Collection Policies

Skin and Skeletal loan requests should be submitted to Mark Omura, the Curatorial Associate in Mammalogy, for approval.  Our skin and skeletal specimen holding can be queried online through our database, MCZbase. 

Please read the loan policies below before proceeding.

Loan Requests

Loan requests should include the following:

1. Requestor’s full name, title, institutional affiliation, FedEx shipping address, email, and phone number. We do not ship to P.O. Boxes.
2. When applicable: Student and or post-doctoral fellow full name, title, institutional affiliation, address, email, and phone number.
3. Research proposal including specific techniques proposed to be applied to the specimens.
4. Summary of previous work using proposed techniques.*
5. Description of specimens (identified by MCZ number and scientific name as found in MCZbase) and specimen parts being requested.  
6. Please let us know if specimen substitution is acceptable or if you require the specimens listed. 
7. Justification for the specimens in the proposed study.
8. Researcher experience handling mammalian specimens.*
9. Summary of specimens requested from other institutions for the proposed project.*
10. When applicable: special circumstances. (For example, to avoid shipment delays, please inform us if you are unavailable to receive samples for a specific time period or if your institution will be closed for any upcoming holidays.)

*supporting documentation can be sent as attachments.

Loan Policies

Requestor Eligibility

The borrower must have an institutional affiliation. Individuals without such affiliation may borrow only when they are sponsored by an individual with such an affiliation, and agree to study the material at the sponsor's institution. In such cases, loans will be sent to the sponsor at the sponsor's institutional address. The loaned material may not leave the sponsor’s institution.

Loan requests for student and postdoctoral fellow use need to be requested and cosigned by their advisor. Additionally, researchers visiting other institutions may request loans for use at that institution, but the request must come from a resident curator or collection manager from that institution. Ultimate responsibility of the specimens is assumed by the institution to which the specimens are loaned.

New requests are filled only after past loans are returned. Requests from individuals with histories of not returning, losing, or breaking specimens will be rejected on those grounds. 

Specimen Eligibility

In most cases, loan requests for primary types, historically important, endangered, threatened, or are rare in the MCZ’s collection or generally rare in museum collections will not be loaned.

We do not lend more than half of any taxonomic group at any time.  If you wish to inspect more than half of the specimens from any group we will send the specimens in batches.  Each batch will be sent only when the previous batch has been returned.  Researchers are requested to consider the practicalities involved in responding to requests for large numbers of specimens, or material that is very large. In these cases, you may be required to visit the MCZ to use the specimens.

Specimen Use and Care

The borrower assumes responsibility for the care of specimens.  Specimens are loaned to a specific person for a specific purpose.  Specimens are not to be used by any other person(s) and or for any purpose other than what is outlined in the approved research proposal.  Specimens are not to be altered in any way including physically, tag removal, and or number erasure.  Never discard anything that arrives with a specimen even paper that appears to be blank. Destructive sampling is prohibited without express written permission from the Curatorial Associate.
 
All borrowed specimens are to be kept in association with their labels, the yellow loan form, and other accompanying data.  Specimens will be stored in a secure facility. While in that facility the specimens will be stored in secure, pest, and dust proof containers.  Improper specimen care while on loan evidenced by loss or damage, could impact future loan requests by the borrower, his/her lab, or the institution more generally.

Loan Details

Once the loan request is received, it is discussed at the weekly departmental meeting.  The loan will either be approved, denied, or additional information will be requested.  Approved loans are processed in the order they are received.  

Upon the loan’s arrival the recipient is required to review the blue loan form for both inventory and specimen condition.  Amend as necessary, sign, and return the blue loan form in a timely manner. Failure to return the form could jeopardize publication copyright or future loan requests. The Yellow form should stay with the specimens at all times.  The Pink form is your receipt.

Specimens are ordinarily loaned for a period of six months. Borrowers are requested to return all specimens as soon as possible upon completion of their research. Partial returns are acceptable.  If the specimens are needed for longer than six months, it is the responsibility of the borrower to contact the Curatorial Associate in writing to request an extension. Request for an extension must be made before the current loan period expires.  

Loans may not be moved between institutions without prior permission. It is the responsibility of the borrower to notify the MCZ curatorial staff of any change in their address in a timely manner so appropriate measure can be taken.

Specimen transfer to another individual or institution is prohibited.

Shipping

The MCZ ships loans via Fed Ex, or equivalent international shipper, paying postage and insurance for outbound loan shipments. The borrower will ship the loan via Fed Ex paying postage and insurance for inbound loan shipments. Please be aware that we do not ship or receive specimens during the month of December.

