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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 June 2016
There are 58 universities in the US and Canada which offer graduate degrees in library and information science. At 33 of these, students can take elective courses in subject areas such as art history, but only eight of them provide a special course focussing on art librarianship. There are, however, numerous courses and work study oportunities which allow a student to prepare for jobs in this field. An annual survey conducted by ARLIS/NA reveals some interesting facts regarding educational opportunities, and these facts illustrate a tendency towards intermixing generalist and specialist aspects of professional education. The College of Library and Information Services, University of Maryland, offers a course in ‘Literature and Research in the Arts’, enabling library science students to explore the ‘bibliography’ of art (including electronic sources) as one element in a broader program of study.
1. The perspectives on art librarianship and visual resources management expressed in this essay are based on a widely inclusive definition of the arts; this inclusiveness is a reflection of the collection scope of the Fiske Kimball Fine Arts Library at the University of Virginia which supports graduate and undergraduate degree programs in art & architectural history, architecture; landscape architecture, urban planning, and drama. The Library’s resources include a rare books collection, slides & photographs, and a recently initiated Digital Image Center.
2. Compiled and published in the nineteenth century by Jacques-Paul Migne, the Patrologiae Cursus Completus consists of 221 volumes with works by over 1,000 authors. The Patrologia Latina Database, now being published in phases by Chadwyck-Healey, provides in electronic format the full texts plus notes, glosses and indexes. The entire database is being encoded with Standard General Markup Language (SGML) so that students and scholars may carry out various kinds of textual analysis and multi-term booleansearches.
3. In 1993 both of the library schools in California at University of California, Berkeley, and University of California, Los Angeles, were subjected to close administrative review; alternatives included elimination of the degree program or major repositioning within the academic curricula. At the time of going to press the latter alternative seemed to be the choice at both institutions.
4. A partial list of the full day or half-day professional development workshops offered in the recent past includes: ‘Dialoging about DIALOG: A Workshop on Art and Architecture Databases’; ‘Image Databases’; ‘Use of OCLC’s EPIC Service as an Art Reference Tool’; ‘Managing Change’; ‘Using the AAT: Practical Applications’; ‘Space Planning for Art and Architecture Libraries’; ‘Expanding Your Horizons: Searching RLIN for Art Information’; ‘Desktop Publishing’; ‘Self-Study Process for Art Library and Visual Resources Collections’.
5. For example, a 1993 inquiry into members’ needs for professional development and training programs. The results of this survey will be used to determine pragmatic needs and to set priorities for the Society and the profession.
6. The 19-page report, ‘Survey 1992, Library Schools in Canada and the United States: Education Opportunities for Careers in Fine Arts & Visual Resources Librarianship’, includes information on specialized course offerings: ‘Fine Arts’; ‘Humanities [including component of Fine Arts]’; ‘Book Arts [i.e. history of books & printing, OR rare books & manuscripts, etc.]’; ‘Special Libraries [including component on Fine Arts]’; ‘Visual Resources [i.e. slides & photographs, OR hypermedia; BUT NOT school media/a-v’; ‘Other [e.g. administration or cataloging including Fine Arts &/or Visual Resources component].’
Data are also included on the following types of student services or curriculum features: *financial aid; •opportunities for ‘Internships/Practica’; *possibilities for taking courses in subject areas such as art history or degree credit; *post-graduate & continuing education workshops, seminars, etc.
Copies of the Survey report are available upon request from the ARLIS/NA headquarters: ARLIS/NA, c/o A.M.I., 3900 E. Timrod St., Tuscon, AZ 85711, USA. Or from: Timothy Troy, Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ 85721, USA.
7. Recent examples in my experience have included requests for assistance in finding pictures of tenements in St. Louis; a veiled Persian sage; a phoenix; the Democratic party symbol – the mule; the comedy & tragedy dramatic masks; and portraits of some mad German princes of the renaissance.
8. Trudy Buxton Jacoby provides a thorough survey of educational needs and opportunities in her recent essay, ‘Emerging Technologies and Education for Visual Resources Professionals’, Art Documentation, vol. 11 no. 3 (Fall 1992) p. 125-126.
9. ‘Appendix B’, the course description, provides the framework for my teaching approach.