Art Libraries Society of North America

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The Art Libraries Society of North America (also known as ARLIS/NA) is an organization of approximately 1,000 art librarians, library students and visual resource professionals. The ARLIS/NA was founded in 1972.

Contents

Activities

ARLIS/NA organizes activities such as:

History

Before ARLIS/NA, art librarians organized under an American Library Association Round Table, which had limited support. Meetings were only held biannually, attendance was minimal, and professional progress slow. During the post-war years, through the influence of popular magazines like Time and Life , Americans were exposed to a range of cultures, with hundreds of new museums and libraries built and an array of new publications. [2] This led to the art librarians to organize.

By the late 1960s, against ALA's wishes, [3] a separate, an under-supported short-lived art library group was created in conjunction with an existing museum sub-section of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of ALA. Member William J. Dane stated that the group [4] "didn't like being called a sub-section. We didn't need to depend on ALA or ACRL."

ARLIS/NA was founded in 1972 by art librarians attending the American Library Association annual conference in Chicago and was the brainchild of Judith Hoffberg, who had been inspired by attending meetings of ARLIS/UK in London. The informal annual meetings of art librarians with College Art Association furthered the initiative to organize. The Association of College and Research Libraries was one of several library organizations in which art librarians were enrolled at that time. [5]

By 1982 a major section of ARLIS/NA had broken off to form its own group, Visual Resources Association (VRA). [6] The mission of the VRA is focused on media and image management, as well as progressing research and education in those areas. [7] [8]

The ARLIS/NA membership has, from its beginnings, included librarians, archivists, visual resource professionals, artists, curators, educators, publishers, as well as students and others interested in visual arts information. Annual conferences and publications, as well as listserv threads feature discussions, presentations, workshops, and other opportunities for specialized professional development interests, such as cataloging, public services, archives, and acquisitions as well as technological trends and social issues of interest to the membership as a whole. Virtual sessions are common, especially since travel was limited during the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic.

In 2022 for the society's fiftieth anniversary, members who had served on the Strategic Directions Committee reflected on the society's history. [9]

Chapters

ARLIS/NA is an international organization with regional affiliated chapters across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. [10] Two chapters, ARLIS/NA Texas-Mexico and ARLIS/NA Northwest, are transnational. Canadian chapters are Ontario and Montréal-Ottawa-Québec. [11]

Affiliates

ARLIS/NA has relationships with many affiliated organizations across the arts, librarianship, and visual resources management, including the American Library Association, ARLIS/UK & Ireland, the College Art Association, and REDARTE/RJ.[ citation needed ]

Organizational Structure

The ARLIS/NA Executive Board is composed of a president, vice-president/president-elect and past president, all of whom serve a continuous three-year term; and a secretary, treasurer, chapters liaison, Canadian liaison, advancement liaison, education liaison, and an editorial director, all of whom serve two-year terms. The ARLIS/NA Executive Director also serves on the ARLIS/NA Board.[ citation needed ]

Past Presidents

[12]

Annual conferences

ARLIS/NA hosts a yearly conference for members to meet in person, share ideas and network. [1] [13]

Awards & Honors

ARLIS/NA offers travel awards to students and industry professionals (members and non-members) to their annual conferences. [14]

Distinguished Service Award

One of the honors is the Distinguished Service Award which is given to an individual of any country whose exemplary service in art librarianship, visual resources curatorship, or a related field, has made an outstanding national or international contribution to art information. [15]

The George Wittenborn Memorial Book Award

This honor recognizes excellence of content and production in North American art publications. The award is presented annually for outstanding publications in the visual arts and architecture which combine the highest standards of scholarship, design, and production. [16]

Upon its foundation in 1974, it was called the Art Publishing Award. it was renamed in 1980 to honor George Wittenborn (1905–1974), the influential New York art book dealer and publisher. [17]

Outreach/Communications

ARLIS-L is the society's listserv which functions as a forum for sharing information and discussing issues facing art librarians, library students and visual resource professionals. The listserv is also a resource for job listings. ARLIS-L is a place for society members to distribute information about ARLIS/NA activities at conferences, workshops and meetings, announcements of awards and honors, news regarding society members and information on new print and electronic publications. ARLIS-L is an open discussion list and anyone may subscribe. [18]

Publications

Art Documentation

Art Documentation is the official journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America and is published twice yearly by the University of Chicago Press. Art Documentation includes articles and information relevant to art librarianship and visual resources curatorship. The publication includes practical information for the ARLIS/NA community such as committee, conference, meeting, chapter and member updates. [19]

Occasional Papers & Online Publications

Manuscripts for purchase on art information issues with such topics on staffing standards and core competencies. Resources are available for download on the ARLIS/NA website.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Art Libraries Society of North America - History & Mission". Archived from the original on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
  2. ↑ Freitag. W. M. (Fall 1997) ARLIS/NA at twenty-five: a reminiscence. Art Documentation v. 16 no. 2, p. 15-19.
  3. ↑ Jacoby, T., et al. (Spring 2005). A Journey to Mr. Dewey's 700s: Speaking With Bill Dane. Art Documentation v. 24 no. 1 (Spring 2005) p. 42-9.
  4. ↑ Jacobs, Andrew (18 December 2007). "Keeper of an Unlikely Trove, Gutenberg to Warhol". The New York Times.
  5. ↑ Freitag, W. M. (Fall 1997). ARLIS/NA at twenty-five: a reminiscence. Art Documentation v. 16 no. 2, p. 15-19.
  6. ↑ "Visual Resources Association". vraweb.org.
  7. ↑ "About | Visual Resources Association". vraweb.org. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  8. ↑ Freitag, W. M. (Fall 2003). Twenty years of estrangement, or what's in a name. Art Documentation v. 22 no. 2, p. 4
  9. ↑ Mathews, Emilee, Lori Salmon, Cathryn Copper, and Karina Wratschko. 2022. “‘And That Is the Basis of ARLIS/NA’: Enduring Values across the Fifty-Year History of the Art Libraries Society of North America.” Art Documentation: Bulletin of the Art Libraries Society of North America 41 (2): 151–86.
  10. ↑ Roy. "Chapters - Art Libraries Society of North America". www.arlisna.org. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  11. ↑ "Chapters - Art Libraries Society of North America". www.arlisna.org. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  12. ↑ "Past Presidents - Art Libraries Society of North America". www.arlisna.org. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  13. ↑ "Conferences - Art Libraries Society of North America". www.arlisna.org. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  14. ↑ "Awards & Honors - Art Libraries Society of North America". www.arlisna.org. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  15. ↑ "Distinguished Service Award - Art Libraries Society of North America". www.arlisna.org. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  16. ↑ Rebel, Janelle (2019-09-01). "Unrecognized Creative Labor: A Critique of the George Wittenborn Memorial Book Award". Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America. 38 (2): 338–359. doi:10.1086/705907. ISSN   0730-7187. S2CID   213268001.
  17. ↑ Melby, Julie; Starr, Daniel; Ahmed, Nedda (2016). "George Wittenborn Award: Past Winners - Art Libraries Society of North America". University of Illinois Archives. ARLIS/NA. Archived from the original on 2021-11-29. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  18. ↑ "ARLIS-L - Art Libraries Society of North America". www.arlisna.org. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  19. ↑ Dyki, Judy (ed.). "Art Documentation". Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America.
  20. ↑ "Home - Special Libraries Association". Special Libraries Association.
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