Policy for the Exchange of Specimens
Exchanges is a convenient way of enrichening collections without high costs of travel and field work. Access to material not housed in one's own institution is normally managed by loans, and the need for large scale exchange may actually be limited. This policy describes procedures for exchange between institutions or with individual researchers.NRM may also send or receive material as gift, without requesting exchange. Other subtractions from the collection may include return of type specimens to country of origin, or the donation of educational specimens to Swedish universities, which activities are not covered herein. NRM will exchange deliberately, but to keep the high standard and to ensure that the material can easily be located by researchers also in the future, the following guidelines are endorsed.Four exchange categories are distinguished:
- Swedish fauna is exchanged for local fauna of the other institution. Such may include uncatalogued material.
- Foreign fauna is exchanged with a regional country in exchange for regional fauna to complete the NRM collection. "Regional" may cover several countries.
- Taxa are exchanged with specialists in connection with publication of revisions or new species description if availability of material so permits. Agreement on exchange is then made only after the manuscript has been submitted. Such exchange can be "open", i.e., is expected to balance in the long run.
- Swedish or regional fauna is exchanged with institutions wishing to complete their higher level taxonomic coverage. Such exchange may concern a few specimens of a particular family or order.
The following restrictions apply: - Exchange is done only with museums or equivalent research collections maintaining a catalogue or corresponding record of the content of the collection.
- Each exchange will be registered at NRM, usually in the loan record.
- Specialists with a long term interest in a group and publishing on NRM material are in principle, pending approval of written request, permitted to keep specimens from larger series, provided they are kept in an institution maintaining or potentially maintaining exchange with NRM.
- No exchange whatsoever is made with individuals directly, or with foreign educational institutions.
- No exchange will be made of material destined for work by NRM researchers or associates.
- No exchange will normally be made of material having catalog numbers that have been published, except that occasionally large lots may be split for exchange.
- Type specimens are normally not be exchanged, except that paratypes may, rarely, be found appropriate to exchange with country of origin.
- Exchanges are made on a 1 to 1 basis unless otherwise agreed.
- Exchange requests should be directed to the Senior Curator.
This policy is provisional pending outcome of tests. Exchanges may also be subject to conditions imposed by international laws or agreements. Contact:
Senior Curator (e-mail)
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