Annual Report (2003)
ARLIS/NA 
International Relations Committee


Leadership Update

Susana Tejada was reappointed to a second one-year term as committee chair.  Irene Puchalski remained as IRC board liaison, while Jeannette Dixon continued her service as IFLA representative.

Membership

The IRC was comprised of the following members: Frances Clymer (Buffalo Bill Historical Center); Kate E. Cunningham-Hendrix (Colorado State University); Jeannette Dixon (Museum of Fine Arts Houston); Renata Guttman (Canadian Centre for Architecture); Beverly-Joy Karno (Howard Karno Books); Jing Liao (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); Irene Puchalski (University of Toronto); Susana Tejada (Albright-Knox Art Gallery); and Shannon Van Kirk (Miami University).

IRC Activities Related to the ARLIS/NA Strategic Plan

Continued promotion of International Federation of Library Association’s conferences and related activities. (III C)

The committee chair promoted IFLA and its Art Libraries Section with Society membership via ARLIS-L by sharing information about the Berlin conference held Aug. 2-5, 2003.

In addition, information on IFLA’s Art Libraries Section was shared at both the IRC business meeting and at the ARLIS/NA Baltimore Conference through the IRC’s invited guest, Kerstin Assarson-Rizzi, Chair, IFLA Art Libraries Section. 

Ms. Assarson-Rizzi participated in the IRC’s panel presentation entitled, Nordic Expeditions: Exploring Art Information Resources for Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden. The session was a great success with over forty participants from the conference.

Continued monitoring activities of affiliated organizations. (III C)

The IRC continued to update its committee web site: www.cam.org/~renata/irc_top.html.  Most notably, papers from the IRC-sponsored session—Nordic Expeditions
Exploring Art Information Resources for Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden
—were made available immediately after the Baltimore conference as a service to Society members.  These papers contain useful information on Nordic art libraries, museums, associations (ARLIS/Norden) and their respective activities.  The IRC web site also includes current links to all ARLIS/NA affiliate organizations including, among others, IFLA, ARLIS/UK and Ireland, and the Association des Bibliothécaires Français.

ARLIS/NA Headquarters continued to route international publications from affiliate organizations directly to the IRC chair

Actively promoted ARLIS/NA on an international level and assist in the formation and development of "ARLIS" organizations on an international level. (III C)

The IRC invited every international conference attendee to participate at its business meeting on Saturday, March 22nd.  These included members from IFLA, ARLIS/Norden, ARLIS/ANZ, and the Association des Bibliothécaires Français. There was a very positive turnout, with approximately twenty-five individuals present, including but not limited to: Kerstin Assarsson-Rizzi (National Heritage Board, Sweden); Claire Fons (Bibliothèque Jacques Doucet): Anja Lollesgaard (Danish Museum of Decorative Art); Aliyusif Mammadov (Baku State University); and Elizabeth Russell (Victoria University of Wellington).  A good deal of information was exchanged when many of these participants reported on activities and the general state of affairs in art libraries from their respective countries of origin.   

In addition, the IRC organized a group dinner for committee members and international representatives who were present at its business meeting.

Other IRC Activities

To improve communication among committee members, the chair’s employing institution—the Albright-Knox Art Gallery—continued to serve as host to an IRC electronic listserv.

The IRC submitted two proposals—both a plenary and a panel session—for the 2004 New York City conference.  Of these, only the plenary session was accepted.  The committee’s proposed speaker—Okwui Enwezor, Artistic Director of Documenta 11—was available and expressed great interest in participating in the conference.  The IRC, however, was limited by a very modest budget that did not approach Mr. Enwezor’s speaking fee.  As such, the IRC was not able to follow through with its plenary proposal.

Submitted by: Susana Tejada, Chair, ARLIS/NA IRC