Artist Files Revealed

Research & Reports,

About the Directory:

This pioneering web-based resource represents a giant step forward in providing access to one of the most important "hidden" collections in art libraries, the Artist Files. The Online Directory is an interactive resource of institutional holdings of artist files that allows for efficient browsing of collection statements and provides links to further artist files resources. 

Link to the Directory and add your holdings information now! As more libraries and institutions add their information to the Directory, the more valuable a resource it will become. The Directory now includes records from a small core group of institutions with artist files holdings but from this point forward, all institutions, regardless of size or geographical location, are encouraged to contribute records.



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About This Document:

This important Online Publication now includes an additional chapter (written by Anne Simmons and Linda Psomas) devoted to maintenance recommendations. These new recommendations cover all the essential practicalities of creating and maintaining an Artist Files collection: classification of the files, assigning locations, physically creating the files, labeling, housing, and filing and circulation. 

This new chapter on maintenance recommendations joins MARC cataloging recommendations to represent indispensible documentation needed to create and provide access to an artist file collection. In conjunction with the Online Directory of artist file collections, this publication provides vital and authoritative guidance to creating and making available an artist file collection. 

The complete Online Publication provides much-needed documentation that helps the art librarian catalog, arrange, and provide local, national, and international access to artist files collections. Included are general guidelines for creating MARC records representing artist files, and an abundance of further information that includes links to online collections, conference papers, professional societies and much more. 

Created by the ARLIS/NA Artist Files Working Group