Annual Report (2003)
ARLIS/NA
Museum Libraries Division


Submitted by:  Eumie Imm-Stroukoff
Email:  eumie@okeeffemuseum.org
Telephone:  (505) 946-1011
Fax:  (505) 946-1093

Officers

Moderator:  Eumie Imm-Stroukoff
Co-Moderator:  Hannah Bennett
Update column editor:  Lilah Mittelstaedt

42 museum librarians attended the 2003 business meeting in Baltimore on March 24, 2003.  Sam Duncan compiled the minutes for this meeting, which will be distributed at the 2004 business meeting in New York City.  Some of the topics brought up at the 2003 meeting: museum library mission statements, discussion topics on ARLIS-L and the development of a “running” document of those topics, the usefulness of Frequently Asked Questions documents on web sites, and reference inquiries going to inappropriate institutions.

Lilah Mittelstaedt, the Museum Division’s Update column editor, wrote two very useful and informative articles.  The June 2003 issue included news about the Delaware Art Museum’s online catalog, The Huntington Art Reference Library Readers’ Guide, and included FAQ and other research guides on museum library web sites.  The October 2003 issue featured the “Ohio Artists Project” files at the Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery Library.

At the 2003 business meeting, division members suggested separating next year’s meeting into two parts: round-robin style discussion and business meeting.  In addition, it was suggested to use the email sign-up roster to develop focused museum library division email list separate from ARLIS-L.  Eumie Imm-Stroukoff sent the email roster to division members, who have been corresponding throughout the year.  In addition, Hannah Bennett has been investigating the possibility to develop a separate listserv for the Museum Library Division.

Joan Benedetti’s article based on her survey on small art museum libraries was published in the Journal of Library Administration and as an article in Art Documentation in 2003.