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From: Rebecca Steel 
To: [log in to unmask] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2001 4:16 PM
Subject: VF (ARLIS)


VERTICAL FILES/ARTIST FILES AT MUSEUM LIBRARIES IN ARLIS, 5-2001.

The Photo Research File at the Art Center College of Design Library houses

Subject/Picture Files containing approximately 62,000 images. The pictures

are arranged by subject and the collection includes topics like wildlife,

agriculture, landscapes, nature, people, food, business, industry,

transportation, medicine, technology, military, government, social issues,

recreation, sports, entertainment, celebrities, travel, places. We have

ten 4-drawer file cabinets that hold legal size hanging file folders. There

are over 2700 different folders. (I also have a 4-drawer lateral file for

pre-sorting clippings.) The drawers are practically filled to capacity,

but a new library is in the planning stages. The size of the new office

and the number of cabinets will be three times what we have now.

Both students and faculty find the collection an invaluable resource. We

cater to illustration students who need reference for rendering, graphic

design and advertising students looking for concept images, film students

doing casting, set, or location research, transportation design students

looking for lifestyle images, and product design and fine art students

doing research or finding inspirational images. Last year we circulated

over 23,000 images, and that number increases every year. This department

is the busiest office in the library. We are open for eight hours each

day, Monday through Saturday.

The collection consists of mostly of photographic images that are taken

from magazines, discarded books and dust jackets, calendars, and

newspapers. The images are cut from the source and pasted onto a backing.

Any information on the image credit and source is placed on the back along

with a label indicating the subject folder the picture belongs in. These

pages are laminated, trimmed, and placed into hanging file folders for each

subject. We usually add 100-150 new pictures per week. The staff can

search a custom database of the subjects on the computer using keywords.

We are in the process of planning a more extensive database covering each

image and including a digital thumbnail.

I am the curator of the collection and work full-time assisting students,

selecting images, and planning new projects. I have two part-time

assistants to help with picture processing, assisting students, and

refiling. I also have one part-time workstudy student to assist with

picture processing and refiling.

Jennifer Faist

Curator, Photo Research File

Fogg Memorial Library

Art Center College of Design

1700 Lida Street

Pasadena, CA 91103

626.396.2236

Fax 626.568.9428

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I read your posting to arlis-l and thought I'd reply off list. I can give

you some of our figures first.

We serve museum staff, docents, local college students, general public, and

now, with email, international public. I don't know the exact staff size of

the museum but I think it's now

around 100 f-t; our strongest staff users are the 4 curators, the Registrar,

docents, and the education

department. We circulate to staff and ILL only.

We are open Tues-Sat, 10-4 (JAM is closed Mon.); Sat. the library is staffed

by volunteers.

No PM hours. Our figures (public use, that is) from library annual reports

are:

2000

Assisted 2,018 visitors (this is untypically high, 1999 is more typical)

Answered 231 mail and telephone requests for information.

Answered 60 email requests for information.

1999

Assisted 1,253 visitors.

Answered 118 mail and telephone requests for information.

Answered 38 email requests for information.

Collection size: c.32,000 volumes.

Staff: 2 f-t (Head Librarian & Reference Librarian), 1 p-t clerical

assistant, 9 volunteers

Defending the vertical files: If I had to defend ours, I'd probably just

chain myself to one of the

cabinets and make them take them away over my dead body! So much of our

research and

reference depend on them. For local, state, regional artists they are very

often the only source

of information we have. For contemporary artists, ditto. For artists in the

permanent collection, they

are a great resource and very handy, because here we keep, besides general

articles, articles that deal

specifically with works in the collection; we also list citations to

reproductions or text on works that are not well

represented in the book collection (many of our French Academic painters,

for example, are hard

to find information about, and students invariably select them to write

papers on!), that are harder

to find information about. So to some degree it is also an informal indexing

tool.

We have 20 5 drawer cabinets. The files are maintained by a volunteer, who

files, clips articles from duplicate

copies of periodicals (or from issues not permanently retained), makes new

folders, etc. She usually comes

in about twice a month, for 2-3 hours. The clerical assistant clips from the

local paper and from The New York Times.

There are written guidelines for what to file. Someday I want to put records

for the files in the PAC.

As for cost, its practically nothing for us. Supplies like folders, labels,

marking pens, come from the museum's

general office supplies and not out of the library's budget. Besides

clippings we file announcements,

press releases, exhibition catalogs under 20 pages, and other items that we

receive free on exchange or

from dealers. Also the curators receive material, photocopy articles, etc.,

and pass along that material to us.

Since the files are maintained by a volunteer, I can't think of any other

costs.

