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Meeting papers
Agenda
- Welcome and introductions.
- Objectives of the Forum.
- Current situation - 2003 survey
- The National Bibliographic Database
- FRBR
- The Australian Libraries Gateway
- Indexing and databases
- Digitisation
- Consortia purchasing
- Working relationships among visual arts
libraries
- LearnScope "Digital images: collaboration and
community" discussion forum
- Online Dictionary of Australian Artists
- Summary of action items
4. The National Bibliographic Database
Information about resources held in collections can be contributed
to the NBD in the following ways:
- online via the cataloguing client and web holdings update;
- online via the web form;
- via files through the Batch*Link service
- via files of records using OAI
Visual arts libraries currently contributing to the NBD currently
generally catalogue online or send batch files. Those visual arts libraries
not currently contributing to the NBD could probably most easily use the
following:
- online via the web form;
- via files through the Batch*Link service
- by maintaining metadata on an OAI server or in harvest control
lists accessible via ftp
We could arrange for an information session or send out notes on
using all of these means. For the web form people need to register and
assistance can be provided by the helpdesk. The form, which not a full
MARC records, is very easy to use.
For Batch*Link contributors using the system currently have local
systems including: ALTARAMA, Amlib Library Management System, Athena, AURICA,
Aurora, DBTextworks/Inmagic, DRA, DYNIX, DYNIX Searcher, EOSi, EOSi Search
Only, Ex Libris, GEAC, GEAC Advance, GEAC Plus/GeoPac, Horizon, Innopac, PLAIN,
Spydus, STOWE BOOKPLUS, Voyager, VTLS and any library system that can output
formatted text. We note that a number of visual arts libraries use
DBTextworks/Inmagic, and these libraries could relatively easily provide a file
for records for Kinetica. An article on the experiences on one library that
recent contributed records from DBTextworks/Inmagic can be found at
http://www.nla.gov.au/pub/gateways/archive/64/pages/p06a01.html
For OAI contribution we are now using the "harvester" to collect
records from libraries such as the Australian Music Centre, State Library of
New South Wales and State Library of Victoria. What do libraries need to do to
be a participant in OIA record supply? They need to have an OAI server at their
end to make records available to be harvested. One of the advantages of using
the harvester process is that we can enhance records, for example add publisher
and place of publication if the organisation supplying the records is the
publisher of the material described in the records. We can also "harvest"
metadata from harvest control lists, using file transfer protocol to extract
the metadata.
We can provide slides and other information to visual arts
libraries on contribution alternatives.
Guerilla resources
- If the problem is having records to copy Kinetica would be very
willing to pursue databases that might be good sources of copy records,
provided we can reach a business relationship with them. Worth noting that
WorldCat is available to visual arts libraries outside the uni sector through
Kinetica?
- We have added in the last year more collection level records
(for example NLA ephemera subject records) and would be delighted to talk to
visual arts libraries about incorporating these sorts of records. Note that
these can flow on to RAAM too.
6. Australian Libraries Gateway
- NLA notes in response to ARLIS/ANZ Focus
Group meeting on ALG, held June 2003
- Comments and questions submitted by Michele
Burton, in response to NLA paper
- Notes from the June 2003 meeting
(i) Response to the Recommendations as
identified by the ARLIS/ANZ Focus Group
Review the search interface to improve searching capacity
The NLA is willing to review the search interface (see details below),
but would be reluctant to make Subject Collecting Levels a mandatory field.
Search results are only as complete as the description as entered into ALG by
the institutions themselves and we will continue to encourage libraries
strongly to use these fields well.
Improve the Advanced search - either by including more fields
in the drop down box, or the introduction of keyword searching of all fields,
preferably with a Boolean search option The inclusion of Collection
Details in the drop down box on the Advanced Search screen can be added to the
list of improvements to the ALG website with a high priority
Resolve problems with terminology such as 'subject' and
'type' The NLA would be reluctant to change either descriptor, as they
are both nationally recognised and in harmony with the ILRS Directory. To help
clarify the terminology, a qualifier on the 'Search collections by subject'
page can be added.
Review and clarify the 'How to update your library details'
pages to remove confusion - i.e. how librarians are asked to enter information
about their library and collections, especially under fields such as 'Other
access aids' and 'General comments', where many of the 'treasures' are buried
and not searchable in the current layout. A review of the update page
has been identified as a task for the NLA. The suggestions to improve search
capabilities has been given a high priority.
