from the editors: the real world of virtual art
TRANSCRIPT
FROM THE EDITORS: The Real World of Virtual ArtAuthor(s): Betsy Peck Learned and Stephanie SigalaSource: Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America, Vol. 19,No. 2 (Fall 2000), p. 2Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Art Libraries Society of NorthAmericaStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27949076 .
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ART DOCUMENTATION Bulletin of the Art Libraries Society of North America Volume 19 ? Number 2 ? Fall 2000
Co-Editors:.Stephanie S?gala and Betsy Peck Learned
Copy Editor:.Eileen Markson
Production Manager:.Elizabeth Clarke
Review Editor:.Joan R. Stahl
Design & Production:.ion communications
Art Documentation is published by ARLIS/NA (Art Libraries Society of North America) two times annually. It is free as a benefit of Society mem
bership, which is open to all who are interested in visual librarianship. Classes of membership are: Individual-$65; Student-$40; Retired-$40;
Unemployed-$40; Institutional-$80; Business Affiliate-$100;
Sustaining-$200; Sponsor-$500.
An Overseas Membership/Subscription is $80/$45 + postage ($10 sur face; $20 air). Single copies of back issues are $10.00 or $30.00 per volume. (Microform edition is available from University Microfilms, 300 North Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106.)
Copyright ? 2000 by ARLIS/NA. ISSN 0730-7187
Publisher: Elizabeth A. Clarke, Executive Director, Art Libraries
Society of North America, 329 March Road, Suite 232, Box 11, Kanata, ON Canada K2K 2E1 Tel: (613) 599-3074 Fax: (613) 599-7027 E-mail: [email protected]
Co-Editor: Betsy Peck Learned, Architecture Library, Roger Williams
University, 1 Old Ferry Road, Bristol, RI 02809-2921; (401) 254-3625. E-mail: [email protected].
Co-Editor: Stephanie S?gala, The Saint Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts
Drive, Forest Park, St. Louis, MO 63110-1380; (314) 655-5253. E-mail: [email protected].
Copy Editor: Eileen Markson, Rhys Carpenter Library, Bryn Mawr College, 101 N. Merion Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010-2899; (610) 526-7910. E-mail: [email protected].
Review Editor: Joan R. Stahl, Slide & Photo Archives Rm.331, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC 20560; (202) 357-1348; Fax: (202) 786-2606. E-mail: [email protected].
Advertising Manager: Kate Shanley, 80 E. 11th St., Rm.226, New York, NY 10003; (212) 477-4905; Fax (212) 477-5016 All other correspondence to: ARLIS/NA Headquarters, 329 March
Road, Box 11 Kanata, ON Canada K2K 2E1
Art Documentation has a two-fold mission: to encourage the discussion of issues relating to the documentation of art and the practice and theory of art librarianship and visual resources curatorship. The longer, largely theoretical articles undergo a process of peer review. The journal is indexed in Artbibliographies Modern, Library and Information Science, BHA, and Library Literature.
Copy deadlines: November 15 (Spring), June 15 (Fall) The paper used in the text of this publication meets the ir nimum
requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences - Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSIZ39.48-1984.
ARLIS/NA Executive Board
President:.Karen McKenzie, Art Gallery of Ontario
Vice-President:.Edward C. Goodman, Columbia University Past President:.Kathryn M. Wayne, University of California,
Berkeley Secretary:.Peter Blank, Art Institute of Chicago
Treasurer:.Trudy Buxton Jacoby, Trinity College
Regional Representatives: Northeast:.Debbie Kempe, Frick Art Reference Library South:.Patricia Lynagh, National Museum of
American Art
Midwest:.Louis V. Adrean, Cleveland Museum of Art
West:.Leslie Abrams, University of California, San
Diego Canada:..Carole Goldsmith, Simon Fraser University
FROM THE EDITORS The Red World of Virtual Art
Not so long ago, librarians and visual resource professionals were threatened by the media with the possible obsolescence of their jobs due to the advent of the Internet. Few of us fell for the
hype, knowing that the vast information highway would only cre ate a greater need for our skills in evaluating, selecting, organizing, and indexing. Since assuming the editorship of Art Documentation four years ago, we, the editors, have been continu
ally knocked off our feet by the creative ways our colleagues have been meeting the challenges of the virtual world. With this issue, which largely reflects two conference sessions from the 2000 ARLIS/NA Conference in Pittsburgh, art information profession als prove themselves to be leaders in charting and navigating our
place in the vastness of virtual reality. Providing access to special collections of visual materials has
been a value and responsibility of our profession over time. But we have learned that providing the same level of service in the vir tual environment poses some new and challenging problems. Two sessions at our most recent conference in Pittsburgh focused on the difficulties we face in providing access to virtual images in
today's world.
From the session, "The Construct of Indexing: Thought Processes in Subject Analysis/' come three articles discussing issues in subject access to visual images. How does the cataloger of art and architectural images make choices when describing sub
jects? Linda McRae's article makes observations based on a study of the VISION project. Mary Elings gives an overview of Encoded Archival Description (EAD) and its use in several California online archival finding aids. To understand the theory behind sub
ject indexing, take a look at Caroline Beebe's discussion of content-based image access and its potential for addressing multi
ple image needs across an institution. As a prime example of image indexing at work, our Gerd
Muehsam award winner, Anastasia Mayberry, describes the
development of a prototype Russian costume database and Web site. She substantiates her work with an excellent overview of the literature on image indexing and provides some beautiful exam
ples of Russian costume from her Web site. A second Pittsburgh session explores new ways our col
leagues are dealing with virtual artists' books. "Real or Not: Virtual Reading, Virtual Artists' Books" offers information on the
issue of collecting and providing access to online artists' books, with articles by Doro Boehme and Anne Britton. From the artists'
viewpoint, insight into working on the Web is offered in an article
by Carolyn Speranza. Continuing with our hope to make all our members aware of
the great accomplishments and personalities of our ARLIS/NA founders and lifelong leaders, we present an interview with BJ. Irvine. Her boundless energy has laid a foundation for all of us to
spring into the twenty-first century. Finally, some practical issues are explored, first in Maya
Gervits's and Halina Rusak's discussion of new challenges in art information instruction related to the African Diaspora, and then in Lauren Lessing's article on problems and solutions in prove
nance research for controversial Nazi-era objects. Whether challenged by the virtual or the real, art librarians
and VR professionals are taking their places as fearless new lead ers of some of the most complex, technological, and theoretical issues facing us today. Just take a look and see!
Betsy Peck Learned and Stephanie S?gala
2 Art Documentation ? Volume 19, Number 2 ? 2000
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