Terms and Conditions for Loans from the Collections of Royal Danish Library

Royal Danish Library loans items from the library’s collections to state, municipal and private museums, and to other parties who mount exhibitions as part of their business activities. Royal Danish Library does not loan such items to private individuals. 

If an exhibition is to be presented at several institutions or exhibition venues, each institution must send a loan request to Royal Danish Library’s exhibition group. Royal Danish Library enters into an individual loan agreement with each individual institution involved

Royal Danish Library only loans items to institutions that have suitable physical premises. Lending is contingent on Royal Danish Library's judgement that the Borrower either has their own professional staff who are trained to handle such loaned items or has entered into an agreement with an external provider with the professional expertise to handle the loaned items. 

The Borrower must send a loan request in writing to Royal Danish Library in plenty of time and no later than six months prior to the opening of the exhibition. The loan request must include the following: 

• An accurate description of the item/s the Borrower wishes to loan: cf. Appendix 1. 

• Information about the nature and duration of the exhibition. 

• The exhibition organiser: cf. Appendix 2. 

• A schedule and process plan for transport to and from Royal Danish Library: cf. Appendix 3. 

• A current facility report that describes the building, security and physical display conditions (climate, light, display cases), explaining how the Borrower intends to display the item in the exhibition: cf. Appendix 4. 

• Either an insurance policy or a certificate from the National Indemnity Institution (must be sent to Royal Danish Library no later than four weeks before delivery of the material): cf. Appendix 5. 

The Borrower must complete the Appendices with a description of the exhibition organiser, the desired items and transport. The Appendices, storage and exhibition facilities, choice of carrier and transport plan must be approved by Royal Danish Library before the parties can sign a loan agreement. 

In the context of loaning particularly valuable items, Royal Danish Library may have to inspect the exhibition venue prior to approval.

Prior to packing and shipping, Royal Danish Library prepares a condition report for the items being loaned. Upon the arrival of the item/s at the exhibition venue, the exhibition organiser must sign the condition report.

The Borrower bears all costs in connection with the preparation and implementation of the loan. Costs may include: insurance, conservation, assembly, framing, packing, packaging, transport and travel costs, accommodation and subsistence allowance for one to two couriers in connection with the transport of the items and a possible visit prior to loan approval. Royal Danish Library may make a loan conditional on Royal Danish Library’s taking a security photo of the item at the Borrower’s expense. Royal Danish Library’s services in the shape of photography etcetera., and couriers and working hours are subject to VAT.

Any notifications of changes to or cancellation of loans by the Borrower must be submitted in writing to the Royal Danish Library In the event of a change to, or cancellation of a loan, Royal Danish Library will bill the Borrower for all costs incurred by Royal Danish Library in connection with preparation of the loan up until the moment they were notified of a change or cancellation.

All loans are contingent on the Borrower’s ability to comply with the following conditions and any additional requirements that may appear in the loan agreement. If, upon arrival, Royal Danish Library’s courier finds that the conditions cannot be complied with, the loan cannot be realised and the courier will return the items to Royal Danish Library. If any changes occur in terms of security and physical conditions for presentation during the agreed loan period, the Borrower must immediately call Royal Danish Library on +45 33475002, followed by an email to: sikring@kb.dk

Security conditions etcetera 

a) Upon receipt of the item, the Borrower must immediately email the exhibition group’s contact person, acknowledging receipt. 

b) The Borrower must prepare a contingency plan/value rescue plan in connection with the exhibition. 

c) Throughout the loan period, the Borrower must provide adequate protection of the item against fire, flood, pest infestation, pollution, theft and other damage. 

d) The exhibition display case must be alarm monitored 24/7, unless otherwise stated in the loan agreement. 

e) Until the item is placed in the agreed position in the display case, the item must be stored in a fire- and theft-proof box or the like, alarm monitored 24/7. 

f) The installation and removal of the item, and all packing and unpacking must be performed by staff who are trained and experienced in handling the type of material in question. 

g) Unbound items must not be mounted differently from the way in which they were received from Royal Danish Library, unless otherwise stated in the loan agreement. 

h) Items must not be removed from the protective display materials (frames, protective plates on the back, mounts, polyester pockets or other mountings), in which they have been placed. 

i) The mounts must not be cropped or provided with inscriptions. 

j) The loaned items must not be subjected to any kind of intervention (conservation, cleaning, repair of damage etc.). 

k) The Borrower must not use materials for the construction or fitting out of showcases that could damage loaned items. 

l) During the loan period, the item must not be moved from the display case or the agreed exhibition area without the written permission of Royal Danish Library, unless an emergency situation arises. 

m) During the setting up of major exhibitions, the area in question must be secured and access restricted. If Royal Danish Library deems that extra security measures are required – e.g. that there must be guards in the exhibition area – this will be stated in the loan agreement. 

n) There must be no eating or drinking in the proximity of the loaned items. 

o) In the event of theft of, or damage to a loaned item, the borrower must immediately notify the Royal Danish Library Security Department by calling +45 33475002 and sending an email to: sikring@kb.dk.