Modify 'help' pages to provide clearer links to the actual data
entry point These pages will be reviewed in the near future
Contributing libraries
Persuade all libraries, particularly large libraries and those
with unique collections to add more detail about their subject coverage,
collection strengths and access aids so that they will be identified in
searches The NLA has been encouraging users to provide complete and up
to date descriptions of their libraries for some time. Any assistance (such as
suggested below) is welcomed by the NLA.
ARLIS/ANZ could use the opportunity provided by the Visual Arts
Information Project - using the survey and subsequent meetings and the
conference in September 2004 - to persuade its members to contribute and update
regularly.
See previous response.
The NLA appreciates the input of the ARLIS/ANZ Focus Group in
improving the ALG. The NLA encourages ARLIS/ANZ to assist in improving the data
quality held by the ALG by reinforcing to Art Libraries the need to enter the
most up to date, complete level of description that they are able.
The NLA will provide feedback to the group on progress with
changes to the directory as they are completed and tested.
Modifications to the Search, Help and Update screens have been
identified and been given a high priority in the list of tasks scheduled for
ALG. The single greatest impediment to the completion of these tasks is one of
resources. The NLA has routed a large proportion of its IT development to the
Kinetica Redevelopment Project, and currently the service is supported by a
part-time, non-technical member of staff.
(ii) Questions/comments submitted by
Michele Burton, AFTRS
1. What is the list of tasks, priorities and timeframe for ALG
improvements?
2. How can the identification of specialist art collections be
improved? At present they can be retrieved by Subject or Type, but results are
different.
- Subject "art and architecture" ? 63 hits
- Library Type "art" ? 93 hits
- And Type "cultural organisation" ? 296 hits, Type "audio
visual" ? 9 hits
3. Advanced search would benefit from including searches for:
- All fields
- Highlights of collection
- Other access aids
4. It would be desirable for subject collecting level to be a
mandatory field (see NLA's first point)
5. There is potential for an arts sub-directory of ALG to be made
accessible via the ARLIS/ANZ home page
6. The ARLIS/ANZ conference in September 2004 will discuss ALG
further
(iii) Notes from an ARLIS/ANZ focus
group meeting about ALG
Focus group held 12th June 2003 at the Art Gallery of New
South Wales
Present: Susan Schmocker (AGNSW), Michele Burton (AFTRS), Debbie
Sander (AFTRS), Christine Roberts (NIDA), Margaret Rafferty (Powerhouse), Paul
Bentley (ARLIS/ANZ Chair) Jill More (COFA)
The group met following discussion of the ALG at the previous
ARLIS/ANZ (NSW Chapter) meeting. The aim was to review coverage of art in the
ALG and to define how it could be extended to support the visual arts in lieu
of the demise of Ariadne, the online version of the ARLIS/ANZ survey of
in-house indexing in Australian art libraries. Locating 'guerilla resources'
(hard to find material) was of particular interest.
Background Why do art librarians use the ALG?
This may be for a variety of reasons, including:
- Directory information and contact details
- Locate other libraries with similar collections e.g. DVD
collections
- Check the access aids of other libraries e.g. indexes,
databases
- Redirect users to relevant collections
There was general agreement that the ALG holds a great deal of
information and has a good level of coverage of art libraries, but problems
were identified with searching the material. The group identified problems with
terminology which affected the way data was gathered and searched, and problems
with search functions.
The group also proposed a way in which the ALG could be
manipulated to improve access for art librarians and researchers.
1. Directory function The directory information
about each library is comprehensive and the list of libraries includes both
small specialist art libraries and larger general collections with strong art
collections. Identifying all specialist art collections within the ALG was,
however, considered to be a problem.
2. Terminology 2.1 Subject / Type Finding a
library by subject can be difficult for an inexperienced searcher. The 'Find a
library' Standard and Advanced search screens offer 'Search collections by
subject', including an Art and architecture option, in the main menu bar at the
top. This search results in 63 hits. A problem arises because many smaller
specialist libraries have not assigned subject collecting levels and are
consequently not listed under the 'Subject' category of Art and architecture.
A search by 'Library type', listed beneath 'Name' and 'Location' search
options, also offers the opportunity to search by Art, resulting in 93 hits.
However 'Library type' includes both type and subject coverage, for example
Government, Public, School as well as Art, Health/Medical and Law . This can be
misleading if the researcher has already searched by 'Subject' and doesn't
search further. A search of Art under 'Library type', resulting in 93 hits, is
more successful than a search by 'Subject'. Although both the Standard and
Advanced subject search screens suggest limiting subject searches by 'Library
type' and 'Location', the terminology is confusing.
