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When I read the posts and ponder back in time, the larger issue here is (now, or is becoming) the changing (position of and attitude towards) the physical book in our culture. I think books can, in a sense, be compared to horses. When Henry Ford started marketing cars, most folks no longer had need for a horse, so only people who truly loved horses continued to pay to keep them. And Amish, who cared not to use the related tractor in their endeavors. Our job, as well as being caretakers of books and providers and facilitators of informational flow, is to educate the current and future generations about what a book is and why it still matters. This includes curators, directors, students, docents, visitors and anyone else we come in contact with. We need to educate about the utility of the physical book and it’s firm place in maintaining informational balance. Really, it is largely a cultural issue. When you’re trying to sell ipads, i-whatevers and internet services, holding a book in your hand and extolling it’s virtues won’t increase your sales. Schools use laptops and ipads now to replace books, for instance. There’s a whole generation now who, well, who never got to ride in a horse-drawn wagon, folks, though they may have seen one somewhere or stumbled over the old, dusty carriage in the back shed on occasion. Maybe mom or dad had a library but they were to busy texting and listening to their iPod to go in and get the magic, and mom and dad were too busy working to teach the lesson? Whatever the reason,… So it is likely that Directors and bean counters will continue this move towards marginalization as their own, direct experience with doing research in physical books disappears or becomes minimal. If you want to sell horse feed, you’d better start convincing people that having horses is vital and still matters. Ask yourself what is the difference between a book and a horse. Sounds silly, until your horse gets sent to the glue factory… As I have watched this trend develop, I’ve have been proposing taking books to the customer. Set up reading areas within the museum or institution where visitors can HANDLE books and search inside them. Make these stacks accessible and encourage visitors to walk up to them and interact with them. Shrewdly create displays or exhibits where relevant information inside a book CANNOT be found on the internet! Don’t give visitors the impression that your entire library is part of the larger exhibit, something to be observed but not touched. For what it is worth, that is my impression. And I wrote it that way ‘cause I can never remember whether to put an apostrophe in “what is” or “that is” in those uses, and like it that way. The trouble with knowing too much is there is too little room for new learning! Cheers, and have a great time in Pasadena! Kevin Mullen, Bookseller From: ARLIS/NA List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Litts, Doug Sent: Friday, April 12, 2013 8:46 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [ARLIS-L] Museum library cuts in hours/service - Museum Division meeting This also seems like an obvious agenda item for the Museum Libraries Division meeting and I will be happy to adjust our agenda to begin addressing this issue that many of us appear to be facing. First a plug for the Pasadena conference meeting and topic talk: The Museum Libraries Division will be meeting on Saturday, April 27 from 4:15 pm to 5:15 in Room 107 of the Conference Center. Further information can be found at the conference website at: http://bit.ly/12Tk5s6 The first half hour will be dedicated to the topic talk titled “In Our Own Back Yard: Library Instruction for Museum Docents” with presenters Linda Seckelson, Principal Reader Services Librarian, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Louis Adrean, Senior Librarian for Research and Public Programs, The Cleveland Museum of Art, and Melanie Emerson, Head of Reader Services, The Art Institute of Chicago. In this short-format presentation, three challenges faced by art librarians who have a role in docent training will be addressed. Each of presenters will discuss administrative issues, access to resources, and capabilities of docents in three 5-minute segments, along with an overview of their respective library’s role in docent training. Audience members will then be invited to ask questions and engage in discussion. For the remaining half hour of the meeting I had planned to discuss the recent survey I sent out to museum library members. We were also to look to the future and any bring forward other announcements and concerns. This listserv thread does seem like a major concern. As an alternative, I’d like to offer the second half of the meeting as a forum to address this issue. If you are attending the conference, can attend our division meeting, and would like to further discuss cuts in hours/service/priority of the library in a museum setting, contact me directly via my contact information below. I will coordinate those interested and we will dedicate the latter half of our meeting to this pressing issue. Doug Doug Litts, Librarian, Head Smithsonian American Art Museum/ National Portrait Gallery Library Smithsonian Libraries [log in to unmask] Phone: 202-633-8236 202-633-8230 Fax: 202-633-8232 From: ARLIS/NA List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Billings, Cathy Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 8:37 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [ARLIS-L] FW: New Schedule This sounds like a great topic for the BYOC – Bring Your Own Conference – “unconference” session that will take place in Pasadena. Read the session description here <http://arlisna2013.sched.org/event/8a800fb148060d2dc4a5183845b41dae> , and consider attending what we expect will be a vibrant discussion covering the topics most important to us! Cathy Billings Art Librarian & Gallery Manager Brand Library c/o Glendale Public Library (map <http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=222+East+Harvard+Street+Glendale+CA+91205&sll=34.135692,-118.240695&sspn=0.012237,0.019033&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=222+E+Harvard+St,+Glendale,+Los+Angeles,+California+91205&ll=34.144416,-118.253574&spn=> ) 222 E. Harvard St. Glendale, CA 91205 818-548-2713 www.brandlibrary.org Program Co-chair ARLIS/NA Annual Conference - Pasadena 2013 From: ARLIS/NA List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alison Huftalen Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 7:53 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [ARLIS-L] FW: