Dear friends,
I am considering building an artists' book collection that would be
available to faculty and students for browsing as well as assigned
uses, to be kept in a secure area or office of the Vassar Art Library
and used as reserve material is, for short durations but for
in-house use only. Members of the Art Department are enthusiastic
about the idea, and we're thinking of doing an annual event with a
book artist in the library as a way of enhancing the library program
and adding another dimension to our holdings.
The problem is, Main Library Special Collections (located far from
the Art Department) has suddenly conceived an identical interest in
developing an artists' book collection and is arguing that only they
can properly care for and supervise the use of this material.
I can certainly argue that this isn't what the Art Department has in
mind, that access would be too restrictive for them to take an active
interest in building and promoting the collection, etc. -- but the
conservation issue is still there. The literature of course tends to
be conservative on the issue of care and security.
The type of publication I am considering, to start, would be a
representative collection of the not-terribly-expensive sort -- such
as those distributed by CCA Kitakyushu or the Women's Studio
Workshop, where very interesting items can be had often for less than
the cost of the average art book.
So, my questions are --
1: Do any of you keep artist's book collections in your libraries for
student access, especially where your institutional libraries also
have Special Collections libraries that may also have a claim on this
material?
and
2: Do you require special handling or supervision of this material as
it is being used: cotton gloves, felt deskpads, etc.?
Thanks all,
Tom
--
Thomas E. Hill
Art Librarian,
Vassar College
Maildrop 512 Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
Voice: 845-437-5791
Fax: 845-537-5864
email: [log in to unmask]
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