ARLIS/NY Collection
Development Meeting
May 12, 2005--Casa Italiana, Columbia
University
The meeting was called to order by Annamaria Poma Swank.
She gave a brief history of the Casa Italiana and the Italian Academy for
Advanced Studies at Columbia University and described her plans for its
library.
Present: Vicky Bohm, Nancy Cochran, Deirdre
Donohue, Janice Ekdahl, Dan Elliott, Val Hoyt, Joy Kestenbaum, Robert Lobe,
Margaret May, Christina Peter, Barbara Reed, Inge Reist, Janette Rozene, Carol
Rusk, Lily Solmssen Moureaux, Evalyn Stone, Annmaria Poma Swank, Ulla Volk, Eric
Wolf.
ARLIS-NA Collection Development
Group meeting, Houston. Barbara Reed reported. Topics of discussion included
electronic vs. print resources; performing arts collections-are any considering
adding TV or other media?; the use of institutional credit cards in
acquisitions; guidelines for weeding; disposal of duplicates (for UK guidelines
see http://www.arlis.org.uk/publ/index.html); the dominance of serials in
acquisitions budget (in some places up to 73% of the budget supports
subscriptions) and serials cancellations; main vs. branch libraries; and
vendor/art libraries relationships.
Institutional Archives. Where do
they fit? Some are managed by libraries, others by the institution's Office of
General Counsel or President's Office. Some document all activity, both
administrative and curatorial, others only the history of exhibitions, while
others include the personal papers
of art historians or scholars not affiliated with the institution. Some have
established archives, with a professional archivist, only in the last few years.
Others have a sporadic history, with the archivist subject to layoff during
periods of fiscal constraint. Funds for processing often come from foundations
or individuals, rather than being part of an operating budget. The Society of
American Archivists has a museum section that can provide useful
information.
Library Development/Grant Writing.
Some libraries have independent Friends groups that have been successful in
bringing members not previously connected with the parent institution. Others
use the general museum membership roster or Associates groups and target
individuals who are already museum members or cultivate Trustees' interest in
the library. Programming can include lectures, trips, book sales, readings, book
signings, etc. Behind-the-scenes
tours have been successful in a number of places. Friends groups can be extremely "high
maintenance," requiring a good part of the library director's attention. It is often a struggle to get the
library incorporated into a capital campaign or to get on the "radar screen" in
the development office. It is important to find a least one development staff
member who is willing to work on a project. Its success will then attract the
attention of other parts of development (individual or corporate giving or
foundation relations).
Education for future art librarians.
Should the curriculum be changed to include a collection development component?
Should it stand alone or be part of a general course, such as reference? Is
collection development expertise a priority for an entry-level librarian? Can it
be taught? Should it be part of post-MLS training? Or a practicum as part of the
general curriculum? Should there be workshops (continuing education) in library
schools on collection development for new librarians? An internship with a
seasoned bibliographer might be the best approach. Institutions should be
willing to sponsor internships, but the library school should also endeavor to
set requirements and expectations for interns.
Electronic vs. Printed Resources: It
was agreed that this topic could be best addressed by a joint meeting with the
Electronic Resources Discussion group.
Other topics tabled for future
meetings: Facilities Standards for Art Libraries, Integrating Library and Visual
Art Material.
The meeting concluded with a reception generously provided
by the Italian Academy.