New Schedule Yes, many many thoughts. This is what I am in the thick of right now. I have had 2 of the positions in my library eliminated since December and while everything is due to budget, there is a larger issue at hand, and that is why sink money into the library when it doesn't get a lot of use? Note, this use is directly compared to the number of visitors who come through the museum. We've always documented our visits and use, but it doesn't matter, the numbers will always be too low, and they are compared to arbitrary numbers, administration just sees it as a percentage of the number of people who walk through the museum's doors, nothing a traditional museum library as I see it could ever live up to. We have a unique situation in that we are also connected with a local university art department and serve as their departmental library. We likely get much more use than your average museum library (also, we have regular public hours and part of our collection circulates), and that is still no where near enough to warrant the budget that is provided to sustain the library. My director does not wish to eliminate the library, but he does want to figure out a way to "activate" the library more and bring it into the regular museum goers path. How we do that is what I (hopefully along with museum colleagues) need to figure out. Programming isn't going to be enough (we have an active book club and are working on a few more things). I don't disagree with the mindset, or the goals of my administration, it's just quite a lot to live up to, the expectation of potentially major innovation with a diminished staff and still needing (for now) to maintain our regular public services and collection. In addition, our museum has recently gone through a major organizational restructuring, and the Library has moved from being under a Collections Branch to being under an Information/Systems branch, so a new supervisor (head of IT) and new relationships to foster. This is just my short response, my head has been wrapped around this constantly for the last few months, I hope to talk to some museum library colleagues at ARLIS more about some of the drastic changes happening in our libraries. I have a lot of thoughts, ideas and fears about my library's future. -Alison Alison L. Huftalen Head Librarian 419.255.8000 ext. 7386 [log in to unmask] Toledo Museum of Art PO Box 1013 Toledo, Ohio 43697 >>> Julian Woodruff <[log in to unmask]> 4/10/2013 6:37 PM >>> I am forwarding this exchange to the list to see if everyone in the museum library world (at least) is meeting with the same attitude. Note that my supe doesn’t mention use by museum staff (although I readily admit that there’s not much of that, either). Let me know if you have any thoughts. (I did see & am pondering the recent conversation on library book clubs.) Best, Julian D. Woodruff Librarian Gerald Hansen Library CROCKER ART MUSEUM 216 O Street Sacramento, CA 95814 direct 916.808.8856 fax 916.808.7372 [log in to unmask] From: [supervisor] Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 1:40 PM To: Julian Woodruff Subject: RE: New Schedule Unfortunately, yes. With on-line access to so many materials and very little use of the library by the public it is harder to justify the expense. This is one reason why it is very important for us to document the library visits and use. From: Julian Woodruff Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 9:44 AM To: Stacey Shelnut-Hendrick Subject: FW: New Schedule [Supervisor], Is this a sign of a bad trend in museum library funding? Julian From: ARLIS/NA List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alba Fernandez-Keys Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 7:40 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [ARLIS-L] New Schedule Dear Colleagues- Following William’s message I would also like to share with the list that, for similar reasons, the Stout Library of the Indianapolis Museum of Art is now open to the public by appointment only. We will no longer participate in ILL lending until further notice. Sincerely, Alba Fernández-Keys Head of Libraries & Archives Indianapolis Museum of Art 4000 Michigan Road Indianapolis, IN 46208-3326 T 317-923-1331 x547 F 317-931-1978 [log in to unmask] http://www.imamuseum.org <http://www.imamuseum.org/> From: ARLIS/NA List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of William Peniston Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2013 12:04 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [ARLIS-L] New Schedule Dear Colleagues: Due to budget cuts, the Newark Museum's Library will be open on a reduced schedule: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, from 9 am to 5 pm, beginning Tuesday, April 23. William A. Peniston, Ph.D. Librarian The Newark Museum 49 Washington Street Newark, NJ 07102 Telephone: 973-596-6625 Fax: 973-642-0459 <mailto:[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask] Library's on-line catalog: http://catalog.npl.org/search~ Archives' on-line finding aids: http://www.newarkmuseum.org/archive/index.asp Collections' on-line catalog: http://www.newarkmuseum.org/CollectionsCatalog.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.arlisna.org Questions may be addressed to list owner (Judy Dyki) at: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _____ This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact Alba Fernandez-Keys by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.arlisna.org Questions may be addressed to list owner (Judy Dyki) at: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.arlisna.org Questions may be addressed to list owner (Judy Dyki) at: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This message is a private communication. It may contain information that is privileged or confidential. Please do not copy or disclose it to others. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender of the delivery error by replying to this message, and then delete it and any attachments from your system. Thank you. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.arlisna.org Questions may be addressed to list owner (Judy Dyki) at: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.arlisna.org Questions may be addressed to list owner (Judy Dyki) at: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.arlisna.org Questions may be addressed to list owner (Judy Dyki) at: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.arlisna.org Questions may be addressed to list owner (Judy Dyki) at: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~