How to borrow items for exhibitions
The British Library supports an active programme of loans as a vital way to share our collections with the public. We lend a wide variety of items to public exhibitions around the UK and the world, reaching audiences in excess of 5 million worldwide each year.
Through our loans programme, the British Library collaborates with partners locally, nationally and internationally, deepening our relationships and providing guidance to enable borrowing of collection materials to a broad range of venues.
We encourage anyone wishing to borrow items for exhibition to carefully read our guidance, and to be in touch with us should you have any questions in advance of sending a formal request.
Please note that we have a very busy loans programme. We need at least 12 months’ formal notice for any new request, and would invite you to submit any request allowing more time, if possible.
1. Commitment to lend
Under the terms of the 1972 British Library Act, the British Library Board may “subject to such restrictions and conditions as they think necessary to safeguard their collections, lend any item, and make any part of their collections, or of their premises, available in connection with events of an educational, literary or cultural nature”
As such, the British Library lends objects to exhibitions in the UK and abroad.
These Conditions (Point 6) should be factored into exhibition preparation and budgeting.
Queries arising from this document should be directed to the British Library’s Registrar’s Office (Point 7).
2. Who can borrow?
Loans are made to public exhibitions within the UK and abroad.
We do not lend to private or commercial exhibitions.
We do not normally lend to inaugural exhibitions in new and untested venues. If we consider doing so, the Library will take steps to ensure that the venue can fully meet our conditions of loan. This may involve an inspection visit prior to agreeing the loan.
3. How to request the loan
To enable the Library to balance its overall obligations and in order to prepare the loan, we do require a formal and final loan request at least twelve months in advance of the exhibition for UK and international loans.
To prepare for this request, borrowers should contact the Registrar’s Office
The formal written request, addressed to the Registrar’s Office, should contain the following information:
- Exhibition dates
- Venue details, including contact name, telephone numbers and email.
- Full object description with the shelf mark or reference number.
- The folio/page opening is essential.
- The exhibition scenario explaining the context of the object within the exhibition.
4. Lending criteria
We do our best to support loan requests. In deciding to lend we have to consider:
- The preservation needs of the object.
- The resources available to expedite the loan.
- If the absence of the object will be detrimental to our public programmes or greatly disappoint our readers.
5. Consideration and contract
The request will be considered and the decision communicated to the applicant as soon as possible.
If an application is successful, the borrower will be required to meet our General Conditions of loan (Point 6).
The loan will also be contingent upon the borrower satisfying specific conditions, tailored to the precise circumstances of each loan. These conditions will form the Loan Contract, drawn up by the Registrar’s Office and agreed by the borrower.
6. General conditions
The Library holds the Collections in trust for the nation. Part of our statutory obligation is to ensure the safety, security and ongoing preservation of objects within our care. To accomplish this, the following Conditions, which reflect international museum and library standards, are mandatory.
6.1 Exhibition and installation dates
The Borrower will notify the Library if the Exhibition dates change no less than 2 months before the Exhibition opens.
6.2 Compliance with international ethical standards
The Borrower will be asked to declare that no item in its collections or in the proposed exhibition, or the manner in which, British Library property is to be treated, will contravene the International Council of Museums Code of Ethics. The Library reserves the right to terminate at its discretion and without notice, without cost, and without prejudice to itself corporately or individually any loan to any exhibition where the borrower has inadvertently, deliberately or otherwise failed to disclose the provenance or lack of provenance of material to be exhibited alongside British Library property, or where the borrower has acted so as to further or support the trade in illicit cultural property.
6.3 Immunity from seizure
In countries where immunity from seizure statutes and/or regulations are in force, it is the responsibility of the Borrower to ensure that British Library property loaned to them is covered by such provisions. Where the Borrower has failed to do so, liability for any consequent loss to the Library will lie with the Borrower.
6.4 Security
Loans will only be made to a venue that has been approved by the Manager Security & Protection Advice, Arts Council England.
The Manager Security & Protection Advice will contact the Borrower in order to make the assessment.
Arts Council England offers resources to provide advice on security for cultural venues.
6.5 Environment and display
Specific environment and display requirements for each object will be outlined in the Loan Contract. Ranges may be narrower for sensitive objects made of, for example, parchment.
For your guidance, however, the environment in the gallery and store must be stable and fall within:
- Temperature will be between 18 - 21 º C with a maximum 2°C change permitted within the band in 24 hours;
- The relative humidity will be 45-60% with a maximum 5% change permitted within the band in 24 hours;
- Visible light on the Object will not exceed 50 LUX; ultraviolet light 0 µW/lumen
On arrival at the venue, a period of time, usually up to 24 hours for air freight, will be required for the objects to acclimatise, before being unpacked and installed.
Objects will not be sited near ventilation ducts, draughts, or sources of heat.
The Library must approve all methods and materials used in the display. Case elevations and gallery plans will be submitted to the Registrar’s Office for consideration.
