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ERIC Number: EJ867003
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 7
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1522-8959
EISSN: N/A
Art Libraries: Creating Access to Unique Collections
Falls, Sarah E.
Public Services Quarterly, v5 n3 p223-229 2009
Art libraries face similar issues to other types of libraries during the digital transition but have unique twists driven by the needs of their collections. Art library information seekers may possess a sense of what an art library is: a library, set apart, to support the study of art and art history. For art libraries, it is the collection, rather than the space or even types of users that define the library. The range of collection types and formats are a microcosm of larger libraries that might have media, object, and special collections, as well as archives. As the space of libraries evolves to accommodate cyberspace, physical collections in the art library must follow to provide access to a new and wider group of users. Over the last decade, the adoption of new teaching and exhibition technologies, and the move from slides to digital images has also brought about a paradigm shift for art history. The recent economic downturn has also had critical impacts on academic institutions and museums, causing some very recent and dramatic changes to the collections landscape for art libraries. Art libraries are ripe ground for innovation and evolution to serve the users of the future that include an ever expanding range of disciplines, interests, and research needs. Many art librarians are already engaged with Web 2.0 tools and visualization methods, which are natural ways to visually connect user groups to art library resources and create community of users, whether those users are across campus, or across the country. By reconsidering how collections are arranged and made available to users and the nature of digital collections and bibliographic description, and by evaluating organizational models to incorporate points of collaboration more easily, art libraries will be well poised to continue best serving users in the future. (Contains 5 notes.)
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Adult Education; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A