Museum Policies

These visitor regulations provide for the safety, wellbeing and security of our staff, visitors, collection and premises. There is no public right of entry into or through the Museum and it is a condition of entry that you abide by these visitor regulations.

• Admission to the Museum is free, but we may charge for entry to some temporary exhibitions and events. We regret that it may be necessary for us to alter the Museum’s opening hours or close specific areas of the Museum at any time and without prior notice.
• All visitors must pass through a security check which involves a bag search. Large luggage is not allowed. Please do not leave your belongings unattended during your visit. A list of items that we do not allow you to bring into the Museum is displayed in the search areas at the entrances to the Museum. If, on searching your bag, our security officers find any of these items (or any similar item that may be a risk to the collection, building, staff or other visitors) they will remove it, and return it to you when you leave the Museum.
• The Museum can become very crowded at times. You are asked to be patient and considerate to other visitors. You are asked to silence your phone in the galleries. You are welcome to draw and sketch in our galleries but you should only use pencil and should be mindful of other guests.
• Tour groups must be booked in advance and may only be organized and conducted by the Museum.
• In the interest of safety, smoking, running, eating, drinking, chewing gum, bringing animals, sitting on stairs, obstructing entrances, crossing barriers, or touching the collection is not permitted at any time or in any place at the Museum. Please comply with all emergency alarms and directions.
• If you require assistance to enjoy the Museum, please let our staff know and they'll be happy to assist you.

The Museum lends objects from its collection to qualified institutions, in this country and abroad. The Museum wishes to cooperate with as many qualified institutions as possible to share its encyclopedic collection with the widest possible public, both general and scholarly. Loan requests must be evaluated in light of the historical and scholarly value of the exhibition for which they are requested, as well as the condition of the object and the need for it to remain at the Museum. All loan requests shall be initially reviewed by a curatorial department. A conservator must review and approve all outgoing loan requests. The Registrar must be satisfied that the work will be properly cared for and protected adequately from fire, theft, mishandling, insects, and from extremes of light, temperature and humidity. The borrower must provide a facilities report meeting the Museum's standards or the Registrar shall conduct a physical inspection of the borrower's premises.

All loans should be for a specific period of time (normally not to exceed one year) and may be recalled upon thirty days' written notice to the borrower (or immediately if the Museum's review of the borrower discloses unsatisfactory conditions or continuation of the loan is placing an undue administrative burden on the Museum). The object's condition should be documented and monitored in accordance with the detailed procedures approved by the Museum. All borrowers must agree in writing to the Museum's Conditions for Outgoing Loans prior to shipment of the loan, and the Borrower's Agreement must be signed by both parties. No object shall leave the Museum unless adequate insurance coverage is provided by the Museum. Long-term loans are subject to periodic review by the appropriate curatorial department and the Registrar; the borrower must submit an inventory report to the Museum every two years.

Approval for all loans must be obtained from Museum's Board of Directors. No loans may be made to individuals.

Destructive sampling and analysis of collections items are allowed in accordance with established collecting department policies and procedures and in compliance with any documented restrictions on use of the items. The importance of test results must be weighed against the total loss of the collections item or sample and its potential for replacement. Information gained from the analysis shall be provided to the collecting departments and included in the museum’s records.

Requests to copy collection material constitute an agreement that you will not reproduce, transfer, distribute, broadcast, publicly display, offer for sale, or otherwise use or publish any material subject to copyright, or a portion thereof, in excess of fair use, as defined by copyright law, without the express permission of the copyright holder. You are solely responsible for determining the copyright status of materials and obtaining permission to use material from the copyright holder. The Museum reserves the right to limit the number of copies made; to restrict the use of rare and valuable items; and to deny a request because of copyright regulations, privacy rights, donor-imposed regulations, or other rights related issues.

The Museum welcomes you to use materials in our collections that are in the public domain and to make fair use of copyrighted materials as defined by copyright law. Materials held by the Museum may be protected by United States Copyright Law and/or by the copyright laws of other countries. Copyright law protects unpublished as well as published materials. The Museum does not claim to control the rights for reproduction for all materials or images in its collections. Certain images or materials may be protected by copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity rights, or other interests not owned by the Museum. In obtaining a reproduction from the Museum, you assume all responsibility for determining whether any permissions relating to copyright, privacy, publicity, trademark, or any other rights are necessary for your intended use, and for obtaining all required permissions. Written permission from the copyright holders and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use.