In such cases, the Borrower is obliged to send a written incident report to Royal Danish Library as soon as possible and within 48 hours. Theft must also be reported to the police immediately, and this must be documented in the notification.

Loaned items must be displayed in a stable climate with a temperature of between 18° C and 24° C and a relative humidity (RH) of between 40 and 55% with an acceptable variation of up to +/- 5% points within the interval over 24 hours. 

The Borrower must guarantee and be able to document that requirements for climatic conditions are continuously complied with: cf. Appendix 4 

If any changes occur to climatic conditions vis-à-vis the stipulated requirements, the Borrower must immediately notify and consult with Royal Danish Library. 

Loaned items must not be exposed to direct daylight. 

The light intensity must not exceed 50 lux unless otherwise stated in the loan agreement, and the light must be UV-free.

In the case of particularly sensitive or valuable material, Royal Danish Library may stipulate additional requirements vis-à-vis temperature, humidity and lighting in the loan agreement.

The Borrower must take out an all-risk, cover-to-cover insurance policy for the item to the value determined by Royal Danish Library. 

The insurance policy must be attached to the loan agreement as an appendix. 

The insurance must be valid from one week prior to transport of the item to the exhibition venue until 4 weeks after the end of the run of the exhibition. The insurance policy must contain the following museum clause: 6 TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR LOANS 28 August 2020 Page 6/7 

“Irrespective of the nature and extent of any damage and the amount of liability, the item remains the property of Royal Danish Library.” 

If the Borrower is certified as a National Indemnity Institution, Royal Danish Library can waive insurance requirements. The certificate must be attached to the loan agreement as an appendix.

All packaging and transport must be agreed with and approved by Royal Danish Library. For delivery and return transport, the item must be packed in the same way as upon receipt. 

Throughout the loan period, the Borrower must store all packaging material securely and in suitable climatic conditions. 

The carrier must prepare a transport plan for outbound and inbound transport: cf. Appendix 3. 

This must at least include: 

• Mode of transport. 

• Route. 

• Specification of means of transport with vehicle registration number and names and telephone numbers of drivers. 

• Contact information for 2 persons from the carrier’s main office (24/7). 

• A precise transport schedule. 

The Borrower must ensure that Royal Danish Library receives the transport plan (cf. Appendix 3) no later than 5 working days before transport of the item to the exhibition venue. The return transport to Royal Danish Library must be agreed finally with Royal Danish Library no later than 30 days before the end of the exhibition run. 

Royal Danish Library may make the loan conditional on the item’s being accompanied by 1-2 couriers during transport to and from the Borrower. The couriers will accompany the item during transport and monitor packing and unpacking, and the mounting and un-mounting of the item in the exhibition space. 

Royal Danish Library decides whether the transport should be by road or air. In the case of air transport, the couriers must travel business class or the like (regardless of whether the item is in hand luggage or in air cargo).

Any kind of reproduction requires the prior permission of Royal Danish Library. The Borrower must not film, photograph, digitise or video/TV record loaned items without the prior permission of Royal Danish Library. 

Royal Danish Library can produce photographs of loaned works for use in exhibition catalogues and marketing and publicity material, ordered and paid for by the Borrower. 

The loaned items and reproductions thereof, which the Borrower shows publicly, must be accompanied by credits for all rights holders/authors of the loaned items, stating also that the item belongs to the collections of the Royal Danish Library. 

Reproductions featured in an exhibition catalogue must be accompanied by the following: ‘Det Kgl. Bibliotek – Royal Danish Library.’ 

The Borrower must submit two copies to Royal Danish Library of all exhibition catalogues that mention the loaned item.

Royal Danish Library reserves the right at any time to inspect the loaned items and reserves the right to recall loaned items in the event of any breach of the agreed terms and conditions.

Royal Danish Library only bills the Borrower – not the Borrower’s partners, sponsors or the like. 

The amount billed is due for payment 30 days after Royal Danish Library has sent the invoice.