Posters as a Library Resource:

Abstract

Posters are not commonly acquisitioned by libraries because they cannot be processed, cataloged and stored in a way books and journals are, and unlike printed text are not viewed as an information commodity. In an informal survey of ARL libraries, only the Library of Congress defined the role of posters as an important component of its collecting activities. At Colorado State University, an international poster exhibition occurs biennially which is the only one of its kind in the United States, and posters from exhibitions since 1991 are given to the university library. The library developed a descriptive record of the posters and digitized the images on to compact disks. With catalog, storage, and imaging technology now in place, the posters are valuable as a library resource because they encompass many disciplines of university study and serve as a commentary on our culture.