DISCUSSION GROUPS AND OTHER MEETINGS
April 29, 1996
A discussion group of art museum library directors met at the open-air Sandbar along Miami Beach. Jeanette Dixon, librarian and electronic communications director, Museum of Fine Arts' Houston' welcomed over twenty-five attendees. Dixon stated that the group was established three years ago to bring art museum library directors together to share issues and concerns in an informal gathering. After general introductions and a discussion of general concerns the group broke up into smaller groups to discuss local area networks; service issues, advocacy for the library within the institution and community; automation within the museum as a whole and the issue of burgeoning archives.
Kari E. Horowicz, Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Cataloging of Architectural Records
April 27, 1996
Ten participants attended the meeting of this group, moderated at the request of Al Willis, the usual moderator, by Kathy Zimon, The common denominator for those attending was the fact that none actually "catalogued" architectural drawings, but came hoping to find out how others were doing that in various contexts. The problems inherent in providing access to architectural drawings were discussed, along with various ways of managing such collections: e.g., "fonds" level entries on OCLC, RLIN; University of California at Berkeley mounts finding aids on their Website; some transfer 4x5 transparencies to photo cd, an expensive process; MARC records were more often used to catalog images/slides of architecture than actual drawings. The number of data elements needed to identify and retrieve information about a drawing was also discussed.
Janine Henri suggested updating MASS COPAR, possibly by canvassing at the state amd local level, perhaps via ARLIS chapters, using a standard survey form. A suggestion was made that this type of group could benefit from a list-serv for ongoing discussion of problems.
Kathy Zimon, University of Calgary
Research
Libraries Group Art & Architecture Group
Note: The Research Libraries Group Art and Architecture
Group is not an ARLIS/NA group. It meets in conjunction with the
ARLIS/NA conference.
April 26, 1996
Milan Hughston, chair of the AAG, welcomed members and introduced Katharine Martinez, who has returned to the art library fold as the new RLG member services officer for art. Reports were made on AAG cooperative projects including the AAG Online Access Guide, Monographic Series Cataloging Project, SCIPIO, and Art Serials Preservation Project. Updates on RLG developments were also presented. The draft of the AAG 1996-1998 Goals and Projects was presented and discussed. Newly elected AAG Steering Committee members Adeane Bregman, Doralyn Pines and Susan Roeper join ongoing members Max Marmor, Susan Moon, Chair and Judy Silverman. Departing Steering Committee members Lyn Korenic, Barbara Reed, and especially Milan Hughston, chair for 1995/96, were thanked for their contributions.
Roger Lawson reported for the Inaccessible Domain Materials (InDoMat) Working Group, which has been exploring for the past year ways to provide access to the parts of collections not readily accessible, such as vertical file materials. Prior to the InDoMat Working Group proposal, minimal level cataloging had only existed for archival materials. With the InDoMat proposal, libraries can choose their type of control: collection control or bibliographic control, with three possible levels of records: basic, recommended enhanced or full. The working group has consulted closely with other groups that have been working on similar approaches: Library of Congress collection level standards and RLG Archives and Mixed Collections. After review by AAG members, the InDoMat Working Group's report is to go to RLG mid-summer for review and consideration.
The afternoon discussion focused on the recently-announced Getty AHIP/RLG Collaboration. Katharine Martinez and Joseph Busch, the Getty AHIP Program Manager for Standards and Research Projects, outlined the initial ideas regarding the scope of the collaboration.
RLG and the Getty Art History Information Program (AHIP) have embarked on a partnership that combines RLG's network infrastructure with AHIP's art research databases to foster broader information access and contribution by the international cultural heritage community. Over the next year, RLG-AHIP working groups will plan and implement three key pilot projects under the new agreement:
BHA: Add the Bibliography of the History of Art to the set of RLG CitaDel (citations access and delivery) files--including information from BHA's predecessors, RILA (International Repertory of the Literature of Art) and the French RAA (Repertoire d'Art et d'Archeologie). Devise a method for contribution to BHA based on RLG models, involving RLG, especially the Art and Architecture Group, and non-RLG members.
Provenance: Develop a plan for adding the Provenance Index files to RLG's RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network) and develop mechanisms to support contributions of data by international members of AHIP's Provenance Documentation Collaborative.
Vocabulary: Resolve issues of vocabulary and authority file coordination across AHIP and RLG, involving AAT, the Union List of Artists Names, the Thesaurus of Geographic Names, plus the authority files of BHA and Avery, with input from prospective users and contributors to a future vocabulary resource on RLIN.
By September, BHA will be a CitaDel file, integrated with RILA and the Repertoire. Some AAG members may collaborate with the institutions currently contributing to BHA, creating a community-based resource. This distributed database initiative will eventually be used to produce resources like BHA, Avery Index, SCIPIO and projects yet to be designed. An AAG member advisory group will be developed to help launch this collaboration. AAG members responded with enthusiasm and excitement to the opportunity presented by being involved with this collaboration in its early stages of development.
Nancy Allen, newly elected to the RLG Board of Directors, urged members to seize the opportunity of the RLG/AHIP collaboration to propose strategies for the AAG to improve effectiveness of the group in relation to those of the RLG board. She suggested that the AAG carefully examine the draft "1996-1998 Goals and Projects" statement and prioritize and formulate it to parallel RLG's "Strategy for 2000."
There was spirited discussion on the Getty/AHIP-RLG collaboration. Michael Rinehart, editor-in-chief of BHA, clarified the position of BHA as continuing their current coverage for abstracting and indexing, but anticipating the enrichment of BHA through new contributors and contributions. The meeting ended on a note of excitement about the year's upcoming proposals and projects.
Barbara Reed, Dartmouth College