Art Librarian Research Articles

A change of art: Learning research strategies in a new subject area through a LibGuide redesign

In the spring of 2020, the art librarian left my institution for another position. As a member of the Humanities team, I volunteered to take on the instruction responsibilities of Art and Design in addition to my other instructional duties. The previous art librarian had a master’s degree in art history and a strong relationship with the School of Art. My departing colleague and I had a brief conversation regarding art history research strategies. While I was nervous and mostly on my own (because none of my colleagues had a deep knowledge of art research practices), I knew that my generalist background would guide me.

Where angels fear to tread? The art librarian as MFA thesis ‘midwife’

As any art librarian who works with MFA students can attest, many artists loathe writing. It's unsurprising, then, that the thesis paper is one of the most stressful, angst-ridden experiences in an art graduate student's career. This paper explores a possible new role for the art librarian as an editor and writing coach – a ‘midwife’ for students working through the thesis writing process. The author shares information on establishing this role and offers guidance for colleagues who may wish to try similar efforts at their institutions.

Who Were We? Where Did We Go? Voices from the Early Years of the Art Libraries Society of North America

The first Art Libraries Society of North America conference was held in New York City in 1973. The final session of the conference posed the questions, “Who are we? Where are we going?” Now in 2022, five long-time members of the society reflect on those questions, providing some perspective on the origins, early years, and accomplishments of ARLIS/NA. What was the impetus for a stand-alone organization, given the many other library associations with art librarian members? Who were the leaders who made it happen? How did regional chapters develop? Who were the exhibitors and sponsors? How did the publications advance the profession? What were some of the highlights along the way?[This article presents the talks from a special panel at the fiftieth anniversary ARLIS/NA Conference held in Chicago, Illinois, in April 2022.]

Digital dimensions revisited

What happened after the Art history in digital dimensions report of 2017? To what extent have the recommendations been implemented? Has digital art history itself changed in this period? Are the challenges and recommendations outlined in the report still pertinent? What is the role of or is there a role in digital art history for the art librarian in an academic or museum setting?

James T. Traxler

James T. Traxler, 89, died on Feb. 11 in Evanston, Illinois. “Jim nurtured a serious interest in chemistry and ended up helping teach his own chemistry courses during high school. He married the love of his life, Gabrielle Traxler, in 1956. Together, they raised their five children while he worked as a research chemist and Gabrielle worked as an art librarian. He had a fabulous streak of humor. He was always using his skills and inventiveness to build and fix things while his children were growing up. He loved camping with his family during the summer, instilling in his children his love for the beauty of the outdoors. In retirement, he took up writing, play reading, and classical guitar and continued his lifelong political activism.”—family of James Traxler Most recent title: Senior scientist, Sandoz Crop Protection Education: BS, chemistry, St. John’s University, 1951; PhD, chemistry, University of Notre Dame, 1956

Postcards from the edge: a journey of transition from art librarian to educational developer

In reflecting upon my own transition from art librarian to academic developer, I can strongly relate to my library colleague's frustration in terms of espousing ‘what works’, with ‘earning the right to be heard’. We know we need to move beyond deficit models of learning support which are not practically, pedagogically or ethically supportable. But, we are compromised in this quest by traditional perceptions of the librarian and academic developer role, which do not always position us as equal with our academic partners or as a key partner in the student learning process.

Unanticipated Career Change Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It . . .

Few among us can't relate to the well-worn saying, Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. (1) For many of us, this applies as much to our professional lives as to our personal ones. Career paths are not always linear; in fact, they are often serendipitous or circuitous routes that bring exciting challenges our way, help us develop new interests, and take us to places we never dreamed we'd be. In this reflective column, Aleteia Greenwood shares the story of the transcontinental journey she made, traversing the disciplinary spectrum in tandem. Her insights underscore the rewards of taking chances and being open to possibilities, and the meaningful opportunities that come from doing so.--Editor I absolutely did not plan a career trajectory to be the head of a large sciences library. With a team of twenty-eight librarians and support staff, we serve the circulation, information, reference, research, and teaching needs of seven faculties and more than fifty departments, schools, and research centers, in applied science, physical, ocean and earth sciences, medicine and allied health, pharmaceutical science, dentistry, land and food systems, and forestry--roughly half of the University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver campus enrollment. In thinking about how I arrived at this point in my career I am struck by how often outside variables impact a career, and how it is possible to be in a position without actually setting one's sights on that exact job. In my case, I had no intention of becoming a manager when I graduated from library school. Other than wanting to work in libraries, a primary reason I pursued a Master of Library and Information Sciences (MLIS) degree is because of the potential it offered to work elsewhere than my birthplace of Vancouver. THE JOURNEY BEGINS AND FATE INTERVENES My first job as a new MLIS graduate fifteen years ago was as an on-call librarian in a public library. I enjoyed the variety of questions, but I was looking for a permanent position, preferably one away, and ideally as an art librarian. As a practicing artist with a strong knowledge of art history, and with encouragement from UBC art librarians whom I had worked for as a student, art librarianship was my career goal at the time. My application to become the Assistant Librarian at the E. Kirkbride Miller Art Library, Baltimore Museum of Art, was successful, and I was very excited to begin my art librarianship career, as well as to work in an entirely new geographical location. I was up for, and eager to, move three thousand miles from home and live in an eastern city with a vastly different culture and climate from that of the west coast. The most enjoyable part of the job itself was providing reference services to the curators and museum staff and to the public. At the Baltimore Museum of Art, I was fortunate to meet lovely people who became dear friends that I am still in touch with. Through these relationships, I met a group of astrophysicists who worked at Johns Hopkins University. The opportunity to become acquainted with these scientists offered me a view into a world I didn't know existed until then. I was fascinated by their work and grateful for their patience as they described their research to me and I attempted to understand it. Because I grew up in a household in which literature and artistic endeavors were commended, science was much less on my radar. One day I was invited to lunch with this group, who had a tradition of asking a question that everyone around the table then had to answer. That day's question was, If you could go to the moon and back without any risk, would you? Of course I assumed that everyone at the table, given their research interests, would answer with a resounding Yes! But that wasn't the case. All of a sudden I was able to bring together the people and the discipline, and suddenly science had names and faces! I was delighted to be included in this cohort and was enthralled by their passion, energy, and creativity. …