2.2 Collecting levels Differing interpretations of subject
collecting levels, and the failure of many stronger small libraries to complete
the section on collecting levels at all, create a problem for searchers
accessing the ALG by subject. Another problem is that many of the larger multi
disciplinary libraries with relatively strong collections on art are not listed
as Art libraries under Library Type, e.g. the State Libraries of NSW and
Victoria. Currently, no single search will pick up all libraries with strong
collections in art.
Recommendations
- To improve subject searching, add a keyword search option and
make it a requirement for libraries to enter subject description terms. In art
libraries there is a lot of subject cross-over, including subjects which do not
really fit under any of the existing types in the ALG - e.g. design, performing
arts.
- Some guidance on standardisation of subject terminology would
be useful e.g. art, arts, visual arts, performing arts etc.
3. Searching - Advanced search
3.1 This search would be more effective if ALL fields could be
searched by keyword. For example, a search for 'archives' as keyword, using
"All fields above" in the drop down menu, finds 27 hits but excludes the Art
Gallery of New South Wales, although Archives are mentioned twice in its entry.
The 'Subject collecting comments' are searchable but not 'Highlights of the
collection'.
3.2 There is a problem of definition and/or interpretation for
libraries following the 'How to update your library's details' which affect the
Advanced Search:
- Information entered under '4. Collection details' invites
details of other access aids such as in-house indexes including catalogues and
databases, but these do not appear to be searchable except by browsing the
library's full record (e.g. how can I search for 'ephemera' - entered by the
College of Fine Arts). Since the demise of ARIADNE, the ALG is the only source
of this information.
Recommendation This field (Collection
details) should be included in the Advanced search - in the drop down box
(together with other fields such as 'General comments').
- 'Subject collecting information' invites the addition of
collection highlights, including special collections and unique materials, but
this information is not searchable unless the library has defined its
collecting levels.
The relationship between the way data is entered, how it will
appear in the library's full entry on ALG, and how it can be searched in the
Advanced search, is not well understood despite extensive instructions on 'How
to update your library's details'. Information entered under 'Highlights of the
collection' appears in the library's full entry and is searchable in the
Advanced search, but the same information if entered under 'Comments' is
searchable but does not appear in the entry. This can be quite confusing.
4. Format
The key to 'guerilla collections' is often format. Art researchers
may be looking for libraries which specialise in material formats such as
archives, artists' files, ephemera, exhibition catalogues, film and video,
images, newspaper clippings etc. Other descriptors fall between format and
subject (e.g. biographies), and would be better identified by keyword searching
of all descriptive fields.
The Focus Group experienced problems searching the ALG for
information where data had been entered but was apparently not searchable, for
example:
- libraries with disaster plans
- bibliographies
- film scripts
- maps
- DVDs
Recommendation Make all fields searchable by
keyword, preferably with boolean options.
5. Potential for increased value and wider
application 5.1 The ALG offers, or has the potential to offer,
excellent coverage of directory, subject and collecting information on the
visual arts and related topics. Recommendation It would be
of great benefit to arts libraries to be able to extract a subset of relevant
data to produce an arts sub-directory of the ALG to reside on the ARLIS/ANZ
home page (with full acknowledgement of ownership by the NLA).
5.2 A gap has been left by the suspension of the Sydney Subject
Specialisation Scheme, which was set up by public libraries but heavily used to
direct researchers; the ALG should be able to fulfil this role.
Recommendation The ALG should take on the role
previously supported by the Sydney Subject Specialisation Scheme
6. General comments and possible further action
The structure of the ALG is complex, covering a broad range of information and
user needs; the relationship between data entered, appearance in the library's
main entry in the ALG and searchable fields is not always apparent. Some of the
data entered by libraries is not easily searchable in the Advanced search and
may not be visible when viewing the full entry for a library.
Recommendations
National Library of Australia
- Review the search interface to improve searching capacity
- Improve the Advanced search - either by including more fields
in the drop down box, or the introduction of keyword searching of all fields,
preferably with a Boolean search option
- Resolve problems with terminology such as 'subject' and 'type'
- Review and clarify the 'How to update your library details'
pages to remove confusion - i.e. how librarians are asked to enter information
about their library and collections, especially under fields such as 'Other
access aids' and 'General comments', where many of the 'treasures' are buried
and not searchable in the current layout.
