Without a doubt, collection development is far different from when I entered the profession decades ago.  At times, I even wonder if there is still the same level of interest in collection building across the profession as there was back then when librarians carefully reviewed dealer catalogs for that one gem they deemed noteworthy.  I entered the field when positions for subject librarians were gaining … Continue reading The New Era of Collection Development / Barbara Opar

Last month, Chantal Sulkow reported on the NYTSL and ARLIS/NY-led event “Uncanny Valley: Acquisitions Processes between Selecting and Cataloging.” In her post, she touched on each of the speakers’ presentations. I would like to use this post to expand upon the Frick Art Reference Library’s contribution to the “Uncanny Valley” event: the issue of gifts. Christina Peter and I spoke about two very different gifts … Continue reading The Life of a Gift / Mary Seem

Hello all! We are pleased to announce the publication of a limited-edition artist book that the Philadelphia Museum of Art Library and Archives created in partnership with Brooklyn based artist Tammy Nguyen. Tammy interpreted the Surrealist art collection of Judith Young-Mallin that we recently received, and filled it with a pop-up dollhouse, hidden panels, lace, feather, fake hair and many other surreal elements that whimsically … Continue reading New Artist Book, “A Surreal Archive: the Young-Mallin Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art” / Kristen Regina

On Friday October 19, 2018, the New York Chapter of ARLIS/NA and NYTSL (New York Technical Services Librarians) co-sponsored the event “Uncanny Valley: Acquisitions Processes between Selecting and Cataloging”, hosted by the Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Moderated by William Blueher of the Watson Library, the lightning-round session asked presenters from five local institutions to respond to the … Continue reading Uncanny Valley: Acquisitions Processes Between Selecting and Cataloging / Chantal Sulkow

Our library collections budget is structured in such a way that we are asked to “spend down” our allocations about now, retaining some funds for routine orders, approvals and faculty requests. Most University press and core publisher titles are automatically received through our vendor interface. So I am looking to enhance the collection by seeking other, more unique titles. This requires a concentrated effort, including … Continue reading Architecture Collection Development: Musings on the Modern / Barbara Opar

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT SIG MEETING Monday, February 26, 2018, 5:00 – 6:00 PM Nassau Room, Hilton Hotel Moderator: Mary Wassermann Recorder: Christina Peter Approximately 35 members attending  The minutes below follow the agenda outlined by Mary Wassermann ARLIS/NA Collection Development SIG blog. Mary Wassermann, who had been managing the blog, encouraged contributions and circulated a sign-up sheet for potential contributors. She pointed out that there was … Continue reading ARLIS/NA 46TH Annual Conference Collection Development SIG Meeting Minutes / Christina Peter

The Fine Arts Division at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library (Dallas Public Library main branch) aims to promote cultural equity above all else, and therefore serves as a bridge between our patrons and the arts world. We provide the Dallas community with many free services, including music lessons and a dance studio, in addition to unique collections, such as our developing Zine collection. Zines … Continue reading Developing a Zine Collection at the Dallas Public Library / Mariza Morin

How did you spend your summer? Well, in late June, three architecture librarians- Kathy Edwards of Clemson University, Rose Orcutt of the University of Buffalo and Barbara Opar from Syracuse University, got together in Syracuse for two days to finalize a new core list of architecture periodicals- the fifth version since its inception. The core list of architecture periodicals was first compiled in 1995 and … Continue reading The Not So Lazy Days of Summer / Kathy Edwards, Barbara Opar, and Rose Orcutt

Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection The promise that Eugene and Clare Thaw made in 1975 to donate their entire collection of master drawings to the Morgan Library & Museum will be fulfilled with the opening of Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection (28 September 2017–7 January 2018). One of the finest private collections of drawings in the world, … Continue reading Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection / V. Heidi Hass

In addition to assessing titles on approval and searching for new publications, we at the Frick Art Reference Library also search for titles to backfill our holdings. One area that is particularly rich is the small antiquarian exhibition catalogues from Australia from the 1920s and 30s. Very few of these catalogues and checklists make it out of Australia, yet they provide a glimpse into a … Continue reading Acquiring Antiquarian Australian Exhibition Catalogues at the Frick Art Reference Library / Mary Seem