Threshold Concepts as Metaphors for the Creative Process: Adapting the Framework for Information Literacy to Studio Art Classes

With the revision of the ACRL information literacy standards into a metaliteracy framework, art librarians now have an opportunity to better adapt information literacy instruction for studio art students. By using the new information literacy threshold concepts as metaphors for the creative process, a Northern Illinois University art faculty member and an art librarian collaborated to help students in an advanced studio photography class recognize the importance of research and information literacy skills in the development of their artistic vision and to improve the quality of their work.

Open art: MOOCs, copyright and the art librarian

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have transformed the Higher Education sector world-wide, educating diverse audiences through Open Access content and resources. Very few have been integrated into the museum experience; however there is signifi cant potential for MOOCs to revolutionise access to the collections of art museums and galleries. This article presents empirical evidence drawing from a review of literature, and provides a case study into copyright challenges encountered using art images and video in a MOOC environment. Specific examples have been selected from the FutureLearn/ Monash University Creative Coding MOOC launched in June 2014, discussing the role that an Art Librarian plays in this process. This will be of interest to a broader museum and gallery audience, embarking on provision of online educative programs for users.

The Art and Environment of Embedded Librarianship

Moving beyond typical embedded librarianship, Purchase College (State University of New York) introduced in 2010 an interdisciplinary course hosted by the library. Art and the Environment was a second-year elective co-taught by an art librarian and an environmental studies assistant professor. Successes included outreach to infrequent library users, student satisfaction, and collegial relations. Challenges stemmed from the “gray zone” librarians occupy in academic settings, with librarians and teaching faculty viewed distinctly by the administration.

Collecting ‘the now’

Is it, should it be, the responsibility of an art librarian to document and collect ‘the now’? There are obvious pros and cons of this – the inevitable value-judgments, the expensive errors of unnecessary acquisition or omission, the labour involved, deviation from the institutional mission, etc. The author explores a personal journey through the acquisition of artists’ books and multiples, defending a role for the art librarian in the interstices of curatorship and the art world as it actually happens.

The Art Library: A New Art Landmark at Rutgers Mall

The Library of Rutgers University is located in a new facility on the historic Voorhees Mall. The mall is one of the oldest parts of the University. Some of its buildings date back to the university's early colonial beginnings. The mall is dominated on one end by the administration building, Old Queen's, and on the other end by the New Brunswick Theological Seminary. A historic sculpture of William the Silent presides at one extremity of the mall, while on the other, a modern sculpture in front of the art museum proclaims its contemporary role. The mall serves as the nucleus of an otherwise dispersed university. It is a ceremonial and symbolic place where every year hundreds of new graduates march the traditional path from Old Queen's, past the Library to Murray Hall, to receive their diplomas in celebration of the affirmation of their achievement. On this historic mall stands the Library: it observes, participates, and educates. The Library was transferred in 1966 from Alexander Library to Voorhees Hall, an already existing building and the former main library for the university in New Brunswick. The move was accomplished with the initiative and active participation of the History Department under the chairmanship of James Stubblebine. Roger Tarman, a newly hired art librarian, organized the transfer. James Stubblebine expressed his enthusiasm and approval of the new arrangement in his article Art Finds Home: Part of the old bookstack area has been made into an art library, with its attractive reading room, which is one of the triumphs of the building. In the same building and at the same time, the Gallery was established. This arrangement provided for a working symbiosis among three related but separate parts—the Gallery, the History Department, and the Library—and defined the center of the art community at Rutgers. Although the library was now well-located, the space it occupied had not been specifically planned to accommodate the Library's needs.

