The Louisiana State Museum's Loan Resolution Project

Abstract

A team of dedicated staff recently completed a two-year project that resolved over 7,000 loans at the Louisiana State Museum. These included loans that had been left in the museum's care for long periods of time and had never been returned or reclaimed; loans whose lenders had passed away and that had never been claimed by heirs; or institutional loans from institutions that no longer exist. Several factors came into play including a lack of proper documentation going back to the museum's founding over 100 years ago, changes in accessioning practices, and collections moves. This article will discuss the history of the various issues related to long-term loans at the museum, the methodology of the project, and some results and lessons other museums and archives professionals might take away from our experience.