- Modify 'help' pages to provide clearer links to the actual data
entry point
Contributing libraries
- Persuade all libraries, particularly large libraries, to add
more detail about their subject coverage, collection strengths and access aids
so that they will be identified in searches
- ARLIS/ANZ could use the opportunity provided by the Visual Arts
Information Project - using the survey and subsequent meetings and the
conference in September 2004 - to persuade its members to contribute and update
regularly.
Jill More ARLIS/ANZ 4th July 2003
7. Indexing and databases
1. Current situation
Information on the Australian visual arts is available in a great
variety of formats and is widely dispersed among national, state, gallery,
special and academic libraries. Identifying and locating this information can
be a challenge if it is not on the National Bibliographic Database.
The 2003 survey identifies the resources and finding tools
(excluding the NBD) that we currently use:
- commercial online databases (e.g. APAIS, APAFT, AVAD, RMIT,
ABM, DAAI, BHA) - problems with coverage, cost
- freely available web databases - if you can find them - AustArt
(COFA), Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Database (AGNSW), Index to Australian Art
Exhibitions (NGA)
- guerilla resources - in-house finding aids, indexes and
databases - Index to South Australian Art Catalogues (Mortlock Library of
S.A.), Arts Ephemera File of the James Hardie Library, State Library of
Queensland)
- guerilla resources - many not indexed at all
2. Issues
Since the 1980's, ARLIS/ANZ has made various attempts to improve
access to visual arts materials in Australian libraries. The Society now finds
itself out of its depth, its initiatives fragmented or no longer relevant in
the current information technology environment. The demise of Ariadne,
ARLIS/ANZ's online visual arts directory, is indicative of the problems we
face. Our goal is easy web access to Australian visual arts information and
resources, including guerilla resources and resources which are currently
in-house indexes and databases.
- Value of indexing for the Australian visual arts - discovery
tools
- History of indexing ventures: past and present
- Past - AARTI (NGA), Artsdoc (Australia Council), Ariadne
(ARLIS/ANZ)
- Present - ARTEX (NGA), AustArt (COFA), NATSIVAD (AIATSIS)
- Technology: the challenge faced by libraries attempting to
develop online resources (e.g. convert in-house indexes to databases on the
web). Problems identified in surveys 1991 and 2003:
- Cost - lack of resources and staff time
- Lack of staff skills
- Access to good, affordable software
- Compatibility of software
- Standards, metadata
- Problems associated with wider access - security, preservation,
copyright
- Case studies
- AustArt - future prospects?
- Archibald, Wynne, Sulman Prizes database
- Access: how to find information from a variety of sources,
including:
- Grey (guerilla) resources revealed in surveys, including
primary resources not otherwise accessible
- Resources including catalogues, press clippings, ephemera,
artists' files, audiovisual material, archives, photographs, pamphlets, posters
- Forms of access - many formats from self-indexing files, card
catalogues, lists and staff knowledge to online catalogues and databases
- Relationship with NBD, commercial providers and organisational
websites
- Databases available via the internet commercially or on parent
websites
- Possibility of metadata harvesting of electronic resources
- Affordability of access for libraries via commercial
providers
- Development challenge for libraries: how to convert an index to
a database to an online resource to an affordable internet resource for others?
3. The Future
We need a better discovery service for Australian art : a
framework to encourage sharing of resources and a means to discover who, what
and where?
- Technological solutions are needed to help convert paper
resources to electronic/web versions. This would include software and support.
- Options for bringing resources together - including guerilla
resources:
- Existing portals/gateways - too large to meet this particular
community's needs e.g. Australian Libraries Gateway,
cultureandrecreation.gov.au (Australian Government's Culture and Recreation
Portal)
- New portal option with access from NLA and ARLIS web pages
- Benefits - discovery service for Australian visual arts; a
portal would answer the questions who, what, where?
- Issues to be considered - software, host, management,
funding
- Needs to be easily accessible - including via Google
- Models - NLA's trial public libraries portal, Australian
Government's Environment Resources Portal, PictureAustralia
- Possibility of a co-operative venture - NLA, ARLIS/ANZ, others?
