I do not think that I or any other Chair or members of former Wittenborn Committees picked a "laundry lists" of titles, as so colorfully phrased by Kraig.

A simple explanation would have been sufficient, without the erroneous editorializing.

Dr. Jeffrey Weidman

Senior Librarian, Public Services & Collection Development Spencer Art Reference Library The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

4525 Oak Street

Kansas City, MO 64111

Tel: 816-751-1215

FAX: 816-561-1229

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-----Original Message-----

From: ART LIBRARIES SOCIETY DISCUSSION LIST [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kraig Binkowski

Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 11:24 AM

To: [log in to unmask]

Subject: Re: [ARLIS-L] George Wittenborn Memorial Book Award

The fact that the Wittenborn Committee picked just two winners does not mean that the quality of art publishing was particularly poor last year, it simply means that the committee went to the extra effort to determine the most important publications in the field, and not simply a laundry list of very good ones. It is much, much more difficult to choose the few leading works and a small, select list heightens the value of the award. I know that when I chaired the committee (2003), we made a concerted effort to limit the number of winners and I am sure the current committee is operating under that same philosophy.

Kraig Binkowski

Head Librarian

Reference Library and Photograph Archive Yale Center for British Art 1080 Chapel Street P.O. Box 208280 New Haven, CT 06520-8280

Phone: 203.432.2846

Fax: 203.432.9613

Email: [log in to unmask]

http://www.yale.edu/ycba

At 10:16 AM 3/14/2007, Jeff Weidman wrote:

>I, also, agree with those who have weighed in, and I speak from

>Chairing the Committee in 1990, and working with a distinguished group

>of colleagues to review and pick the winners.

>I was also surprised to see only two winners. Was the quality of