Part of the mission of The North Adams Public Library is to provide access to the community’s cultural and historical past. In order to further that goal, the Library is happy to lend non-circulating historical artifacts and informational items to qualified museums and educational and research facilities for research, exhibition, or educational programming. The following criteria apply to all loans of non-circulating materials made by the North Adams Public Library (NAPL):

• All requests for loan shall be made to the Archivist of the North Adams Public Library as far in advance of the borrowing date as possible to allow for processing and paperwork. The written request shall include the following details:
• A full description of the item(s) to be borrowed, including catalog or inventory number; The purpose of the loan, including the title of the exhibit or program in which the item will be used, along with a brief description of the event’s purpose and scope which notes the relationship and relative importance of the item(s) requested for the loan; The name and, if requested, credentials of the responsible curator or program leader; Indication of whether a catalog or promotional materials about the program or exhibit will be created, and whether those materials will include images of the loan items; Inclusive dates of the exhibition and/or program, and inclusive dates of the proposed loan (allowing for appropriate transport, installation and de-installation);
• A statement of how items will be transported and cared for during the proposed loan.
• Museums shall submit a standard Facilities Report along with the request.
• All borrowers must be approved. Loans are made only to qualified museums, educational or research institutions whose missions are in the public interest and whose objectives are in concert with those of the NAPL.
• All borrowed materials must remain in the condition in which they are loaned. They shall not be cleaned, repaired, retouched, treated, unfitted, remounted, reset, marked, copied, or submitted to any examination or application which would tend to alter their condition except when specifically authorized in writing by the NAPL Archivist to do so. Tags or other identification may not be removed without specific written approval from the NAPL Archivist.
• Items borrowed from the NAPL collections are not to be replicated, photographed, photocopied or duplicated in any way without written permission from the NAPL Archivist.
• Damages, whether in transit or on the borrower’s premises and regardless of who may be responsible therefor, shall be reported to the NAPL immediately. No action is to be taken to correct the damage without the NAPL Archivist’s approval. Cost of any damage sustained is the responsibility of the borrower.
• The borrower will undertake to provide protection from hazards of fire, exposure to extreme or deteriorating light, extremes of temperature and relative humidity, insects, dirt, vandalism, theft, and mishandling or handling by unauthorized or inexperienced persons or by the public. Borrowed items may not be used as "hands-on" teaching aids unless specifically approved on the Loan Agreement form.
• The borrower will insure all items borrowed at the value stated by the NAPL, this insurance to be in force from the time the item(s) leaves the physical possession of the NAPL until it is returned. This shall be an all-risk policy subject only to the standard exclusions. The borrower shall issue a Certificate of Insurance no later than the scheduled delivery or pick-up date. This requirement may be waived, on a case by case basis, by agreement of the NAPL Director and Archivist.
• The borrower will pay any other incidental costs created by the loan, including but not limited to insurance, special communications, security provisions, or special packing.
• Borrowed materials shall be packed in exactly the same manner as they were received for their return.
• All loans shall be made for a specified time period as agreed upon and recorded on the Loan Agreement form. To renew the loan, the borrower must request an extension in writing at least two weeks prior to the end of the loan period. Long-term loans shall be reviewed annually and, upon approval of the NAPL Archivist and Director, may be renewed for additional one-year periods.
• When on display or in use for a program, all borrowed items must be credited to the Historical Collections of the North Adams Public Library. Approved reproductions for publicity must also be credited.

• All loans must be approved by the NAPL Archivist and Director, and by the appropriate officials from the borrowing institution. A signed copy of the Loan Agreement form must be in the possession of the North Adams Public Library prior to any physical transfer of the materials to be borrowed.