Projects

Borrowed objects
go home as they came.

A loan between a small museum, a historical society, a library or a collector protects everyone only if the agreement covers the right things and the condition is recorded at both ends. Add each loan with its dates, value and insurance, and mark which of ten terms the signed agreement covers. The organizer counts the days and flags the gaps.

Add a loanWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Passion projects kit, $39 for 34 items.

Your loans

The worked example is made up: a quilt borrowed for an exhibit ending in 20 days, a map to be lent to a library with no agreement yet, and a 1998 “permanent” loan. Saved on this device only; private lenders are listed by initials.

Loading the loan form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · Passion Projects$12

What you finish with
A record per loan: direction, objects, the other party, purpose, dates, insured value, insurance and ten agreement terms, with notes. Works out the length, days to the end and terms covered; lists loans by end date with the value borrowed; flags loans ending soon, no insurance or value, loans over three years, missing condition reports and unsigned agreements.
Who it is for
Staff and volunteers at small museums, historical societies, libraries, archives and school or university collections.
Format
Browser organizer with a saved record per loan. Prints one loan, every loan in a table or a blank sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Passion projects kit ($39) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Passion Projects space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Add the loan with its direction, objects and dates.
  2. Agree the insured value and who insures.
  3. Mark each term the signed agreement covers.
  4. Write the condition report on arrival, with photos.
  5. Repeat it at return, then close the file.

Add a loan

The life of a loan

A loan, start to finish1RequestPurpose, objects and dates, inwriting2AgreementTerms, value and insurance,signed by both3ArrivalUnpack, photograph and writethe condition report4On displayLight, climate and security asagreed5ReturnCondition report again, packedthe same way6CloseReceipt signed and the fileclosedA loan, start to finish1RequestPurpose, objects and dates, in writing2AgreementTerms, value and insurance, signed byboth3ArrivalUnpack, photograph and write thecondition report4On displayLight, climate and security as agreed5ReturnCondition report again, packed the sameway6CloseReceipt signed and the file closed
The two condition reports are what make a loan safe for both sides: they record what changed, and when.

Wall to wall

Wall-to-wall (also called nail-to-nail) insurance covers objects from the moment they leave the lender’s wall until they are back on it, including transport. The agreed value goes in the agreement, and the borrower’s policy or certificate is usually sent to the lender before the move.

Old and open-ended loans

So-called permanent loans from decades ago are a common problem: lenders move or die and the objects sit in limbo. Many states have laws on old and unclaimed loans to museums. Current practice is a fixed term, renewed in writing, with current contact details.

Sources

  1. American Alliance of Museums. Standards regarding collections stewardship and loan guidance (aam-us.org).
  2. Buck, R. A., and Gilmore, J. A., eds. (2010). MRM5: Museum Registration Methods (5th ed.). AAM Press.
  3. Malaro, M. C., and DeAngelis, I. P. (2012). A Legal Primer on Managing Museum Collections (3rd ed.). Smithsonian Books.
  4. Canadian Conservation Institute and the National Park Service Museum Handbook, on light levels and condition reporting.

The worked examples are made up. This organizer keeps records; it is not legal or insurance advice, and state law governs old loans. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.