- Links - PictureAustralia, NAVA, Dictionary of Australian Art
Online (DAAO)
8. Digitisation
Stephen O'Brien
Introduction
Digital technology is bringing about a fundamental shift in the
way in which art image and cultural resources are being managed, accessed and
displayed. It creates the potential for a vast increase in the quantity and
quality of resources available. Some of the factors driving this shift are; new
technologies, user expectations and the looming obsolescence of analogue
equipment, (eg Kodak has announced its withdrawal from the traditional film and
slide projector market and Phillip's from VCRs).
Some implications of this shift to digital for information
professionals are:
- Traditional roles change as we start to manage parallel
analogue and digital collections
- Collaborative alliances with IT sections, infrastructure and
knowledge managers, administrators, teachers, students and users will be
advantageous
- We will need to become familiar with new technologies so as to
help users to understand them and educate administrators about what is required
to sustain them
- We will need to adopt consortia, collaborative and cooperative
models for digitising and distributing digital content
- We will need to implement storage and delivery systems which
are appropriate to the new display technologies
Possible action items
Given that the "building blocks" of sustainable digital projects
are quality cataloguing and high-resolution images, we should consider the need
to
- Achieve commitment to digitisation standards (for example,
controlled vocabularies, provisions for future data migration, data structures,
file size and resolution, storage and memory size, maintenance and preservation
of digital objects)
- Establish commitment to cataloguing records (metadata) as an
essential part of digitisation and which allows the digital object to be found
in a meaningful way
- Win recognition that cooperative indexing and data sharing will
be promoted by the use of structured vocabulary tools which achieve the
standardization of indexing terms and description
- Avoid duplication of effort and help to prioritise the
digitisation of culturally unique and distinctive resources
- Establish models which can indicate the real cost of creating a
digital image with metadata. In the United States estimates vary from US$11.38
to US$45 per image, with the metadata record being the most expensive part of
the process. (Information sourced from the VRA)
- Consider ways to anticipate the technological obsolescence of
hardware and software. (Can PANDORA play a role?)
- Plan for projects/tools/resources that use applications such as
Flash or 3-D modelling software and which expand the pedagogical impact of
images
- Develop different models of use which balance the interests of
"rights holders" with fair use by the public, educational institutions and
researchers
Conclusion
The Visual Arts Libraries Survey reports that Australian
collections hold over half a million photographs, 300,000 slides and over
20,000 digital images. While progress with digitisation has been mixed future
projects will have the possibility of creating valuable content by learning
from previous experiences and having access to cheaper and more developed
technology.
Digitisation of Australian Art
Neil Hinsch
Access to images of Australian art, architecture and design for
teaching purposes at both a tertiary and secondary level has proved
increasingly problematic over the years with slide sets no longer being
published by government departments, organisations, galleries and suppliers
such as Educational Media.
The College of Fine Arts Library received from the Australia
Council between 10,000 to 25,000 slides of works by Australian artists,
decorative artists and designers covering the years 1985-1995. The works had
been submitted to the Council by each artist as part of their respective
portfolios for grant applications. Copyright considerations preclude the
Library from putting these image up on the WWW for outside scholarly research
and public perusal.
This collection demonstrates the vast wealth of untapped pictorial
resources existing in the general community, but unavailable for scholarly
research and education on a national basis. If artists, designers and
architects could have access to an Internet based service that allowed access
to their respective pictorial collections and acted as a copyright conservancy,
it could facilitate the building of an extensive body of public domain work.
Proposal: That PictureAustralia assume this role
and allow individual artists, designers and architects to place their
respective images in the database.
Proposal: That PictureAustralia and NAVA work
together to develop a copyright information portal to manage rights information
( preferably a virtual registry identifying intellectual property rights in
individual artworks to ease access to images and probably reduce rights
clearance costs to participants).
9. Possibilities for consortial purchasing
of commercial electronic information resources for art libraries in Australia:
notes for discussion
Margaret Shaw
Background
For most art libraries increased budgetary pressure is being
exacerbated by the availability and demand for specialised commercial
electronic information resources. Given the very international nature of art
history research both local and over-seas tools are required for study of
Australian art or Australian art collections. These include:
- on-line periodical indexing tools e.g.:
- Wilson art abstracts [incl. Art index retrospective], [major
Australian sources and over-seas coverage of Australia]
- ARTbibliographies modern [substantial Australian coverage
including selected exhibition catalogues and monographs]
- Bibliography of the history of art [major Australian sources
and over-seas coverage of Australia]
- Design and applied arts index [substantial Australian
coverage]
- Avery index
- full-text periodical services e.g.:
- Wilson's Art full text [of limited interest until illustrations
/ advertisements etc fully covered]
- JSTOR [planning introduction of coloured illustrations]
- on-line art price services e.g.:
- Australian art sales digest
- Artnet
- Art sales index
- Art price etc etc
- Discovery media's Ozbiogs [Australian]
- Grove Dictionary of art online
- Bridgman art library [available through Grove Dictionary of
art]
- AMICO
- ARTStor
- Corbis
In addition, art libraries need general on-line reference tools
such as APAFT APAIS, newspapers, dictionaries, encyclopaedias etc. .