Space: At one time these files were ready to burst at the seams, but I

weeded them over time and now

they are in good shape, and I don't anticipate needing new cabinets for many

years. I have made significant

progress in removing catalogs over 20 pages and cataloging them (well, that

does cost money and fills up

the shelves, but that's another story), pulling out duplicates (sometimes we

had cataloged copies as well

as copies in the files, and multiple copies of the same item). We only add

announcements if they have images or text.

No postcards with just the artist's name and the exhibition dates, for

example.

The files on the more popular, well known artists (e.g., Leonardo,

Michelangelo, Degas) were bulging with ratty old newspaper

articles, poor reproductions, and other stuff that just seemed to have no

value considering all the fine books

we have on them, so out they went. This helped a lot with the space and made

the files easier to use and

more professional looking.

Defense of the files: Wow, I'm glad I don't have to do this. It seems so

obvious that they are a unique, irreplacable,

invaluable research tool. Can you get support from those who use them, e.g.,

museum staff, students, museum

members, any local or state arts organizations? What would the impact be if

they were gone? Does any other institution

in the state have a similar collection? You mentioned substantial usage, but

who do you have to defend them to?

If it's a cost issue, perhaps using volunteer staff to maintain them would

help. I don't know the particulars of what

costs you might have, but reducing or eliminating major expenses could help.

Defense of the library: It's not the numbers that should count, but the

support the library gives to the institution's

mission, and the impact on its users. But I don't have to convince you of

that!

I don't know what fiscal, political, etc. issues you face there. Maybe a few

hours of service could be cut

(years ago we eliminated Sun. hours because that was consistently the day of

lowest use; there was absolutely

no protest and nobody missed it). We also eliminated circulating slides and

reproductions to the public because it

was took a huge amount of staff time and we do not circulate anything else

to the public. The public library has

a circulating picture collection anyway. Again, very little outcry and a

big savings of staff time.

I've rambled on long enough. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might

have about what I've said.

And I wish you good luck!

Kathy Corcoran

Head Librarian

Milton R. and Pauline S. Abrahams Library

Joslyn Art Museum

2200 Dodge Street

Omaha, NE 68102

(402) 661-3843

(402) 342-2376 fax

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http://www.joslyn.org



Your query which involves vertical files was referred to me by Marian Jahn, my

colleague in the Art department here at the Free Library of PHiladelphia.

I am in charge of the files for our department and I can tell you that they

are, indeed, very valuable to our research. We have been maintaining them for

years and they are updated regularly and kept current.

They are essentially in three parts functionally: artist files arranged

alphabetically; Philadelphia subjects which include many architectural sites;

general subjects of great use and special subjects or places.

For artists, although we have files for the big names nationally and

internationally, the scope tends to concentrate more locally.

The buildings, sculpture and other subjects related to Philadelphia have items

that cannot be found in books or the internet or magazines. 

Subjects outside of Philadelphia might include the Barnes Foundation or a

museum outside of Philadelphia or topics such as fans, jars, origami, special

kinds of paper cutting, etc. It's a kind of query file with odd bits and

pieces collected over the years with instructions for how to make or restore

something, collecting, sources for something, etc.

The sources for material: newsclippings--everyday we clip from the local

papers and clip obits from NYT or cite the information onto our index query

cards; exhibition notices, pamphlets, postcards, special articles that have

been forwarded to us.

I can't say enough about how important the files are to us since it's not only

that the information cannot be found so easily in traditional sources but also

that the way the information is pulled together in a handy-dandy way makes it a

quick wonderful way to grasp the subject.

Sometimes, because our files are bulging, we don't have the space to file

everything; in that case we at least try to cite the information onto a card or

the source for where it can be found.

Sometimes the information about an artist is only a small snippet of

information, but serves as a clue to time period, place, style or any number of

elements that help in further research.

So, keep those files! 

hope this helps,

Karen Schwartz,

Librarian, Art Department

Our vertical files are very useful, especially those on local/regional

artists, some of which go back for 75 years. We have even put our vertical

files onto our online catalog with a short record for each (ca. 21,000

files so far). We have cut back on what we put into the files and tend to

concentrate on compiling materials on local and regional artists since we

feel that is our responsibility. We will collect even exhibition postcard

announcements and other ephemera for local artists but limit coverage of

other artists to those items that have at least bio. info or a list of

works on them. We use volunteers and work study students to maintain the

files under the supervision of a librarian so our costs are minimal. The

cataloging of the files is done by the cataloging department. Even if you

pare down the scope of your coverage, I think you should still maintain

files for your regional artists.

