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- Loan Policy and Information Requests
The LSAM loans specimens to researchers and graduate students around the world. Please contact us to check and see if we have specimens that you would like to borrow. The LSAM has pre-made display cases that are available for loan. If you have an upcoming event or are teaching about insects, please check with us about borrowing our display drawers.
Approximately 200,000 of the 1 million specimens housed in the LSAM collection may be searched on the Museum website (https://www.xxxxxx) through our Specify 7 Database page. We are always adding new records to the database and updating recent determinations but be aware all relevant data may not be represented. Therefore, we encourage you to contact the curator directly for specimen information. Curator: Victoria Bayless vbayless AT agcenter.lsu.edu.
The LSAM S is willing to send specimen label-data to researchers provided the request is not excessive (i.e., not more than an hour or two of work). Explain in your request, why you need the data and please be as specific as possible with respect to taxa, and what information you are interested in. Again, please be patient as there may be a backlog of requests.
The LSAM will ship specimens to researchers in the USA under the following conditions:
a) A formal request is made which explains briefly why the specimens are needed, who will be responsible for their care, how they will be cared for, and which specimens are needed. Please be as specific as possible with respect to taxa, localities, dates, ages, and sex.
b) The request should be copied to the museum curator who will be responsible for the loan (unless the requester and the curator are the same). Requests from students must also be cc’d to the major professor as the loan will be made in their name.
c) The requester agrees to acknowledge the LSAM in publications that use the specimens and to be responsible for sending the LSAM a reprint or PDF of such publications. Loans are normally for a period of 2 years. Requests for extensions of this period should be secured prior to expiration. We do make loans to private individuals and institutions but included in your request please indicate that you possess the proper facilities for housing specimens, I.e., an insect cabinet with proper drawers. For international loans we may need further information on current shipping and return shipping issues.
Destructive sampling from specimens for DNA. Please contact the Curator for permission.