Dear Colleagues,
Perhaps I should not attempt to answer Linda's question without trying
to ferret out all of the facts which I think can only be provided by
INIST. However, I think we can get a sense of what is in FRANCIS by the
history of the RAA/RILA/BHA. Rice University does subscribe to
FRANCIS, so I conducted several searches simply by well-known artists.
The earliest date retrieved was 1974 for Ingres. Subject headings are
mostly in French with more recent entries with both English and French
subject headings. Before the INIST and Getty parted ways, bibliographic
entries in BHA always noted if the record had been provided by the RAA
or INIST. The data INIST contributed to the BHA was returned to the
INIST (per statements released by Terence Ford of the Getty last year).
Prior to the end of 2007 when the Getty & INIST collaboration ended,
there was overlap of the INIST records occurring in both FRANCIS and the
BHA.
We can always hope that another research institute will rescue the BHA,
but it looks like we need to figure out how to cobble together databases
which will take up the slack. ArtBibliographies Modern, the Wilson Art
databases, FRANCIS - researchers will have to use them all. But I don't
know of anything that can replace the coverage that once was the BHA
either with only the data contributed by the Getty or the combined
resources of the Getty and the INIST. Key questions to ask of the
INIST: when did the INIST begin adding English subject headings; when
does online indexing begin (the RAA began publishing in 1910; joined
with BHA in 1991); is the INIST adding English subject headings
retrospectively? I think this maybe the case as I have found records
for French articles published in 1981 which have both English and French
subject headings. Other entries have only French subject headings. I
have also found English language art journals indexed by FRANCIS. We
need a comprehensive list of art & architecture journals indexed by
FRANCIS in order to have a clear idea of coverage.
Jet Prendeville, Art/Architecture Librarian
Fondren Library, Rice University
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Linda Duychak wrote:
> As a tangent to the BHA issue... Does anyone know if FRANCIS
> http://international.inist.fr/article65.html
> contains the data that is/was the RAA (Repertoire d'Art) component of
> BHA? INIST appears to be the organization behind both. And the
> subject scope between the two databases is the same.
>
> Also, can anyone who subscribes to FRANCIS comment on its use and
> popularity at your institution? The above link cites 39 percent
> English citations. Is the interface available in English? Are the
> descriptors both English/French as in BHA?
>
> Thanks!
>
> --Linda
> Linda Duychak, Art Reference Librarian
> Kohler Art Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison
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