We are so much bigger than you that any statistics I give you will be

irrelevant. However, my impression of the service you give with little

staff is that the institution is getting a terrific bargain from you. I

assume that your staff members find the library essential and an open

library in a museum is a very visitor-friendly element. I could go on and

on but need to go now. Call me if you want to discuss further. Ann



Ann B. Abid

Head Librarian

Ingalls Library

The Cleveland Museum of Art

11150 East Blvd.

Cleveland OH 44106

[log in to unmask]

216-707-2537

216-421-0921 (fax)



I am new in my position as archivist, but I think vertical files are the only way to organize in some cases. 

I have a new collection that I am working on, and some of it will go into vertical files. So the next question is how to make people aware of the existence of these verticle files (in order to justify the vertical files!). 

I am thinking a link on the library website with a listing of the contents. What do you think? Maybe this would generate too many email reference questions, but even so, they could be used as statistics. 

Good luck, 

Anne Coleman

Special Collections

M. Louis Salmon Library (www.uah.edu/library)

University of Alabama in Huntsville

Huntsville, AL 35899

telephone: 256 824 6523

fax: 256 824 6862

email: [log in to unmask]



Gosh - I hope you can keep the vertical files. For a project outside my

job, I've used these files to research local artists. Much of the info

couldn't be found elsewhere. I would think the goodwill generated by

helping researchers would be a good thing for the institution - some of

them might eventually be in a position to donate money or art. When a

special library closes or is dimished/restricted, the community becomes

poorer. Good luck.



We have extensive vertical files and view the maintenance and development of

this resource as one of our real contributions to supporting research. Our

"Artists' Files," which include ephemera related to individual contemporary

glass artists, provide information on people for whom, in many cases, no

monograph yet exists. I feel some concern about your need to defend the

files, since they are used by several groups in your institution and

presumably would be valued by them, and also missed if removed or

discontinued.

Your second paragraph about having to defend your very existence, however,

was really chilling. While it is true that there is more "burden of proof"

for museum libraries than for academic libraries, I believe that a library

is required for a museum to receive accreditation by the AAM. In any case,

I wonder why you are needing to defend the Library yourself. Why aren't the

curators and faculty and students vouching for the importance of the

services (and collections) that the Library provides? Is there actually a

nearby library that your users could go to, to meet their informational

needs, if your library closed?

I can give you statistics for our library if you want them. You could also

get a sense of our institution, if you are unfamiliar with it, by looking at

our website at www.cmog.org where the library is not yet very prominent

(it's under "What's Here"). Our library is larger than yours, but I think

it is the principle of supporting art school (we have "The Studio" which is

a glass-art-making facility, with courses running all year and attracting

students from all over the world) and Museum activities that is at stake.

Yours sincerely,

Patti Rogers

Patricia J. Rogers

Head Librarian

The Juliette K. and Leonard S. Rakow Research Library

Five Museum Way

Corning, NY 14830

(607) 974-8336

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We have the same problem, but the curators now say they want the files preserved, but we have a filing backlog of over a year, 10 feet or so, and are out of space, sound familiar? I hope the summer interns can remedy the filing problem. We have 89 drawers, only solo announcements. Group show ephemera is thrown out.

Do you have a library Task Force? We formed one here at our museum, Education, Coratorial, Directors Office, Admin. etc. and we ask them what they want. We serve them.

The hours we have are 8 or 9 to 5:15 daily Mon-Fri. mostly for staff and docents, scholars by appointment,

Staff of 3 (Librarian, 2 Library Techs. but one may be cut.) 56,000 vols. 10,000 slides, backlogs everywhere. 

Acquisitions requests go to the central offices of the Smithsonian Institution Libiraries; cataloging has also been taken over by them recently.

On circulation, we recently learned to count "in-house" usage, browsers, anyone who uses the collection even though the book did not go out of the library. Interns use 25 books at a visit, but don't take them out. That may help your statistics.

It's really your users who should defend your existence. Our curators and Director are very concerned about proposed staff reductions. Good luck.

Anna Brooke

Hirshhorn Museum Library



Our museum library has about 8,000 volumes (books, videos, audiotapes, CDs) 

and about 3,000 vertical files. The main focus is on the artists in our 

collection, but we also keep files on other artists, museums, and subjects 

covered in our collection. These files contain information that is found 

nowhere else, such as resumes, exhibition announcements, small exhibition 

catalogs, slides, correspondence, clippings, and other ephemeral material. 

The museum staff really depend on the information in these files. I have 

cataloged the files for the artists in our collection (more than 500); the 

cataloging record contains a list of what's in the file, although this 

information is not displayed to the public in the OPAC. The files do 

require a lot of maintenance (they need a lot more than I can give them), 

but it's certainly worth it. I don't keep a record of the time spent on the 

files; maybe an average of an hour a day? The files are usually the first 

place people go for information. We have 40 2-drawer legal-size filing 

cabinets.

