----------------------------Original message---------------------------- At the risk of repeating a discussion that may already have taken place on the list, I wish to solicit the advice of the many experts out there in connection with cataloguing prints appearing in books and periodicals. It has long been a project close to my heart to be able to hire staff or students to catalogue these prints which are housed in our Special Collections. They are found in a huge variety of sources, from such periodicals as "Gazette des Beaux-Arts", "The Studio" and "Derriere le Miroir", to the many artists' monographs (Chagall, Miro, etc) published by Sauret in Monte Carlo, books in the 18th century illustrated with engravings, and of course early woodcuts, etc. etc.. At the moment the existence of such prints is little known in either the university or the library although potentially they form an important part of the university's art collections, and could be used as teaching materials. As long as they remain publicly unidentified, and are neglected because of institutional ignorance, they are vulnerable to theft. I am now in a position to supervise two graduate students who will catalogue the prints. But first we must adopt a methodology which will allow us to describe each print according to museum standards; which provides for references to the literature; which describes each print within the bibliographical description for the book or periodical; and does it all in MARC format for eventual downloading either into the library's catalogue, or as a separate searchable database. My personal expertise in cataloguing is several decades old, but I am advised that it would be useful to acquire a template of the form of entry adopted that the students could use. I would be grateful for comments based on experience, comparisons of the various methods that exist, and advice as to where to find out about these methodologies. Please contact me directly at [log in to unmask] I would be happy to share a summary of what I discover with other members of the list. Many thanks. <^><^> <+><+> <-><-> -- -- -- Mary Williamson, Fine Arts Bibliographer and Senior Librarian, York University (retired); Adjunct Faculty, Graduate Dept. of Art History. email: [log in to unmask] *** fax: (416) 484-0345