If you are creating this loan from a record set, you will be prompted to pick which set you are using. You must click on the set and hit OK even if there is only one record set available.

For entering a list of catalog numbers, a window for pasting/typing the catalog numbers will appear. All parts of the catalog number must be included (Catalog Acronym, number, separator (decimal) and suffix. Catalog numbers must be separated by a comma.

This next window requires careful attention to detail. Because we often have multiple specimens with one catalog number, as well as multiple preparations of a cataloged specimen; we need to keep careful track of what is going out, how many, and what kind of specimen it is.

From here, Specify launches you into the Loan form. Fields with bold titles are required fields. Loan date and due date autocomplete with today's date, and 6 months from today. Shipment date also autocompletes.

Finishing the Loan

Once all the information has been added, just it save. Do not use the option to generate invoice on save, as this does not allow you to filter by agent role, resulting in specimen information being repeated for each of the agent roles.

Once the document is saved, close out the loan tab. You are now ready to create the reports and labels.

Some important points to note

Purpose of Loan drop down menu

Filling this field out properly allows us to easily find out how many times we loaned specimens for outreach events, exhibits and so on. The option are as follows:

Destructive testing

• • making thin sections, drilling out small cores, dissolution in an acid bath are all destructive testing, even though the level of destruction is different. These specimens will need their Collection Object records updated when they come back, or we receive the data set. 

Educational

• • some of the courses at UT use fossils from the teaching collection. When these loans go out, one of the agents is set to 'other', and the abbreviation of the course gets put into the name. This is also the loan type used for outreach talks.

Exhibit

• • The Texas Memorial Museum is just one of the many organizations that have our specimens on display. The default 6 month loan is edited to reflect more long-term dates.

Other

• • material that is sent out for appraisal, commercial interests or any other reason other than the ones listed in the drop down menu should be put into this category. In the remarks field, put a short note describing the circumstances.

Research

• • most of the material NPL loans out falls under this category. When a researcher borrows material for study, and does not need to do any destructive sampling, this is categorized as a general research loan.

Research on Campus

• • in cases where borrowers don't need to remove material from the JJ Pickle campus, this is the loan type used. NPL hosts visiting researchers as well as adjunct researchers who use the collections for research, but do all the photographing, measuring and describing while at PRC 122.

Special Conditions text box

Describe any additional permissions or caveats. If a specimen is allowed mechanical prep (with air scribe, air abrasion etc.,) this should be clearly stated. Also note conditions- like 'SEM specimens should be returned with mounting adhesive (carbon tape  ONLY) still intact. NPL will be responsible for removal of glues and residues'. Use clear, concise and complete sentences. Any text saved to this field is automatically inserted into the printed loan invoice, and becomes part of the record for that loan.

Loan Agents

For each person associated with the loan, they have to be assigned a role. NPL requires that the Borrower be named, as well as the NPL staff or volunteers who processed the loan. If a single person handled multiple roles, list that person as 'preparer' and make a note in the remarks.

When a loan is for a class, one of the loan agents will be the name of the class (its abbreviation and number). If you are not sure of which class is associated with the loan, ask the collection manager. Also, the professor running the class will be listed as the borrower.

NPL allows students to borrow material under the sponsorship of their adviser or mentor. In these cases, the borrower is the adviser. The name of the student is recorded also, and given the appropriate role.