If a specimen is hand carried, the borrower will either hand carry the specimens back to the MCZ or ship the loan via Fed Ex paying postage and insurance for inbound loan shipments. 

The specimens should be packed for return with the packing materials with which they were received unless those materials are deemed inappropriate because of damage.  The yellow loan form should be enclosed with the returned loan.  Please ship specimens to: 

Mark Omura
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Mammalogy
Harvard University
52 Oxford Street 
Room B-215
Cambridge, MA 02138

Copyright and Publications

Credit for any use of MCZ material should be given in resulting publications. Publications should include a table that lists MCZ voucher numbers and reprints should be sent to the Department of Mammalogy.

Permission to photograph, CT scan, or otherwise image loaned specimens must be specifically requested in the loan request. Please review the Permissions & Copyright Policy for more information.  Copies of all images must be sent to the Mammalogy department.  Please read the guidelines for submitting digital media.

Fluid specimen loan requests should be submitted to Mark Omura, the Curatorial Associate in Mammalogy, for approval.  Fluid specimens are typically whole animals fixed in Formalin and stored in 70% ethanol. Our holding can be queried on line through our database, MCZbase. 
If you are requesting a fluid specimen to dissect but are not sampling tissue please use the guidelines below.  

Please read the loan policies below before proceeding.

Loan Requests

Loan requests should include the following: 

1. Requestor’s full name, title, institutional affiliation, FedEx shipping address, email, and phone number. We do not ship to P.O. Boxes.
2. When applicable: Student and or post-doctoral fellow full name, title, institutional affiliation, address, email, and phone number.
3. Research proposal including specific techniques proposed to be applied to the specimens.
4. Summary of previous work using proposed techniques.*
5. Description of specimens (identified by MCZ number and scientific name as found in MCZbase) and specimen parts being requested.  
6.  Please let us know if specimen substitution is acceptable or if you require the specimens listed. 
7. Justification for the specimens in the proposed study.
8. Researcher experience handling mammalian specimens.*
9. Summary of specimens requested from other institutions for the proposed project.*
10. When applicable: special circumstances. (For example, to avoid shipment delays, please inform us if you are unavailable to receive samples for a specific time period or if your institution will be closed for any upcoming holidays.)

*supporting documentation can be sent as attachments.

Loan Policies

Requestor Eligibility 

The borrower must have an institutional affiliation. Individuals without such affiliation may borrow only when they are sponsored by an individual with such an affiliation, and agree to study the material at the sponsor's institution. In such cases, loans will be sent to the sponsor at the sponsor's institutional address. The loaned material may not leave the sponsor’s institution.

Loan requests for student and postdoctoral fellow use need to be requested and cosigned by their advisor. Additionally, researchers visiting other institutions may request loans for use at that institution, but the request must come from a resident curator or collection manager from that institution. Ultimate responsibility of the specimens is assumed by the institution to which the specimens are loaned.

New requests are filled only after past loans are returned. Requests from individuals with histories of not returning, losing, or breaking specimens will be rejected on those grounds. 

Specimen Eligibility

In most cases, loan requests for primary types, historically important, endangered, threatened, or are rare in the MCZ’s collection or generally rare in museum collections will not be loaned.

We do not lend more than half of any taxonomic group at any time.  If you wish to inspect more than half of the specimens from any group we will send the specimens in batches.  Each batch will be sent only when the previous batch has been returned.  Researchers are requested to consider the practicalities involved in responding to requests for large numbers of specimens, or material that is very large. In these cases, you may be required to visit the MCZ to use the specimens.

Specimen Use and Care

The borrower assumes responsibility for the care of specimens.  Specimens are loaned to a specific person for a specific purpose.  Specimens are not to be used by any other person(s) and or for any purpose other than what is outlined in the approved research proposal.  Specimens are not to be altered in any way including physically, tag removal, and or number erasure.  Never discard anything that arrives with a specimen even paper that appears to be blank. Destructive sampling is prohibited without express written permission from the Curatorial Associate.
 
All borrowed specimens are to be kept in association with their labels, the yellow loan form, and other accompanying data.  Specimens will be stored in a secure facility. While in that facility the specimens will be stored in secure, pest, and dust proof containers.  Improper specimen care while on loan evidenced by loss or damage, could impact future loan requests by the borrower, his/her lab, or the institution more generally.

Loan Details

Once the loan request is received, it is discussed at the weekly departmental meeting.  The loan will either be approved, denied, or additional information will be requested.  Approved loans are processed in the order they are received.  

