Museum Lending Service

I write to commend you on Charles Hillinger’s excellent article about the San Bernardino County Museum’s lending service (July 8)--they are providing a wonderful outreach. I would like to call your attention to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County’s lending service, which has been lending out pieces of the museum’s collections for 65 years and is one of the museum’s most popular programs.

Now called the Classroom Collection Program and funded in part through a grant from the Pacific Telesis Foundation, this lending service allows schools to rent collections of 200 pieces each that include taxidermied animals, skeletons, insects, fossils, historical artifact and models, as well as cultural artifacts from all over the world. The items in the museum’s 30 lending collections have been selected for their wide range of educational uses and are designed to be housed at the school or district for easy accessibility by teachers and staff. Thus, teachers no longer have to journey to the museum to enhance their classroom with museum collection loans.

Although there is currently a waiting list, those interested in the Natural History Museum Classroom Collection Program may call (213) 744-3345 for further information.

KAREN HIMES

Lending Service Coordinator

Natural History Museum, Los Angeles