Lending and Borrowing

To ensure that as many people as possible across the country can access the UK’s collections, NMDC (National Museum Directors’ Council) and The Exhibitions Group published the Principles for Lending and Borrowing and the Guide to Borrowing (June 2021).

The rich and diverse collections of the UK’s museums and galleries have the capacity to inspire, excite, educate and bring people together.  Lending and borrowing enables these collections to be accessed and enjoyed by diverse audiences, creates opportunities for new research and interpretations, and promotes collections as a valuable public resource.

A partnership approach to lending and borrowing can help build long term collaboration and maximise the impact for the public and organisations involved.  Taking the time to understand the process from both sides helps loans to proceed more smoothly and effectively.

The Principles for Lending and Principles for Borrowing are accompanied by a Guide to Borrowing.  This practical guide takes you through the lending and borrowing process and is designed to be relevant for the variety of organisations engaged in loans-based activities.

You can read the Principles and Guide online.

Or download the Principles for Lending and Principles for Borrowing document.

The Principles and Guide aim to address sector demand for an ease and openness to lending and borrowing in the UK and are informed by Arts Council England’s ‘Ready to Borrow’ programme, the Weston Loan Programmewith Art Fund and The Exhibition Group’s ‘Preparing to Borrow’ programme and Lending and Borrowing Experiences Survey Report (2017).  The Principles were drafted following a series of workshops in 2019 with the assistance of a Working Group.

You can download the Principles for Lending or Principles for Borrowing separately.

This Guide updates NMDC’s Loans Between National and Non-national Museums: Standards and Practical Guidelines (2003) and responds to the Mendoza Review: an independent review of museums in England and the Strategic Review of DCMS Sponsored Museums (both 2017). These reports recognised the wide-reaching value of lending and borrowing between national and non-national museums and called for national museums to provide a more supportive environment for lending and borrowing in the UK.

If you require further support with lending and borrowing, why not sign up for our online training Preparing to Borrow.

The Exhibitions Group’s Lending and Borrowing Experiences Report explores the experiences of organisations who have shared collections and those who are interested in sharing collections across the UK and beyond. Based on primary research it analyses the findings and makes recommendations for best practice.

In April 2017, The Exhibitions Group was awarded £34,000 investment from Arts Council England’s Museum Resilience Fund, to support the delivery of the Preparing to Borrow Programme of which the Lending and Borrowing Experiences Report and related training programme were a key outputs.