----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Further to Deirdre's message, I like her idea a lot. What with funding cutbacks and so on, this is one area where it's still possible for a museum librarian actually to have some fun! There is the aspect of "librarian as curator" which we practice at the Art Gallery of Ontario, too: library staff mount independent mini-exhibits (artists' books) in the Gallery's contemporary art galleries, as well as adding enhancements (rare books, archival materials from our holdings of artists' papers or from institutional archives) to Gallery installations and exhibitions. There's also the aspect of museum libraries collecting certain kinds of materials largely for their exhibition potential, as opposed to their information content. This is a knotty subject for a host of reasons. I used to have conversations with Clive Phillpot about this when he was still in NYC; perhaps someone from the MoMA Library can speak to it further? Why don't we discuss this further at the Museum section meeting in San Antonio? At 09:36 AM 3/10/97 -0500, you wrote: >----------------------------Original message---------------------------- >ARLIS/NY just had a very interesting meeting at the New York Public >Library that has recently opened 2 exhibits ("Richard Tuttle" and "Artful >Interiors") which are well worth seeing. Robert Rainwater, Paula Baxter >and Heidi Martin Winston discussed their experiences (both positive and >negative) about mounting exhibits. > >Unless it has been done already in the recent past, I think it would be >useful to devote a program to the "librarian as curator". The Brooklyn >Museum Library staff has been contributing research collections to >exhibits for the past 10 years. It has mostly been a very rewarding >experience and is an opportunity for art librarians to focus on their >curatorial roles in collection development and interpretation of different >themes and cultures. > >I would really like to hear from my colleagues who are also involved in >contributing library or archival material to exhibits. Is anyone >interested in participating in a session which would talk about what is >being done and what it entails? Is this topic of interest to anyone else? > >Deirdre E. Lawrence >Principal Librarian/Coordinator of Research Services >Brooklyn Museum of Art Libraries and Archives >200 Eastern Parkway >Brooklyn NY 11238 >(718) 638-5000 x 308 >([log in to unmask]) > Karen McKenzie Phone: (416) 979-6660 Ext. 389 Chief Librarian Fax: (416) 979-6602 E.P. Taylor Research Library & Archives Art Gallery of Ontario 317 Dundas Street West Toronto, ON M5T 1G4 CANADA