This background information from B.J. is very rational and it is good to
know that B.J. was made aware ahead of time of the gift that precipitated
this dramatic turn of events at Indiana Unversity. However, it is
nonetheless horrifying. I remember well the 1984 presentation B.J. made
concerning the long, intensive planning and implementation period when she
was developing the new library in the I.M. Pei building. Those of us who
were involved at the time with planning new library spaces paid close
attention when she told of how closely librarians need to work with the
architect and how much seemingly small decisions can affect space. It was
incredibly inspiring! So-that was a little more than three decades ago. Is
that all the time that we can expect in the life of our libraries?
Money-and collections-obviously talk. But what is the excuse for the
rudeness and abruptness toward the current staff, According to Jasmine
Burns, Interim Head, I.U.'s Fine Arts Library, "no one from the fine arts
library was consulted, or even told about the gift and renovation plans
until the public press release." And now we hear from Judy Donovan, the
former Art Librarian of the Barnes Foundation, that likewise, she and her
Associate Librarian Laurie Porsia , "were laid off with no notice" when the
Barnes board decided to "restructure" the Barnes Foundation Library. I am
devastated and disgusted. In both cases, this seems to be the corporate
voice that is coming down on those who had high hopes and undoubtedly worked
ceaselessly to develop the very best intellectural resources for I.U.'s art
historians and art history students and the Barnes' Foundation's scholars.
What is the message for our youngest members?
Joan M. Benedetti
From: ARLIS/NA List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Irvine,
Betty J.
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2016 10:37 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ARLIS-L] Status of IU Fine Arts Library
In response to the recent announcement about the changing
facilities status of the Indiana University Fine Arts Library, I would like
to share my observations with members of ARLIS-L. In the previous two
weeks, I had heard about the significant gift to the IU Art Museum by the
Eskenazi family in Indianapolis-a gift which also includes a considerable
art collection. This gift is intended to provide funds to renovate and
enhance what is now the Eskenazi Art Museum and its galleries. Since my
initial planning of the current FAL in the late 60s, throughout the 1970s
and the early 1980s, I always assumed that if the museum needed space, then
the library would need to move.
The FAL now occupies over 21,000 sq. ft. or about 20% of the museum building
which does not really have external space for expansion; consequently, this
change does make sense for the art museum. Given that we occupied the
building in 1981, we have enjoyed a long and complementary history in the
museum building. I very much appreciate being informed that there are
potential plans to have a designated fine arts collection space in our
university libraries building-a welcome possibility at this time. Thank you
for your thoughtful responses to this announcemnt. B.J. Irvine, Former
Director, IU Fine Arts Library
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Mail submissions to [log in to unmask] For information about joining ARLIS/NA see: http://www.arlisna.org/membership/join-arlisna 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]
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