(no subject given)
Cornelia S. King
From: Cornelia King, Free Library of Philadelphia
In re: Cataloging fine prints
Earlier this month, I posted a request for information on projects
to catalog and scan fine prints. There have been numerous responses,
which I promised to summarize on EXLIBRIS. Since the posting
eventually went to IMAGELIB, ARLIS-L, PRINTS-L, and VRA-L, I am
posting the summary on these lists, too (apologies for the
duplication).
1. National Archives of Canada
Since 1986, has described ca. 100,000 works of art using an in-house
descriptive holding system called ICON (a Hewlett-Packard MINISIS
application). The ICON database contains 255 fields for item-level
description for a variety of media. E.g., subfield B401 (content)
gets one term to describe the primary subject of the image; sample
terms: abstract, allegory, animal, cityscape, portrait, seascape).
They have also scanned ca. 20,000 original editorial cartoons using
optical disc technology. After 1989, they switched to CD-ROM
applications -- have scanned ca. 4,000 color transparencies to date.
Holdings are not yet electronically accessible.
Contact: Jim Burant, Chief
2. Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum
Currently catalogs movie posters. Full MARC records in RLIN, with
genre terms from the graphic list plus AAT. A library assistant
handles description; a librarian handles subject analysis, genre
terms, etc. Provides name access for everyone pictured (to the
extent possible) and uniform title access for the title of the movie.
Written procedures available. Contact: Emily Bergman, Head Librarian
3. Luis Nadeau suggests his *Encyclopedia of Printing, Photographic
and Photomechanical Processes* as a helpful tool. He also recommends
the British Columbia Archives as having "one of the nicest examples
of digitized collections in the world." (http://www.bcars.gs.gov.
bc.ca/bcars.html). The BCA contact is David Mattison.
4. University of Michigan Museum of Art.
Currently creating digital images on Photo CDs for their collection
of 2000 images. Linking images through their collections management
system; also will make them available via Internet. University of
Michigan Library School working on a search engine for the images,
probably using a wais server (not yet determined).
Contact Jeanne Drews, preservation consultant
5. Flatbed Press
Uses File Maker Pro, with database layout designed by Katherine
Brimberry (director), to record location of prints and details
of each print's technique.
6. The Elvehjem Museum at the University of Wisconsin, Madison
Selected MIMSY software developed by Willoughby Associates of
Chicago, IL to catalog its holdings. MIMSY is based on the Oracle
database system. Curator Andrew Stevens says that Willoughby
improved the produce and made it easier to use in 1994. One
significant advantage of MIMSY is having AAT on-line. Willoughby
also offers a data-entry service.
For reasons of economy, the Elvehjem Museum chose to transter slides
to Photo CDs, then recast the files into JPEG (the standard currently
promoted by the Computers in Museums Group supported by the Getty).
The museum plans to mount the databse on Internet.
Contact: Andrew Stevens, Curator of Prints
7. California Historical Society
Creating item-level records in RLIN (exploiting cut-and-paste
capability). Uses AACR2, LC Name Authorities, LC Thesaurus of
Graphic Terms (AAt and LCSH as needed). They scan photographs.
Contact: Robert MacKimmie, Curatorial Director of Photography
8. Luna software
Someone at Art Institute of Chicago recommends consultant Kevin
Donovan of Luna Software.
9. Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
Currently doing collection-level AACR2 records in MARC VM for
2-3,000 collections (3 million+ images). Recommends not doing
item-level cataloging, but rather recording information in
delimited text or a relational database for local searching, which
then "could migrate into whatever formats become standard down the
road." In that regard, they are in the R & D phase of linking
collection-level records, finding aids, and digital images.
Contact: James Eason, Pictorial Cataloging Project
10. Silver Image Management
Provides consulting and other collection management services for
collections of visual materials. Founder Marcy Silver Flynn is a
former Senior Cataloger in the Prints and Photographs Division of
LC.
11. Philadelphia Museum of Art
Uses Collection software (Vernon Systems, Aukland, New Zealand),
pc-based software customized for their needs.
Contact: John Ittman
12. University of Georgia Libraries
Scanning slides; storing images as uncompressed Tiff files and
compressed JPEG files on CD-ROMs. Suggests VTLS or OCLC's Site
Search software for access. (They're in the process of deciding.)
Their WWW site is http://scarlett.libs.uga.edu
Contact: Bob Henneberger, Computer services
13. University of California, San Diego
Catalogs graphic materials on OCLC
Contact: Elizabeth Robinson
Also: Article recommended: Esther G. Bierbaum, "MARC in Museums:
Applicability of the Revised Visual Format," *Information
Technology and Libraries * 9 (Dec. 1990): 293-99.