The news that the Getty is dropping the Avery Index and the Bibliography of
the History of Art (BHA) is unexpected and unsettling. Since my background
is in art history, I cannot speak with confidence regarding the likely
future of the Avery Index. BHA could easily be orphaned or, if bought,
watered down. The Getty is uniquely positioned, both in mission and
resources, to support this kind of resource.
This letter is an attempt to persuade the Getty to reconsider their
decision. If others agree, please comment here or, even better, write the
Getty.
Barbara
Dear Terence Ford,
Could you forward this letter to the correct people at the Getty?
Thanks for your help in this matter,
Barbara
BHA is a cornerstone of art research. Even at a small liberal arts college
like Oberlin the faculty, curators and students depend on BHA for everything
from freshman papers to exhibitions and scholarly monographs. The staff at
BHA makes significant intellectual contributions to the field by applying
their sophisticated knowledge of art theories and practices. No other
database -- including JSTOR -- approaches BHA's breadth and depth; BHA
covers thousands of journals in a broad range of languages with rich
metadata mapping their content.
A research resource like BHA will be hard to sell due to the expertise
required to produce it and the relatively limited audience it serves. If
the Getty drops BHA, there are two likely outcomes: it will languish,
orphaned, or its new owner will dramatically reduce the quality of the
product to save money.
Institutions with both the mission and the capability to produce a research
tool like BHA are rare. Furthering art historical research is central to
the Getty's mission:
"Through the work of the four Getty programs—the Museum, Research Institute,
Conservation Institute, and Foundation—the Getty aims to further knowledge
and nurture critical seeing through the growth and presentation of its
collections and by advancing the understanding and preservation of the
world's artistic heritage. The Getty pursues this mission with the
conviction that cultural awareness, creativity, and aesthetic enjoyment are
essential to a vital and civil society."
[copied from http://www.getty.edu/about/trust.html, 1May09; emphasis mine]
The impact of the Getty's mission can be easily traced through its support
of BHA: exhibitions that expose the public to cultures both common and
unfamiliar; scholarly monographs that challenge the field; untold college
students with a newly acquired appreciation for art. BHA has facilitated
and enriched all these outcomes by giving curators, professors and
researchers unprecedented access to the art research worldwide
Please reconsider your decision drop the Bibliography of the History of Art.
There is no substitute for BHA. The economy and the Getty's endowment will
eventually recover, but an orphaned or diminished BHA will have a lasting
and far-reaching impact on the art community.
Sincerely,
Barbara Prior
Barbara Q. Prior
Art Librarian
Clarence Ward Art Library
Oberlin College
Oberlin, Ohio
44074
440-775-5144
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