Rachel “Ivy” Clarke, Cataloger

Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising

rclarke@fidm.com · http://archivy.net

What is avant-garde?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avant-garde

What is the purpose of cataloging?

Find, identify, select and obtain materials within a collection

http://archive.ifla.org/VII/s13/icc/imeicc-statement_of_principles-2008.pdf

Cataloging is a user service.

The convenience of the user is the highest priority when developing cataloging standards.

What are artistic patrons looking for, and how are they looking for it?

Information needs1

Inspiration

Specific visual needs

Technical knowledge (“how-to”)

Marketing and career guidance

Current trends and events

Information-seeking behavior2

Visual and physical collection browsing

Visual information over textual formats

Human reference assistance rather than self-navigated catalogs and indexes

Where current standards fall short

Disparate media and material types

Unfamiliar classification and vocabulary

Focus on text-based & known-item searching

Failure to incorporate IFLA criteria

Lacks of arts context, focus

Bridging the gap

Include all material types

Audiovisuals, vertical files, ephemera, digital and multimedia materials, slides

Support physical browsing

Arts-friendly classification systems

BISAC

ColorMarq (http://www.colormarq.com)

Tweaking standard classification (DDC, LCC)

Support virtual browsing

Visual and interactive interfaces

FIDM (http://meri.fidm.com)

CalArts (http://calarts.edu/library)

Ringling (http://www.ringling.edu/index.php?id=147)

Indianapolis Museum of Art Dashboard (http://dashboard.imamuseum.org/)

1 Hemming, W. S. (2008). The information-seeking behavior of visual artists: a literature review. Journal of Documentation, (64)3,

343-362. 2 Joan M. Day and Elizabeth McDowell, “Information needs and use of art and design students,” Education Libraries Bulletin, 28, No.

3 (1985): 31-41.

Enhanced metadata

Notes, tables of contents, keywords, summaries, indexes, images

Ask Clarence from Oberlin3 (http://www.oberlin.edu/library/art/askclarence.html)

Tricia Burmeister’s image index (http://tburmeister.wordpress.com/)

Improved subject access

Specialized vocabularies

AAT (http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/vocabularies/aat/)

ULAN (http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/vocabularies/ulan/)

CONA (a work in progress—get involved!)

(http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/vocabularies/contribute.html#cona)

ICONCLASS (http://www.iconclass.nl/)

Veer (http://veer.com)

Material for this presentation was based loosely on the author’s "Cataloging and Classification for Art and

Design School Libraries: Challenges and Considerations." In Glassman, Paul and Gluibizzi, Amanda (eds.)

Handbook of Art and Design Librarianship for Higher Education, London: Facet (in press, forthcoming May

2010).

Further suggested reading Baca, Murtha. “Fear of Authority? Authority Control and Thesaurus Building for Art and Material Culture

Information,” Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 38, no. 3/4 (2004), pp. 143-151.

Challener, Jacquelyn. “Information-Seeking Behavior of Professors of Art History and Studio Art,” Master's

thesis, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, 1999, p. 34.

Cobbledick, Susie. “The Information Seeking Behavior of Artists: Exploratory Interviews,” The Library

Quarterly, 66, no. 4 (1996), pp. 343-372.

Cowan, Sandra. “Informing Visual Poetry: information Needs and Sources of Artists.” Art Documentation 23,

no. 2 (2004): 14-20.

Downey, Maria. “Information-Seeking Practices of Artists in the Academic Community,” MLS thesis, Kent

State University, Kent, Ohio, 1993.

Frank, Polly. “Student Artists in the Library: An Investigation of How They Use General Academic Libraries

for Their Creative Needs,” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 25, no. 6 (Nov. 1999), pp. 445-455.

Fry, Eileen. “Of Torquetums, Flute Cases, and Puff Sleeves: A Study in Folksonomic and Expert Image

Tagging,” Art Documentation 26, no. 1 (2007), pp. 21-25.

Gardner, Sue Ann. “The Changing Landscape of Contemporary Cataloging,” Cataloging & Classification

Quarterly 45, no. 4 (2008), pp. 81-99.

Gilchrest, Alison. “Factors Affecting Controlled Vocabulary Usage in Art Museum Information Systems,” Art

Documentation 22, no. 1 (2003), pp. 13-20.

Oldal, Maria. “Using Alternate Vocabularies in Art Cataloging,” Art Documentation 21, no. 1 (2002), pp. 7-14.

Pacey, P. “How Art Students Use Libraries,” in A Reader in Art Librarianship (New York: Saur, 1985), p. 53-5.

Powell, Elaine F. “Information Seeking Behavior of Studio Artists,” Master's thesis, UNC Chapel Hill, 1995.

Rose, Trish. “Technology's Impact on the Information-Seeking Behavior of Art Historians,” Art Documentation

21, no. 1 (2002), pp. 35-42.

Stam, Deirdre. “How Art Historians Look for Information,” Art Documentation 16, no. 2 (1997), pp. 27-30.

Sundt, Christine L.. “The Image User and the Search for Images,” in Introduction to Art Image Access: Issues,

Tools, Standards, Strategies (Los Angeles: Getty Publications, 2002), pp. 67-85.

3 Prior, Barbara Q. “Library Catalog as Reader's Guide? Two Stories and a Problem,” Art Documentation 23, no. 1 (2004), pp. 21-25.