Upon the loan’s arrival the recipient is required to review the blue loan form for both inventory and specimen condition.  Amend as necessary, sign, and return the blue loan form in a timely manner. Failure to return the form could jeopardize publication copyright or future loan requests. The Yellow form should stay with the specimens at all times.  The Pink form is your receipt.

Specimens are ordinarily loaned for a period of six months. Borrowers are requested to return all specimens as soon as possible upon completion of their research. Partial returns are acceptable.  If the specimens are needed for longer than six months, it is the responsibility of the borrower to contact the Curatorial Associate in writing to request an extension. Request for an extension must be made before the current loan period expires.  

Loans may not be moved between institutions without prior permission. It is the responsibility of the borrower to notify the MCZ curatorial staff of any change in their address in a timely manner so appropriate measure can be taken.

Specimen transfer to another individual or institution is prohibited.

Shipping

The MCZ ships loans via Fed Ex, or equivalent international shipper, paying postage and insurance for outbound loan shipments. The borrower will ship the loan via Fed Ex, or international equivalent, paying postage and insurance for inbound loan shipments. Please be aware that we do not ship or receive specimens during the month of December.

If a specimen is hand carried, the borrower will either hand carry the specimens back to the MCZ or ship the loan via Fed Ex, or international equivalent, paying postage and insurance for inbound loan shipments. 

Fluid specimens will be shipped in heat sealed plastic bags.  The specimens will be wrapped in water moistened cheese cloth.  Upon arrival transfer the specimens into 70% ethanol. 

The specimens should be packed for return with the packing materials with which they were received unless those materials are deemed inappropriate because of damage.  A copy of the yellow loan form should be enclosed with the returned loan.  Please ship specimens to: 
Mark Omura
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Mammalogy
Harvard University
52 Oxford Street 
Room B-215
Cambridge, MA 02138

Copyright and Publications

Credit for any use of MCZ material should be given in resulting publications. Publications should include a table that lists MCZ voucher numbers and reprints should be sent to the Department of Mammalogy.

Permission to photograph, CT scan, or otherwise image loaned specimens must be specifically requested in the loan request. Please review the Permissions & Copyright Policy for more information.  Copies of all images must be sent to the Mammalogy department.  Please read the guidelines for submitting digital media.

Destructive sampling is the permanent removal of material from a specimen.  Invasive sampling are procedures that alter the state of a specimen such as dissection.  Invasive sampling is a form of destructive sampling.  

Complete the MCZ Genetic Sample Request form and email it to Mark Omura, the Curatorial Associate in Mammalogy, to request a destructive sample loan.  Destructive sampling requests are considered on a case by case basis. If approved, sampling will be performed by MCZ curatorial staff.  Loans are then processed by MCZ’s Cryogenic Collection (MCZ-CRYO; Collection Manager: Breda Zimkus) 

If you are requesting a fluid specimen to dissect but do not need tissue samples please follow the guidelines for fluid specimen loans.

Please read the loan policies below before proceeding.

Loan Policies

Please read the museum wide destructive sampling policy.

Requestor Eligibility 

The borrower must have an institutional affiliation. Individuals without such affiliation may borrow only when they are sponsored by an individual with such an affiliation, and agree to study the material at the sponsor's institution. In such cases, loans will be sent to the sponsor at the sponsor's institutional address. The loaned material may not leave the sponsor’s institution.

Loan requests for student and postdoctoral fellow use need to be requested and cosigned by their advisor. Additionally, researchers visiting other institutions may request loans for use at that institution, but the request must come from a resident curator or collection manager from that institution. Ultimate responsibility of the specimens is assumed by the institution to which the specimens are loaned.

Specimen Eligibility

In most cases, loan requests for primary types, historically important, endangered, threatened, or are rare in the MCZ’s collection or generally rare in museum collections will not be loaned.

Specimen Use and Care

The borrower assumes responsibility for the care of specimens.  Specimens are loaned to a specific person for a specific purpose.  The specimens are not to be used by any other person(s) and or for any purpose other than what is outlined in the approved research proposal.  

Loan Details

Once the loan request is received, it is discussed at the weekly departmental meeting.  The loan will either be approved, denied, or additional information will be requested.  Approved loans are processed in the order they are received.  After the loan is approved and sampling is complete, it is forwarded to MCZ-CRYO for shipping.

Specimens are ordinarily loaned for a period of six months. Borrowers are requested to return all specimens as soon as possible upon completion of their research. Partial returns are acceptable.  If the specimens are needed for longer than six months, it is the responsibility of the borrower to contact Breda Zimkus, the MCZ-CRYO Collection Manager, in writing to request an extension. Request for an extension must be made before the current loan period expires.  

