Fee for External Users

[Chris Glasby]

A tiered system of loan charges for museum and herbarium specimens
sounds like a good idea. But rather than placing the emphasis on WHO
borrows the material, I think that we should be looking at HOW the
material will be utilised ...... and make it a condition of the loan
that the end user specifies how the material will be used (common
courtesy when you're trying to get something for free ;-)). In this way you
avoid the possible exceptions to the rule: people in companies doing non-profit
systematic research (like me) - incidentally, we have an
extensive, curated, marine invertebrate collection -, or non-affiliated
scientists, mentioned earlier in the thread.

One may envisage even more than 2 tiers. For example:
1. systematic studies published in refereed journals (gratis)
2. for profit (bioprospecting), results published (overheads relating
to postage and handling)
3. bioprospecting, no publication (overheads plus "expertise embedded
in annotated collections" = big bucks!)
etc., etc.

Museuems/Herbaria would need to keep a check on how well the system
is operating and insist on copies of publications resulting from the
studies. Non-compliers could be blacklisted! This maybe adding slightly to the
bureaucratic load of  these institutions, but in these days of collection
management programs like MUSE and BIOTA etc. there is really no
excuse. Museums/Herbaria need to be fully aware of the needs of their
changing clientele ... and keep one step ahead of them.

Enough ... I'm making myself sick!

Chris (ex museum person)

Chris Glasby, Marine Taxonomy, NIWA - Greta Point, PO Box 14-901,
Kilbirnie, Wellington, New Zealand
email: c.glasby at niwa.cri.nz
phone: 64-4-386 0352 fax: 64-4-386 2153