In 2001-2, I investigated the possibility of developing consortial
arrangements for a couple of these sources for members of ARLIS/ANZ. While I
managed to achieve some small discounts it soon became clear that there are
some basic factors to be understood and hurdles to be over-come.
- many art libraries are sub-departments of larger libraries and
are covered by arrangements made on behalf of the parent body [nevertheless 16
of the survey libraries from all sectors expressed interest in a consortium for
access to resources such as APAFT]
- those which are not covered by a larger parent library may not
have the expertise to develop and/or maintain consortial arrangements
- even at discounted prices many of the basic tools are beyond
the budgets of some smaller libraries [ 13 / 15 survey libraries which gave a
reason for not subscribing to any/many online tools cited cost as the problem]
- such a specialised field tends to hinder bundling of groups of
suitable data-bases at discount rates although some suppliers are building
groups of art materials
- ARLIS/ANZ would not be a suitable body to manage consortial
arrangements:
- covers all types of art libraries, often through personal
memberships
- has a voluntary, peripatetic administrative structure which
would make maintenance of a consortium a problem
- does not have guaranteed sustainability re funding to maintain
a consortium
- suppliers do not always understand the structure and clustering
of art libraries but recognise that it is in their interest to listen and
negotiate
- the art library market in Australia is extremely small,
particularly when those libraries which come under a different umbrella are
taken out of the equation, which makes it difficult to interest suppliers in
consortial arrangements but there are possibilities for alternative approaches
Art library categories and how they access online
resources:
- art departments* within academic libraries
- art school libraries
- art departments* within public libraries
- art departments* within state/national libraries
- picture libraries within state/national libraries
- art museum libraries
* there is a growing tendency for art collections to be
amalgamated as a part of the general collection and for specialist art
librarian positions to be abolished or to be covered by a librarian with
responsibility for a range of more or less related subject areas.
Each of these categories has its own way/ways of purchasing
commercial electronic information resources depending on the administrative and
financial structure under which it works.
Some categories are already covered by a variety of consortial
arrangements for purchasing.
- Art departments within academic libraries may be covered
by:
- CAUL [Council of Australian University Librarians] consortial
agreements
- subscriptions held by the larger parent library or network
This may also apply to art school libraries which come under the
umbrella of one of the Universities [NITA / ANU; COFA / UNSW etc.] or which are
part of one of the TAFE networks
- Art school libraries [which do not come under a larger umbrella
institution]
- these may be in the same situation as art museum libraries q.v.
below.
- Art departments within public libraries may be covered by
broader umbrella agreements e.g. Viclinc's Gulliver in Victoria
- Art departments within state/national libraries will be covered
by CASL consortial arrangements [See specific paper]
- Picture libraries with state/national libraries will be covered
by CASL consortial arrangements
- Art museum libraries are not generally covered by any
consortial arrangements. They also tend to have very limited funding.
Realistically, this group is not big enough and does not have the
expertise and resources to set up a full consortium but possible approaches for
this group are:
- to seek to join one of the larger consortia although this would
require the ability to subscribe to selected resources from a larger package
- negotiate for a single multi-site licence covering a specified
group of art museum libraries but based on one library and a single payment to
be divided between the members [I am currently investigating this with one
data-base vendor as a sample] which depends on:
- one library's being prepared to take this on
- an agreed method of allocation of costs e.g. based on usage
levels or on available funding.
Very specialised resources
Of course, the very specialised nature of some of the tools used
means that they may not be covered by existing consortia. Art price listings
are an example. It is also likely that the usage of these may cover a number of
art library categories but not all of one sector.
