Art Libraries Society of
Roosevelt Hotel
Solo Librarians Discussion Group
April 18, 2004
Attendance: Joan Benedetti, LACMA (retired); Loree Bourgoin, Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts; Dorothea Coiffe; Pratt Institute; Nancy Conley; The Contemporary Museum; Kathy Corcoran, Munson-Williams-Procter Arts Institute; Lois Crane, Wichita Art Museum; Anne Haas, Bowdoin College; Eumie Imm-Stroukoff, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum; Kitty Jansen; Eiteljorg Museum of American Indian and Western Art; Jamie MacInnis, Art Institute of California-SF; Patrice O’Donoghue, Arkansas Arts Center; Kristen Regina, Hillwood Museum; Cheryl Siegel, Vancouver Art Gallery; Becky Simmons, Rochester Institute of Technology; Matthew Wiggins, Chrysler Museum of Art; Cary Wilkins, Morris Museum of Art.
Introductions: Solo Librarians discussion group leader, Eumie Imm-Stroukoff, welcomed the attendees.
Affordability of electronic indexes: Cary Wilkins inquired about cost-effective options for the $3000 Art Index electronic subscription. Loree Bourgoin and Anne Haas suggested “piggy-backing” with the local university. Joan said perhaps a donor could be solicited for online subscriptions. Matthew Wiggins stated the CD-ROM version cost $1500. Cheryl Siegel and Jamie MacInnis mentioned that Cary could use the public library’s subscription. Anne Haas and Eumie Imm-Stroukoff suggested creating a consortium of small libraries. Cheryl Siegel will assist Cary Wilkins in pursuing that possibility.
Institutional hierarchy: Group members wondered about the solo librarian’s place within the institutional hierarchy. Joan Benedetti mentioned her survey of small art museum libraries. Cheryl Siegel stated the importance of building a strong support base and power structure. Eumie Imm-Stroukoff and Kristen Regina stated the importance of making yourself indispensable within your institution. Lois Crane discussed the physical visibility of the library and its staff within the institution’s facilities. Jamie MacInnis said she keeps and distributes statistics.
Recruitment of interns and volunteers: Loree Bourgoin inquired how to effectively recruit volunteers and interns. Cheryl Siegel suggested using a volunteer coordinator to recruit students from a library school program. Eumie Imm-Stroukoff stated the importance of selecting volunteers based on their skill-sets and also the importance of a job description, training schedule, and performance evaluation. Kristen Regina recommended that Loree speak with Marie Radford regarding internships. Nancy Conley spoke about using scholarship students who need to fill community service hours.