We welcome requests to access specimens at the Herbarium, arrange inter-institutional loans, or visit the Herbarium on a tour.
Accessing specimens at the Herbarium
The collection is open to visiting scientists and students for research purposes.
To arrange access: email the Curator at biosciences-herbarium@lists.unimelb.edu.au.
As an alternative to viewing the specimens in person, high-resolution images for many of our specimens are available in our online collections .
-
Loans
Through our loan program, we lend specimens to and receive specimens from other Australian and international institutions.
Any destructive sampling (i.e. removing material from specimens for research purposes other than routine taxonomic examination) requires prior written authorisation from the Curator, and must be completed in accordance with our Destructive Sampling Policy .
We will provide high resolution images, in the first instance, prior to lending out type (and other significant) specimens..
To request a loan
Loan requests on behalf of staff or students should come from the Director or Curator of a herbarium registered with the Australian Government and CITES (if appropriate) for loan approval.
- Read the MELU Loan Conditions and Destructive Sampling Policy.
- Ensure that your institution is registered on the Australian Department of the Environment and Energy register of scientific organisations for exchange of scientific specimens, by completing the Application for registration of scientific organisation for exchange of scientific specimens (see Scientific Exchange section).
- Address loan requests to the Director, University of Melbourne Herbarium (biosciences-herbarium@lists.unimelb.edu.au).
- Provide the request as a letter on institutional letterhead (provide as a PDF if emailing).
- If you plan to carry out destructive sampling, provide the completed destructive sampling request form [PDF] along with your loan request.
-
Tours of the Herbarium
We welcome requests from secondary and tertiary educators for tours for educational purposes and make every effort to accommodate such requests.
Please contact the Curator (biosciences-herbarium@lists.unimelb.edu.au) to arrange a tour.
The herbarium is accessible to the public during tours scheduled for Museum Day (May each year) and University of Melbourne Open Day (August each year).