Points for discussion
- Possibilities for establishing consortia for very specialised,
cross-sectoral resources which are not generally covered by umbrella consortia
and/or for existing consortia to take on responsibility for these resources
- Possibilities for those libraries not covered by existing
consortia to join one of them for specific tools
- Possibilities for use of alternative structures such as
multi-site licences covering a number of smaller libraries
- Sources from which smaller libraries can obtain advice on the
development of consortial arrangements
Consortia Purchasing for Visual Arts Libraries
Cathy Pilgrim
Access to online subscription databases is an issue for many
visual arts libraries. Several have reported the inability to afford relevant
online databases such as Grove Art Online (Grove Dictionary of Art) and Art
Full Text.
The development of a visual arts consortium would enable libraries
to have greater bargaining power, more efficient contractual negotiations and,
depending upon how the consortium is structured, may streamline processes in
the selection, evaluation and acquisition of online resources. Cost savings at
the individual institution level can be realised, potentially providing
additional purchasing power overall.
For vendors of electronic resources a consortium approach would
provide a single point of negotiation and the potential for greater take-up of
their products when attractive packages are offered. They may also benefit from
consolidated ordering, renewals and payment. Consortia agreements sometimes
also bring publishers new customers, which may ultimately increase their
revenue.
A consortium where member libraries have a shared vision and are
committed to a partnership, where there is agreement on the type of product
required, where the aims and objectives of the consortium are clearly defined
and where there is an agreed management strategy is more likely to work well
than a consortium lacking these characteristics.
The National Library of Australia is successfully participating in
the Council of Australia State Libraries (CASL) Consortium, to acquire access
to commercial electronic information resources. The CASL Consortium is just one
of several library consortia operating within Australia at the present time. It
has a strong business model and is one in which visual arts libraries may wish
to consider when investigating a consortium approach to purchasing electronic
resources. In determining the viability of a visual arts consortium some of the
key issues to be addressed include:
Which libraries would participate in the proposed consortium?
- Definition of a visual arts library (who can participate in the
consortium?)
- The development of a Consortium Profile would help to better
educate vendors about the types libraries participating in the consortium. This
document generally describes the Consortium, its administration and provides a
brief profile of each member library. This document is used to communicate with
vendors the nature of the Consortium and provides them with an insight into the
requirements of Members to enable them to develop a subscription and pricing
model, which is suitable.
How would it be constituted and administered?
- The more centralised and coordinated administrative
arrangements are, the more effective the consortium is likely to be in
negotiating advantageous agreements with vendors.
- The appointment of a Consortium convenor and lead negotiator
who coordinates the activities of selection, evaluation and negotiation as well
as carrying out the day-to-day administration is an efficient way of managing
consortium activities.
- The mechanism to enable members to join the consortium could be
an agreement which clearly states roles and responsibilities. This could be
modelled on the CASL Consortium agreement, which can be supplied.
- How would the Consortium communicate? A major factor in
successful communication among members is ensuring people respond in a timely
manner to requests for information and provide relevant feedback.
Teleconferencing, a closed email discussion list, the development of a website
and regular face-to-face meetings help to enable good communication among
consortium members.
What online products should be subscribed to?
- The implementation of a formal forward workplan, which outlines
products for trialling by Members is a useful tool. The plan outlines the
products to be trialled, evaluated and negotiated each period. This would
enable members to plan for subscriptions in line with their acquisitions
budgets and streamline "ad hoc" approaches from vendors to the consortium.
- Would the Consortium offer a "core set" of products to which
all members must subscribe or offer an "opt in/opt out" model? The greater the
number of participants subscribing to a product, the better the negotiated
price is likely to be for individual participants, so for a small consortium,
less than full participation for a product may not realise worthwhile savings.
How would the consortium be funded?
- Would participation in the consortium attract a membership fee?
If so what funding model would be used to determine the fee? (based on library
budget, number of users?)
- What costs would the membership fee cover - partial salary
costs for convenor, teleconferencing, legal, photocopying, postage, maintenance
of listserv and website.
Who would sign the licence agreements and what terms would be
acceptable to members of the consortium?
- For a convenor or lead negotiator to be able to sign licence
agreements on behalf of other members, the legal relationships will be defined
in the agreement signed by member libraries.
- With the purpose of streamlining the licence negotiation
processes the Consortium may consider developing a 'Statement of Principles
Guiding Licence Negotiation' against which vendors' licence agreements can be
routinely checked prior to signing. This document would enable more efficient
negotiation with vendors by informing them of member requirements, particularly
in relation to core library business such as document supply.