If not all the genetic material is consumed, any unused portion must be returned to the MCZ-CRYO after the study is complete. Grantees may be requested to return extracts derived from granted samples (e.g., DNA). 

Loans may not be moved between institutions without prior permission. It is the responsibility of the borrower to notify the MCZ curatorial staff of any change of address in a timely manner so appropriate measure can be taken.

Genetic samples and their derivatives cannot be distributed to other researchers without MCZ permission.

Domestic shipping

The MCZ will pay for shipping samples dry (if from a destructive sampling loan) or preserved in 95% ethanol via UPS Ground (arrival typically in one to five business days) at ambient temperature. If special considerations for shipping are requested (e.g., dry ice, expedited shipping), the borrower must provide a shipping service account (DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.) in their initial request or make alternative arrangements to reimburse shipping costs.

International shipping

Loanees are expected to pay for international shipping. The borrower must provide a shipping service account (DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.) in their initial request or make alternative arrangements to reimburse shipping costs. Genetic loans are normally shipped internationally at ambient temperature via FedEx 2Day® (arrival typically in two days by 10:30 a.m.) or FedEx Express Saver® (arrival typically in three days by 4:30 p.m.). For most countries, the price for samples shipped using these FedEx services will range from $50 to $100 (without institutional discounts). Expedited shipments or those shipped on dry ice will cost significantly more. 

Exportation Fees

International loans of protected species (e.g., CITES, ESA, MBTA) include a $93 premium fee assessed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which is required before a shipment can be cleared for exportation. Loanees must make advance arrangements to pay these fees. Please contact the MCZ-CRYO for more details.

Customs Clearance and Fees

Loanees are asked to provide the required paperwork for customs clearance. It is the responsibility of the loanee to make any arrangements necessary for prompt payment of customs duties assessed on a loan shipped from the MCZ.  

Loan returns

Any remaining material or unused byproducts (e.g., DNA extractions, RNA extractions) should be returned to the MCZ Cryogenic Collection. Please contact the MCZ Cryogenic Collection to arrange the return. When returning loaned material, loanees should adhere to DOT 173.4 (domestic) and IATA SP A180 (international) packing requirements. 

Copyright and Publications

Credit for any use of MCZ material should be given in resulting publications. Publications should include a table that lists MCZ voucher numbers and reprints should be sent to both the Department of Mammalogy and MCZ-CRYO.

Publications should include a table that lists MCZ voucher numbers and acknowledge the MCZ departmental collection (i.e., Mammalogy) and MCZ-CRYO for providing samples. Grantees must provide reprints of any publications to the MCZ-CRYO. In addition, GenBank, NCBI BioProject, NBCI BioSample or other accession numbers for published sequence data must be submitted to officially close the loan. 

Permission to photograph, CT scan, or otherwise image loaned specimens must be specifically requested in the loan request. Please review the Permissions & Copyright Policy for more information.  Copies of all images must be sent to the Mammalogy department.  Please read the guidelines for submitting digital media.

Complete and email the MCZ Genetic Sample Request form to Mark Omura, the Curatorial Associate in Mammalogy, to request a Cryogenic tissue loan.  Loans are then processed by MCZ’s Cryogenic Collection (MCZ-CRYO; Collection Manager: Breda Zimkus). Genetic samples are identified in our database, MCZbase, as “tissue” or “DNA” in the Part Name field and can be found by selecting “Requires Tissues?” on the search page. 

Please read the loan policies below before proceeding.

Loan Policies

Please read the museum wide destructive sampling policy.

Requestor Eligibility 

The borrower must have an institutional affiliation. Individuals without such affiliation may borrow only when they are sponsored by an individual with such an affiliation, and agree to study the material at the sponsor's institution. In such cases, loans will be sent to the sponsor at the sponsor's institutional address. The loaned material may not leave the sponsor’s institution.

Loan requests for student and postdoctoral fellow use need to be requested and cosigned by their advisor. Additionally, researchers visiting other institutions may request loans for use at that institution, but the request must come from a resident curator or collection manager from that institution. Ultimate responsibility of the specimens is assumed by the institution to which the specimens are loaned.

Specimen Eligibility

In most cases, loan requests for primary types, historically important, endangered, threatened, or are rare in the MCZ’s collection or generally rare in museum collections will not be loaned.

Specimen Use and Care

The borrower assumes responsibility for the care of specimens.  Specimens are loaned to a specific person for a specific purpose.  The specimens are not to be used by any other person(s) and or for any purpose other than what is outlined in the approved research proposal.  

