Hi all:
I wanted to let you know that NCSU Libraries, in collaboration with
architectural historian Catherine Bishir, have published North Carolina
Architects and Builders, an online publication.
Here is the website:
http://ncarchitects.lib.ncsu.edu/
And here is the press release:
Changing the Blueprint for North Carolina Architects and Builders
Contact: David Hiscoe, NCSU Libraries, (919) 513-3425
(Raleigh, NC)—The North Carolina State University Libraries and
architectural historian Catherine Bishir have collaborated to publish
North Carolina Architects and Builders, the authoritative resource on
the men and women who shaped the architectural culture and heritage of
the state. Delivered as a state-of-the-art online tool instead of a
traditional book, the site is a marquee example of what can be
accomplished when original, innovative scholarship is powered up by the
digital expertise of today’s new generation of professional
librarians.
The standard scholarly work on North Carolina architects and builders
has long been Architects and Builders in North Carolina: a History of
the Practice of Building (University of North Carolina Press, 1990), by
Bishir, Charlotte V. Brown, Carl R. Lounsbury, and Ernest H. Wood III.
The authors originally intended to complement it with an authoritative
biographical dictionary on the architects, builders, and artisans of the
state.
When Bishir turned renewed attention to the project in the last decade,
she explains that “the project underwent a serendipitous paradigm
shift,” as she began to imagine the transformational way that
scholarly, collaborative publishing could be done on the Internet.
“When Catherine came to us with her idea,” says Susan Nutter, Vice
Provost and Director of Libraries at NC State University, “I knew we
had the staff on board with the expertise and enthusiasm to embrace the
work. And I was delighted to have a signature project that could
highlight the great work of our faculty and capitalize on the strengths
of the NCSU Libraries’ Special Collections in architecture and design.
We have built something that will be invaluable to those—both scholars
and the general public—who love the architecture and the culture of
North Carolina.”
Combining the expertise of over forty authors with the NCSU
Libraries’ leadership in digital publishing and with collections
from numerous state and national cultural institutions, the web site
provides extensive biographical accounts, building lists, and
bibliographical information about architects, builders, and other
artisans who planned and built North Carolina's architecture.
Unlike traditionally published scholarly works of the past, the web
site will continue to grow on a regular basis as scholars extend and
expand their work. At launch, the site covers approximately 170 North
Carolina professionals and 1500 buildings. But because it is an online
resource, it can continuously be updated as the array of scholars
working on it continue to add new entries—future-proofing the resource
and demonstrating one of the powerful advantages of online publishing of
reference and research materials.
As an online tool, North Carolina Architects and Builders also provides
powerful abilities to sort, search, and browse its content in ways not
available with traditional printed materials. Researchers, for instance,
can explore the site’s material by architect, by building name or
type, by location, by the years that an architect practiced, or by the
place of a builder’s office or birth—sorting the results in ways to
fit the individual needs of the researcher’s project.
“The website is wonderful,” according to Howard Davis, Professor of
Architecture at the University of Oregon and author of The Culture of
Building. "What an appealing, easy-to-use, clear product. A model for
the other 49 states. . . that I hope we will pursue here in Oregon."
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/news/libraries.php?p=8477&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
Karen DeWitt, Director
Harrye B. Lyons Design Library
NCSU Libraries
Campus Box 7701
Raleigh, NC 27695-7701
919-513-3860
__________________________________________________________________
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]
