Loans are typically made for non-commercial research, education, or public exhibition purposes and are issued primarily to recognized museums, herbaria, universities, and other research organizations. In limited cases, loans may be made to individual researchers when consistent with disciplinary best practices and when adequate facilities and expertise are demonstrated.

All loans are approved by the curator or designated collections authority and are governed by formal loan agreements that specify the purpose, duration, and conditions of use. Loans are made for a defined period and may be renewed upon request; indefinite or permanent loans are not permitted.

To ensure long-term preservation of the collections, some materials may be restricted from loan. These may include type specimens, rare or fragile material, specimens required for ongoing research, items scheduled for exhibition, or materials subject to legal, ethical, or cultural considerations. The herbarium reserves the right to deny or recall loans if conditions of care, security, or use cannot be met.

Destructive sampling, conservation treatment, imaging beyond standard handling, or other alterations of loaned material require prior written approval and must be explicitly authorized in the loan agreement.

Researchers requesting loans are expected to follow professional standards of care, acknowledge the University of Nebraska State Museum and the Bessey Herbarium in resulting publications, and comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and ethical guidelines.

In many cases, high-resolution images and specimen data available through online portals may provide sufficient access without the need for physical loans.

Loan inquiries and research access requests should be directed to the curator of the Bessey Herbarium.