Our library is open to the public 10-5 Monday through Friday. I'm the only 

library staff (a full-time librarian). Museum staff are the main users. 

High school and college students use it also, some specifically given 

assignments to use our library. We have about 500 outside visitors a year, 

and more than 200 email and phone reference requests.

I can't imagine the education department, registrars, and curator getting 

along without the library. We have information (especially in the files) 

that no other library in the area has. Hopefully, your situation is the 

same. Good luck.

Cary Wilkins

Librarian

Morris Museum of Art

1 Tenth St.

Augusta, GA 30901

706-828-3801

Fax: 706-724-7612

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We have over 70,000 vertical files divided up in the following way:

national/international

Virginia artists [either natives or those who have spent the bulk of their

artistically productive years in VA]

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts history, exhibitions, etc.

The contents are primarily clippings from over 67 years of volunteer work.

I'm seeking at present a way to secure funding for filming/digitization of

them, plus of the scrapbooks that date back to 1935 whose contents have come

to us from both a state and local clipping service.

Between the scrapbooks and the VA artist files, we chronicle the history of

art in the Commonwealth of Virginia, something that might well apply to you.

Perhaps you might add to your previous arguments the fact that ARLIS/NA is

actively pursuing as a session for the next convention the topic, "Buried

treasure: Artists' files in the digital age," see Terrie Wilson's posting on

ARLIS-L, 4/27/01.

We hold about 70,000 volumes, with around 200 periodical subscriptions. As

one of the few museums in the US that is also part state agency, we have the

responsibility to serve the greater Richmond area, and the state, as well as

our internal museum patrons. We average around 1,200 external phone or web

inquiries yearly, and we serve approximately 1,400 external patrons during

that time.

Our external patrons, particularly the students, are extremely heavy users

of our files, as are our curators, primarily those concerned with modern and

contemporary art. I managed to grab a deal from a local space saver company

on two huge but incredibly compact no-walk shelving units which house - with

plenty of room for expansion - our vertical files, which were previously

jammed in file cabinets.

We are open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, starting the

Saturday after Labor Day and stopping the Saturday before Memorial Day.

During the summer, we are open from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through

Friday. We are closed to the public on Mondays, because the Museum is

closed then. I have one full-time Assistant Librarian, one full-time

Library Assistant, and one part-time Library Assistant who works from 12-18

hours a week, depending on whether or not she's covering two Saturdays a

month. We also have 5 Community Volunteers, and 22 Women's Council of the

VMFA volunteers. They clip for the files, preservation photocopy, file, and

occasionally do computer work on PANDORA, our online catalogue.

For some incredibly lucky reason, the museum actually recognizes the value

of these files, so at least that's one battle I don't have to fight.

Hope this helps in some way; you certainly have an uphill course at this

point! Let me know if there's anything else that you would like to know.

Good luck!

Suzanne Freeman

Head Fine Arts Librarian

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Library

2800 Grove Avenue

Richmond, VA 23221-2466

PH: (804) 340-1498

FAX: (804) 340-1548

[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> Chair, ALCTS/CMDS

Wow! Having to defend the existence of a vertical file is a hard

job to do when the people you are defending it to are not

librarians. I love vertical files and find them so useful. You'll

probably remember that we inherited the picture collection from KPL

in 1998. It does take up a lot of room, but we can always find what

we are looking for in this collection. It is the coolest thing we

have. It is used by faculty, staff, and students mostly in art and

education. It is somewhat dated, but it has really come in handy. 

Originally it took up 22 four drawer file cabinets. We have been in

the process of weeding the collection, removing images with no

sources recorded on them. Its down to 18 cabinets. I must say it

is not our most widely used resource, but it is used. Since we have

not been adding to it except for the occassional donation, we have

kept the costs down. I know some people view these things as

expensive and extraneous, but I think they are worth the expense -

especially if you are collecting information on local artists - I

would think this would be the best sell to the board. I'm sure this

hasn't been very helpful, just supportive. In fact, now that I know

you have this, I'll suggest that more of our patrons use it.

A few weeks ago, someone called asking if I knew of a special

library that set a goal of becoming more user friendly. I am sorry,

but I cannot find this person's name and phone number. I also do

not know of any libraries who have set out specifically to do this. 

It sounds to me like the KIA board would like to see more usage of

the library - bigger stats with circulation and number of

researchers. Hummm. I just can't image an art museum without a

library, librarian, and staff. You do such a service to the museum

staff and the community. Let me know how all this goes.

All is well here. The usual hectic scene. We have increased the

collection and still have loads of cataloging to do. I am now

overseeing the Videotape and Film Collection, too. 

MIRANDA HADDOCK, WESTERN MICH. UNIV.,

VISUAL RESOURCES LIBRARIAN

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