The Nature to You Loan Program has an extensive library of specimens—plants, mammals, reptiles, insects, birds, and more—that people can literally check out, just like a real library. Our selection of flora and fauna is great for artists, teachers, scholars, school groups, home school, or anyone with an interest in the natural sciences. Become a member of the Nature to You Loan Program to access these incredible resources.
To join, learn more, or ask a question about our collection, please drop in during open hours, call 619.255.0236, or email loanprogram@sdnhm.org.
We're open Monday through Thursday from 2-5 PM* and are located in the northwest corner of the Museum on Level 1. Drop in to learn more about the program, borrow a specimen, or return a loan. All guests 3+ are required to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status.
*Holiday closures: Jan. 17 (MLK Day), Feb. 21 (President's Day), and May 30 (Memorial Day).
Specimens range from taxidermy (snakes, small mammals, birds, and more) to fossils and skeletons to touchable pelts, animals in jars, puppets, plant pressings, and pinned insects. We also have teacher kits, complete with lesson plans, books, specimens, and other materials like a watershed model. Search our specimen database.
Join the Nature to You Loan Program to borrow a specimen or teacher kit from our library. The collection includes more than 1,300 specimens that represent the biologic and geologic diversity of the southwestern United States, Baja California, and the world! Membership makes a great gift for teachers.
Annual membership is valid for one calendar year from date of registration. Loan duration is two weeks and is limited to seven specimens total; within these seven, each member is allowed a maximum of one bird of prey, one mammal and one reptile. The Loan Library is open year-round, but closed on most school holidays, and summer hours are limited.
One-time membership allows for one loan from the program. Loan duration is one week and is limited to four specimens.
Three easy ways to become a member: drop in during open hours, call 619.255.0236, or email loanprogram@sdnhm.org.