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You asked about maintaining and organizing a vertical file. My
current job is in a big academic library and there is no
organized vertical file. In my last job (Amon Carter Museum),
the vertical file was a vastly important resource. The
arrangement sounds about like yours at Pratt: by personal
name (artist, architect, patron, critic, collector, etc.);
museums arranged geographically; subject file (from a "creative
list"); etc.
We still had a card catalog when I was at the museum but I
dreamed of making collection-level records for the artists and
other files. For subject headings on the dreamed-of subject file
records, I would probably consider the "creative" subject file
topic as a name for the file and add authorized LCSH (or AAT or
whatever is your standard) to fit it in with other materials in
the catalog.
You further asked how patrons found out about it. At the museum,
if anyone asked about an artist, we reflexively got them the
artist's file. They knew to ask the second time. The museum had
a specialized (and small) clientele, but you just tell them about
it the same way you tell them about anything: through the
catalog and/or a well-placed response to a reference question
and/or a sign or mention in the brochure.
I hope some of this is helpful, Paul. I imagine you are looking
into the work of the RLG InDoMat group (ask Greta about it if
you haven't been following their deliberations).
Sherman Clarke
NYU Libraries
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