----------------------------Original message---------------------------- The question posed is given below and followed by responses. Thanks to all who took the time to answer. Christel Question If you are developing an art library today would you adjust (reduce) the total number of books required to meet ARLIS standards based on the formula of basic collection plus so many for each curatorial department just because we have access to the Internet now? How will the new standards (are they being developed?) handle this? How soon will they be ready? Will there be a tie-in with the American Association of Museum accrediting standards? Responses I think that electronic resources on art (whether Internet or CD-ROM, etc.) do not substitute for printed volumes in a collection. When you think of scholarship in art history, much is published in the form of exhibition catalogues, both for the general public and collectors, as well as for art professors and museum curators. So, unlike publications for academia, many museums will continue to publish for the foreseeable future in print. Collectors of art are by definition conservative and interested in tangible objects. Then there is the issue of copyright for images, i.e. getting permission to reproduce images in print may be easier than getting permissions for digital publishing, in order to keep more in control of the image. Barbara E. Reed, barbara.e.reed=40dartmouth.edu, Dartmouth College --- Start thinking virtual -- From a =22collection development=22 point-of-view, we will be buying fewer books but =22selecting=22 and purchasing more licenses to electronic resources, as the good stuff on the internet is and will never be free. Library standards are changing to reflect this new focus. I'm sure they will work out some formula to convert an electronic resource into a volume equivalent so =22collections=22 will not be seen to shrink in size but rather to grow =22virtually.=22 Jill Patrick, patrick3=40attcanada.ca, OCAD --- Obviously I am not involved in the ARLIS standards development but this is a topic on which I feel quite strongly . The following are a few random thoughts written in a hurry but they may spark a few ideas. The Internet is wonderful for contact information, for reference tools =5Blike your Faberge listing=5D and for finding out who has the information you require but the basic art history information on the web is still not a substitute for a hard copy collection, particularly for research libraries. What the Internet does, and can do brilliantly, is to help librarians to exploit their collections more effectively. No doubt this will change gradually but it will take a long time and much of the basic material from the last couple of millennia is unlikely to be up in our life-times. There are also problems with the amount of un-sourced information on the Web which has to be checked anyway before it can be used although it may give some clues to follow. I find it a worry that so many people =5Bparticularly the younger ones who have grown up with the Internet=5D seem to believe that =22I found it on the Internet=22 means that =22it=22 is true. They frequently expect that all the information they need will be in on-line format =22Can you e-mail me something?=22 which is mostly not the case. There is also the problem that Internet information e.g. on-line catalogues of exhibitions, back-up information for exhibitions or virtual exhibitions are frequently ephemeral and, unlike paper ephemera, exist in only 1 copy so that when they are gone - they are really gone. Sadly, this is often authoritative information of the sort one could recommend happily - but only as long as it remains available. These are challenges for art librarians which we must over-come by developing sweeping techniques to save the material . Even then, storage of this type of material is also a problem as formats change and migration of data is very expensive. Their on-line formats often do not lend themselves easily to hard-copy back-up. We are quite some way from having systems in place which would have more than a minimal effect on the need for solid hard-copy research collections. J. Margaret Shaw, National Gallery of Australia, margaret.shaw=40nga.gov.au --- I thought you might find it interesting that there will be a session at the ARLIS/NA conference in Los Angeles next April specifically on this topic. I am one of the moderators. It is entitled =22The Accreditation of Art Libraries: Benefit or Burden?=22 I am attaching the abstract. The point of the session is to open up discussion precisely about your concern. There seems to be, understandably, much trepidation about program accreditation (NAB for architecture, FIDDLER for interior design, etc.) and its relation to art, architecture, and design libraries. I'd like to explore independent accreditation to establish the kind of standards about which you inquire, not unlike the kind of program AMA runs. Paul Glassman, New York School of Interior Design, paul=40nysid.edu Paul's attachment is as follows: Ask ARLIS session proposal The Accreditation of Art Libraries: Benefit or Burden? Art Libraries Society of North America 29th Annual Conference Los Angeles March 29-April 4, 2001 Moderators: Paul Glassman, Director of the Library, New York School of Interior Design Clayton Kirking, Director, Adam =26 Sophie Gimbel Design Library, Parsons School of Design, New York Robert Craddick, Head Librarian, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland Sponsors: Art =26 Design School Library Division, Standards Committee, Architecture Section A. Narrative Rationale: This topic relates closely to goal III of the ARLIS/NA strategic plan 2000-2002: to exert an influence on external forces affecting the profession through promotion, cooperation, and advocacy. Topic: Museums, schools of art and design, schools of architecture, professional degree programs, liberal arts colleges? many subscribe to the pursuit of excellence and the establishment of standards through accreditation programs. These usually begin with self-studies and assessment programs, leading to a presumably objective evaluation by a committee of peers. Achievement of accreditation can be a vehicle for quality assurance and accountability. The process can provide a thoughtful framework, through self-study and peer review, for assessing how well the art library meets current standards and continues to engage in institutional improvement. The structure and approach of an accreditation program can allow for considerable variation among library types and sizes. Ways to improve current library assessment in accreditation applications and during site visits will be discussed as well. Art Libraries Society of North America 29th Annual Conference Los Angeles March 29-April 4, 2001 How would the art library benefit from an independent accreditation process? Would accreditation =A7 help the art library achieve parity with academic divisions and curatorial departments? =A7 raise the level of recognition paid art libraries? =A7 provide assurance of adequate budgets and other resources? =A7 guard in general against the marginalization of the art library? =A7 help intensify commitment by the institution to the mission of the art library? or Would accreditation =A7 introduce an unwelcome requirement of reporting and record keeping? =A7 impose guidelines that may not acknowledge the nature of the particular library? =A7 subject the library to arbitrary interpretations of its services and collections? =A7 detract from the provision of essential services? B. Prospective panelists: Janice Stevenor Dale, FIIDA, CID JSDA Incorporated, Los Angeles FIDER Evaluation Committee (serves as team chair of site visiting teams=97confirmed) Katherine Diamond, FAIA Siegel Diamond Architecture, Los Angeles National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) visiting team member (confirmed) Elizabeth Douthitt Byrne, Head Librarian, Environmental Design, University of California=97Berkeley (participated in site visit review--confirmed) Dr. Selma Holo, Director, Fisher Gallery, University of Southern California, American Association of Museums visiting team member (not yet reached=3B recommended by AAM) Fredrick Orth, professor of art, San Diego State University, NASAD visiting team member (recommended by NASAD office--confirmed) Sounds like it might be a lively session - cm --- Christel L. McCanless (256) 536-3458 (phone/fax) -- Publications by Scarecrow Press: =22Faberg=E9 and His Works=22 (1994) =22Faberg=E9 Eggs: A Retrospective=22 (2000) -- Web page: =22Lowes and McCanless Index to Faberg=E9 at Auction=22 http://fly.hiwaay.net/=7Echristel/index.html __________________________________________________________________ Mail submissions to [log in to unmask] Administrative matters (file requests, subscription requests, etc) to [log in to unmask] ARLIS-L Archives and subscription maintenance: http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/arlis-l.html Questions may be addressed to list owner at: [log in to unmask]