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Any Chicago-area educator with an institutional affiliation is eligible to register as a Harris borrower. These affiliations include those with public and private schools, community centers, universities, libraries, scouts or other youth organizations, park district programs, and home schooling networks. We especially encourage student teachers to borrow materials after they secure the permission of the major professor of their program.Each registration covers only the individual borrower, not the organization. There is a $30 registration fee for all educators, regardless of the school`s location. For all home school borrowers, there is a yearly $60 fee. Please complete the registration process online and mail a $30 or $60 check or money order, payable to The Field Museum, to the address below. (Note: a fee will be assessed for all returned checks.)
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Any Chicago area parent is eligible to register as a Harris borrower. All Chicago area parents will pay a $60 yearly registration fee. Please complete the registration process online and mail a $60 check or money order, payable to The Field Museum, to the address below.Remit all payments to: Harris Educational Loan Center
The Field Museum
1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605-2496
Be sure to include your name and address on the check. Your registration is not complete until we receive any required registration fee. If you prefer, you may bring your registration payment when you come to collect your reserved materials. (Note: a fee will be assessed for all returned checks.) If you have never borrowed with us before, register here. If you have borrowed with us in the past and would like to have a Harris online account, click here.
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We have four types of media for you to borrow--experience boxes, exhibit cases, audiovisual materials, and children`s books. During our open hours, Harris Loan Center staff can answer your questions and show you our loan materials. You also can look through photograph albums of our loan collection. Our online catalog is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Borrowers may reserve materials by using this website. We do not take loan requests over the phone. Your request must be received by the Harris Loan Center one week before the requested pickup date to give us time to schedule your loan and send you a confirmation notice. If your choices are not available, we will make appropriate substitutions. Our more specific borrowing rules include the following: - Educators may borrow up to eight items at one time as follows--two experience boxes, two exhibit cases, two pieces of audiovisual material, and two children`s books.
- Parents may borrow up to four items at one time as follows--one experience box, one exhibit case, one piece of audiovisual material, and one children`s book.
- If you borrow two Experience Boxes, each box must be from different content categories (culture, biology, or earth sciences).
- Due to high demand, only one mammal Exhibit Case may be checked out per loan.
- You may reserve materials up to a year in advance.
- If you are reserving by mail, fax, or e-mail, you must use one request form for each pickup date.
- You may borrow materials for up to three weeks.
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Materials must be picked up at the Harris Loan Center during open hours. A staff member will sign out the materials to you. You can designate someone else to pick up your loan. When picking up materials, you may drive into the Museum`s west lot, check in with the guard, and park your car free of charge in the designated Harris Loan Center spaces. You must present the confirmation notice to Harris Loan Center staff at the time of pickup. Please ring the bell for service at the West Entrance door. A Harris staff member will come to greet you.Special same-day service: Registered borrowers may request and pick up their loans on the same day for a $10 fee, if they make their request by phone or in person. Same-day service is on a first-come, first-served basis.
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Materials must be returned to the Harris Loan Center during open hours. A staff member will check in returned materials. Just as when picking up materials, you may park temporarily in the Museum`s west lot. Keep in mind that when you return a loan, you can have another one waiting to be picked up. You also can designate someone else to return your loan, but whoever returns the materials needs to pay any late fees, lost material fees, or damaged material fees. New loans may not be scheduled or picked up until all fees, including charges for missing items, are paid.
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Late loan returns: Late fees are $1 per item, per day. A late loan charge will apply to all materials.
Lost material fees: Lost material fees vary per item type. The fee for educators` guides is $10.00; the fee for students` notes or focus cards is $10.00; the fee for slide sets is $15.00; and the fee for other items is the replacement cost of the item.
Damaged material fees: We do not charge for the results of normal wear and tear. However, replacement costs will be charged if items are broken beyond repair. A $10.00 fee will be charged for exterior case damage due to improper handling.
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The Harris Loan Center is open:
Wednesday-Thursday: 1pm-5pm, Friday: 10am-5pm, Saturday: 9am-4pm.
Closed Sunday, Monday and TuesdaysWe also are closed on the following holidays: July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year`s Day and Memorial Day.
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Please refer to the Planning Your Visit section of The Field Museum`s website for detailed instructions regarding transportation.
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We accept orders no more than a year in advance.
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Loan request forms generally must be received by the Harris Loan Center one week in advance of your pickup. However, you also can borrow items using our special same-day service for a $10 fee.
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The requested items may not be available because they already are scheduled to be loaned out. We fill orders on a first-come, first-served basis. During certain months there is high demand for certain items. For example, African materials are in high demand during February. Therefore, the earlier you submit your order, the more likely you are to receive items you want.
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Call us at 312.665.7555, and tell us what is going on. If you do not call, your items may be re-shelved, or you will be charged a late fee.
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