Loan Details

Once the loan request is received, it is discussed at the weekly departmental meeting.  The loan will either be approved, denied, or additional information will be requested.  Approved loans are forwarded to MCZ-CRYO for processing.

Specimens are ordinarily loaned for a period of six months. Borrowers are requested to return all specimens as soon as possible upon completion of their research. Partial returns are acceptable.  If the specimens are needed for longer than six months, it is the responsibility of the borrower to contact Breda Zimkus, the MCZ-CRYO Collection Manager, in writing to request an extension. Request for an extension must be made before the current loan period expires.  

If not all the genetic material is consumed, any unused portion must be returned to the MCZ-CRYO after the study is complete. Grantees may be requested to return extracts derived from granted samples (e.g., DNA). 

Loans may not be moved between institutions without prior permission. It is the responsibility of the borrower to notify the MCZ curatorial staff of any change of address in a timely manner so appropriate measure can be taken.

Genetic samples and their derivatives cannot be distributed to other researchers without MCZ permission.

Domestic shipping

The MCZ will pay for shipping samples dry (if from a destructive sampling loan) or preserved in 95% ethanol via UPS Ground (arrival typically in one to five business days) at ambient temperature. If special considerations for shipping are requested (e.g., dry ice, expedited shipping), the borrower must provide a shipping service account (DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.) in their initial request or make alternative arrangements to reimburse shipping costs.

International shipping

Loanees are expected to pay for international shipping. The borrower must provide a shipping service account (DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.) in their initial request or make alternative arrangements to reimburse shipping costs. Genetic loans are normally shipped internationally at ambient temperature via FedEx 2Day® (arrival typically in two days by 10:30 a.m.) or FedEx Express Saver® (arrival typically in three days by 4:30 p.m.). For most countries, the price for samples shipped using these FedEx services will range from $50 to $100 (without institutional discounts). Expedited shipments or those shipped on dry ice will cost significantly more. 

Exportation Fees

International loans of protected species (e.g., CITES, ESA, MBTA) include a $93 premium fee assessed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which is required before a shipment can be cleared for exportation. Loanees must make advance arrangements to pay these fees. Please contact the MCZ-CRYO for more details.

Customs Clearance and Fees

Loanees are asked to provide the required paperwork for customs clearance. It is the responsibility of the loanee to make any arrangements necessary for prompt payment of customs duties assessed on a loan shipped from the MCZ.  

Loan returns

Any remaining material or unused byproducts (e.g., DNA extractions, RNA extractions) should be returned to the MCZ Cryogenic Collection. Please contact the MCZ Cryogenic Collection to arrange the return. When returning loaned material, loanees should adhere to DOT 173.4 (domestic) and IATA SP A180 (international) packing requirements. 

Copyright and Publications

Credit for any use of MCZ material should be given in resulting publications. Publications should include a table that lists MCZ voucher numbers and reprints should be sent to both the Department of Mammalogy and MCZ-CRYO.

Publications should include a table that lists MCZ voucher numbers and acknowledge the MCZ departmental collection (i.e., Mammalogy) and MCZ-CRYO for providing samples. Grantees must provide reprints of any publications to the MCZ-CRYO. In addition, GenBank, NCBI BioProject, NBCI BioSample or other accession numbers for published sequence data must be submitted to officially close the loan. 

Permission to photograph, CT scan, or otherwise image loaned specimens must be specifically requested in the loan request. Please review the Permissions & Copyright Policy for more information.  Copies of all images must be sent to the Mammalogy department.  Please read the guidelines for submitting digital media.

Mammalogy hosts several hundred researchers each year and fulfills dozens of loans. Because the collection is so active, please schedule an appointment to visit as soon as possible. Ernst Mayr Travel Grants are available for researchers visiting the MCZ for work in animal systematics.

The Mammalogy collection is open, by appointment, to qualified researchers Monday through Friday, excluding university holidays.
Email Mark Omura, Curatorial Associate in Mammalogy, to schedule an appointment.  In your email please provide:

1. Your name and title
2. Institutional affiliation
3. Contact information
4. A brief description of your project
5. A description of the techniques you plan on using
6. A list of specimens you wish to see
7. Date(s) you would like to visit

The main collection and the cetacean collection are in two different locations.

Main collection:
52 Oxford Street,
Room B-215.30
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: 617-495-2469

Cetacean collection:
Concord Field Station
100 Old Causeway Rd.
Bedford, MA 01730
Phone: 781-275-0337