Goya/Not Goya: A Professional Research Collaboration Between the Art Librarian, Conservator, and Registrar at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art

In 1930, John Ringling purchased the Goya painting "portrait of the Duchess of Alba". Problematic in attribution, provenance, and condition, the painting is an excellent test case to highlight research performed by art librarians and how their research assists other professionals at a museum. This article considers the importance of presentations to different types of audiences to emphasize the roles of and collaboration among professional librarians, conservators, and registrars. The Ringling presentations focused on museum and library ethics, modern methods in registration, conservation, archives, the art library, museum technology, and the history of a painting's provenance and collectors.

Art history: a guide to basic research resources

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present basic resources and practical strategies for undergraduate art history research.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on the author's experience as both an art librarian and instructor for a core requirement art history course.FindingsThe plan detailed in this paper covers every step of the research process, from exploring the topic to citing the sources. The resources listed, which include subscription databases as well as public web sites, are deliberately limited to a manageable number. Additional topics include defining the scope of inquiry and making appropriate use of internet resources such as Wikipedia.Originality/valueThe paper provides the academic librarian with clear guidance on basic research resources in art history.

Twenty-five years of international art library co-operation: the IFLA Art Libraries Section

The IFLA Art Libraries Section was formed 25 years ago to fill a clear need for international co-operation in this most international of professions. The Section has been responsible for the publication of a range of materials including basic tools such as the International directory of art libraries and An art librarian’s glossary. It is also an active participant in the conference programmes of IFLA, frequently offering additional satellite programmes or workshops for art librarians. Representation in the Section has covered many countries, although there are still gaps that need to be filled.

The Community User in the Academic Art Library

Academic art libraries are frequented by a variety of patrons other than their primary clientele. issues surrounding service to this secondary clientele have been addressed in only one article to date, Derek Toyne's 1987 The Community Role of Academic Art Libraries.1 Toyne's observations, and my own experiences at Fine Arts Library (FAL) at Michigan State University (MSU), serve as inspiration and a point of departure for this article. Although much has been said in general library litera ture about issues surrounding service to those who frequent art library in particular are due for exam ination. Toyne wrote from perspective of serving community users in British academic art libraries, but, cultural differences aside, many issues he raised may be applicable to academic art libraries today. Others, particularly those concerning technolog ical change, are new to art librarians and patrons alike. Among issues this article addresses are: definition of community users (also referred to as secondary or unaffili ated users, or simply the public; for purposes of consistency, term user will be used here); community user's needs; academic art librarian's responsibility to these individuals; service, access, and collections issues related to community users; and finally, ways of dealing with commu nity user's needs in a proactive and positive manner.

The alternative motorcycle diaries: an art librarian in Argentina

In August 2004 an English librarian sets out on a trip to discover the real Argentina. As she sees the country, meets the people, visits libraries, galleries and museums, and attends a library conference, the diversity she encounters begins to reflect her own shifting perspectives. Her experiences awaken within her a growing sense of the richness of Latin American culture.

FROM THE EDITORS: Art Librarian: God(dess) or Hamster?

Previous articleNext article No AccessFROM THE EDITORS: Art Librarian: God(dess) or Hamster?Stephanie Sigala and Betsy Peck LearnedStephanie Sigala Search for more articles by this author and Betsy Peck Learned Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Art Documentation Volume 17, Number 2Fall 1998 Published for the Art Libraries Society of North America Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/adx.17.2.27948960 Views: 3Total views on this site Copyright © 1998 ARLIS/NAPDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

“The grand programme of Providence”: a British art librarian in Rhode Island

For six months between July and December 1997 Wilson Smith, a Faculty Librarian at Edinburgh College of Art, acted as Reader Services Librarian in the library of Rhode Island School of Design, Providence RI. Here he gives his impressions of the School and its ambience, and describes the library and its collections, along with the work he undertook there. An Appendix gives details of some of the other art libraries he visited in the United States.

What does it mean to be a ‘professional’ art librarian?: ‘Existential Versus ‘Ideal’

While discussion continues regarding the ideal education for art librarians, in reality art librarians belong to a broader profession within which many distinctions are collapsing, and anxiety in response to overload is increasing. The concept of the ‘compleat’ art librarian, possessing extensive knowledge of the arts in their diversity, is probably unrealistic given the range of other skills and of information which librarians need. Although it has been argued that commitment is the one real essential, this idea too can become an unreasonable ideal which many people will fall short of and be excluded by. Instead of ‘total’ commitment, our professionalism might rather be defined by ‘authentic commitment’ which is self-determined, and which embraces a commitment to the wider profession of art librarianship as well as to a particular institution as employer. (This paper has also been published in ARLIS/ANZ News no. 42, 1995/96).