In accordance with standards set by the Manager, Security and Protection, Arts Council England, small portable objects must be exhibited in locked display cases which should be fitted with anti-bandit laminated glazing meeting British Standard BS 5544 and EN 356 P4A. This glazing will be at least 11.5mm thick or greater. The use of 12 mm acrylic material may be permitted as an alternative. Very valuable objects will require a case that meets EN 356 P6B.
All cases must be fitted with alarm devices. The cases must be secured in a manner approved by the British Library and the Manager, Security and Protection, Arts Council England.
Textile that is used to line a display case must be Oddy tested (for corrosive properties) to ensure that it is suitable for use in an enclosed space with an Object.
6.6 Smoking, food and drink
Smoking, food and drink are strictly forbidden in any exhibition space containing Library loans.
6.7 Packing and transport
The borrower will bear the cost of all packing and transport and appoint experienced fine art agents in the UK (and, where applicable, abroad), to undertake this work.
Transport will be by the most direct route and adhere to the minimum requirements set out by the Manager, Security and Protection, Arts Council England. These requirements can be found in Annex E (General transport conditions which apply under the Government Indemnity Scheme) of the GIS Guidelines for National Institutions, available here.
The Registrar’s Office will approve all arrangements, including the choice of fine art agents, before the borrower appoints the agents.
For international loans, the fine art agents will arrange all customs and security clearance and ensure that the courier (Point 6.7) is given assistance at all ports of entry and exit.
The Library will arrange for the loan to be packed.
6.8 The courier (Library representative/ escort)
A courier will usually be required to escort the loan in transit and undertake or supervise unpacking, physical examination and installation.
Delivery and installation will take place just prior to the exhibition opening.
The courier will have authority over all business relating to the loan. If the Loan Contract is breached, the courier may, at any point, return to the Library with the loan.
When escorting the loan, and travelling by air, the courier will fly business class.
The borrower will arrange and pay for the courier’s hotel and give the courier a pre-agreed amount of money to cover food and sundry expenses.
6.9 Insurance and indemnity
Loans will be covered either by UK Government Indemnity or by commercial fine art insurance.
The UK Government Indemnity Scheme facilitates loans within the UK by removing the need for borrowers to obtain commercial insurance if the Conditions of Loan are met and security at the venue meets with the approval of the Manager, Security and Protection, Arts Council England.
Normal arrangements are as follows:
- To government funded institutions (UK nationals)
The Library will normally bear the risk of loss of an object. If damage occurs, however, the borrower will bear the cost of repair. - To other UK Venues
The Library may waive the need for commercial insurance if the Conditions of Loan are met. The borrower, however, will bear a minimum liability that will be outlined in the Loan Contract. - International loans
A fine art insurance broker, named and instructed by the Library, will underwrite the loan. The premium for this will be borne by the borrower.
The Library will also consider foreign government indemnities.
All arrangements will be made by the Registrar’s Office.
6.10 Cost
The borrower will bear the following costs without limit:
- Transport and packing
- Manufacture of bespoke display cradles/supports/frames
- Insurance or minimum liability
- Travel tickets and insurance, hotel and subsistence allowance
- Security photography
The cost of conservation is normally borne by the Library. If the conservation resources required to prepare it are considerable, however, the borrower may be required to bear all, or part of the cost.
6.11 Photography, filming and reproduction
If no high resolution digital images or scans exists, a surrogate of the object must be made before the loan is dispatched.
This will be arranged automatically by the Registrar’s Office who will subsequently inform the Borrower of the cost in advance, and then invoice them for this cost.
Payment for this work must reach British Library Imaging Services no less than two months before the loan dispatch date.
Images for reproduction can be obtained from British Library Imaging Services. The borrower should contact British Library Imaging Services regarding charges, licensing and copyright. Orders for reproductions/permissions should be placed on line via www.bl.uk.
Filming is not permitted for commercial purposes.
Permission to film for promotional or educational purposes must be sought, in advance, from the Registrar’s Office.
Media
The Borrower may not make news of an upcoming loan public in the media, events or on social media, until agreed with the British Library.
All media announcements relating to a loan should be sent to the British Library for review and approval before publication.
6.12 Publication right
Where an object has not been published and is then published or displayed to the public by the borrower, all publication rights will be assigned back to the British Library.
6.13 Cancellation
If the loan is cancelled, for whatever reason, all reasonable costs will be borne by the borrower.
7. Library contacts
Registrar’s Office: RegistrarsOffice@bl.uk
British Library Licensing: Licensing@bl.uk
Immunity from seizure
The British Library is able to offer protection from seizure under Part 6 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, which provides immunity from seizure for cultural objects which are loaned from overseas to temporary public exhibitions in approved museums or galleries in the UK where conditions are met when the object enters the UK.
The conditions are:
- The object is usually kept outside the UK
- The object is not owned by a person who is resident in UK
- The import of the object does not contravene any law
- The object is brought into UK for purpose of a temporary public exhibition at an approved museum or gallery
- The museum or gallery has published information about the object
If you require additional information, please contact us at registrarsoffice@bl.uk.
Reports for the following exhibitions have been published, requesting immunity from seizure for the listed objects: Medieval Women: In Their Own Words (PDF, 298kb)