Dear Membership,
We're long overdue in sharing this (through no fault of our recorder I
might add, but rather mine), but I nonetheless wanted to forward the
minutes from the Artist Files Working Group meeting in Atlanta. Several
members who were not able to attend had expressed an interest in
advance.
We would welcome any comments or input.
Kind regards,
Jon
Jon Evans
Reference Librarian
Hirsch Library
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
P.O. Box 6826
Houston, TX 77265-6826
Ph: 713-639-7393
Fax: 713-639-7795
[log in to unmask]
www.hirsch.mfah.org <http://www.hirsch.mfah.org/>
================================
Artist Files Working Group Meeting
ARLIS/NA Conference, Atlanta, GA
Saturday April 28, 2007
Welcome & Introductions:
Jon Evans, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, welcomed approximately 35
ARLIS/NA members to the meeting. He noted that the goal of this working
group is to provide better access to artist files housed at various
institutions. Attendees were encouraged to add their names to a list
for inclusion on the group's listserv for future updates and discussion.
Update of Progress since 2006 Meeting in Banff:
Mr. Evans distributed three documents that have been finalized during
the past year.
The first document, Statement of Purpose, summarizes the value of artist
files, recognizing that most collections have limited visibility. The
statement is intended to be very broad in definition.
The second document, The Online Directory, explains that the directory
will act as a centralized tool to promote collections of artist files.
The directory will not be a means to locate individual artist files,
rather a place for institutions to create a profile for their
collection. The idea is to provide an overview of the collection and
create a link to the institution from the directory profile. In
response to a question, Mr. Evans stated that the directory will not
replace the necessity for OCLC bibliographic records in any way.
The third document, Project Definition, Scope and Material Types That
Commonly Constitute Artists Files, gives the definition of what an
artist file is for this project. It states: "Collections of small or
ephemeral documents relating to the visual arts that are collected and
arranged for the purposes of research. Or otherwise stated, materials
that are not normally cataloged or would potentially end up in the
garbage." The scope of artist files ranges from individuals to
non-profit institutions to for-profit institutions. The material itself
may be comprised of announcements, artist catalogs, artists' statements,
brochures, checklists, clippings, mail art, press releases, scripts,
slides, etc.
Template for MARC Records:
Andrea Goldstein, Temple University, worked extensively with Mr. Evans
on establishing a MARC record proposal that could be used as a template
for those institutions looking to create or enhance existing
bibliographic records representing artist files. In addition to this, a
proposed MARC record for collection level cataloging will be worked on
by Pam Eyerdam (Cleveland Public Library) and Linda McKee (Ringling
Museum). A finding aid could be attached in the 856 field (either to a
pdf document or an Encoded Archival Document).
Update on Directory Software & Structure:
Sally McKay, Getty Research Institute, and Barbara Rominski, San
Francisco Museum of Modern Art, provided a report concerning the
directory software. Ms. Rominski stated that the online directory will
provide a profile for each artist file collection. A glossary of input
terms will be created to provide consistency for terminology.
A special project funding proposal was submitted to the Society last
year for support of the directory software, FileMaker Pro8.
Unfortunately, this was not approved. The Board determined that it did
not want to establish a precedent for funding specific software.
Since the software funding was denied, Ms. McKay and Ms. Rominski have
proposed the use of wiki software as a more appropriate approach for the
project. A wiki will allow contributors to add, remove, edit and change
content easily. Further, it will be dynamic and provide web linking.
Security devices can be installed to safeguard the integrity of
information. MediaWiki was proposed as the potential software. Issues
relating to hosting and maintenance were raised, although no clear
answers were immediately present. Ms. McKay and Ms. Rominski are
prepared to create a beta directory using a wiki.
Connecting with Other Similar Projects: There was significant
discussion about involving Canadian and European institutions in the
directory. It was made clear that this site and directory are intended
for international contributors and users.
Goals for the Coming Year: Mr. Evans recommended that the beta wiki
website be created. If successful, perhaps it can be presented at the
2008 ARLIS/NA Conference in Denver. Several members volunteered to work
on the proposed 2008 presentation.
Pamela J. Eyerdam, Recorder
__________________________________________________________________
Mail submissions to [log in to unmask]
For information about joining ARLIS/NA see:
http://www.arlisna.org/join.html
Send 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 (Judy Dyki) at: [log in to unmask]