The development of a successful consortium requires participation,
support and input from all members. Processes need to be out in place and
effectiveness constantly monitored. In most cases it is beneficial to start
small with subscriptions to one or two products and services, and grow the
consortium over time. The Visual Arts Libraries will also need to decide
whether a small set of products would be acquired for all or whether an opt in
/opt out model would be implemented, enabling libraries to select which
products they acquired through the consortium.
The National Library, in providing convenorship of the CASL
Consortium is willing to offer support in the establishment of a visual arts
consortium. One of the ways it might do this is by providing guidance to a
visual arts consortium convenor in setting up trials and negotiation for two
electronic resources. The CASL Consortium, in its 2004 Forward Workplan has
identified Grove Art Online and Art Full Text as electronic resources to be
trialled and negotiated in the July-September quarter.
The CASL Consortium currently has a business relationship and
consortium subscriptions with the vendors of these two electronic products. The
CASL Consortium Convenor could work, in a limited advisory capacity, with a
visual arts consortium to assist in setting up trials of these electronic
resources and assist in the evaluation and negotiation phase.
10. Working relationships between visual arts
libraries. The role of ARLIS/ANZ
Paul Bentley
1. ARLIS/ANZ contexts?
- Information. Types, quantities and quality? Audits: scope,
redundancy, gaps, effort, spending, priorities? Marketplace considerations?
- Workplaces. What's driving visual arts organisations? Libraries
- generic and variant issues affecting public libraries and libraries in
research, higher education, vocational, museum, gallery, government and private
environments? Relationships with other information domains?
- Approaches. What do the major reports tell us? Types of
initiatives, products and services? Decision-making concerns, models for
collaboration & levels of complexity? Data models, standards &
technologies? Australian dependencies, initiatives & sources of funding?
2. ARLIS/ANZ SITUATION? Business plan,
with operational and strategic options, due Sep 2004.
- Preliminary membership data: overall trends re employees,
employers, regions & functions?
- Preliminary assessment of performance, scope & purpose,
prospects, activities, modus operandi, limitations & relationships?
3. ARLIS/ANZ contribution?
- Human capital and know-how from experiences in the visual arts,
libraries and other information projects. Lessons learnt from past initiatives.
Which initiatives? What lessons?
- Partial control over information infrastructure (facilities,
technology, content and services in member institutions). How much content: *%?
How much of the infrastructure: *%? How much control: *%?
- Organisational capital and influence. (1) Linking the interests
of visual art libraries / librarians and kindred domains, locally and
internationally; (2) encouraging commitments by parent organisations and
kindred information domains within parent organisations (How much influence:
*%?); (3) a possible expanding contribution, subject to successful phase one
endeavours, increased membership and/or improved financial position and/or
adoption of options to streamline efforts.
- Other contributions?
4. Summing up
- Key points? Need for a broad vision and plan, as well as a
focus on the achievable in the short term? Importance of a shop e-window and
supporting framework for the shop? Need to harness institutional capability and
commitment? Dependency on the National Library of Australia?
- Next steps?
11. Online LearnScope Special Interest Team:
Digital resources collaboration and community project
Project report for the Visual Arts National Forum by Stephen
O'Brien
Aim of project
To assist team members develop a clearer understanding of how
to store, retrieve and deliver high quality digital images that are copyright
cleared, formatted correctly for use on screen, organized with good metadata
and retrievable in a simple, search-based method in order to build engaging
curricula and learning experiences for students and researchers. The team will
seek to foster a sense of collaboration and community in the provision of cost
effective Australian digital content.
Proposed activity
The project will develop and manage a national online forum for
the interchange of experiences related to the creation, storage, preservation
and sharing of digital images. It will use a variety of technologies (web
based, internet, video and telephone conferencing) to facilitate the following
and other activities
- 'Guest access' to the image delivery systems and databases in
North America and the Hunter Institute's implementation of the James Madison
University Digital Image Database
- Discussion on ways to incorporate digital objects into learning
systems so as to help engage the learner and build engaging curricula
- Creation of a web based Community space with user friendly yet
secure private and public forums to facilitate the interchange of experiences
- Promote collaboration and community in the provision of cost
effective Australian digital content for educational delivery
- Discussions on issues related to learner focused multimedia and
media asset management systems, common standards and the implications of
Kodak's withdrawal from the film and slide projector market and Phillip's from
VCRs
The project will run from May until November 2004 and is not
intended to substitute for any existing forums.
Proposed participants
The project initiator, the Arts and Media (AMED) Faculty Hunter
Institute -TAFE NSW welcomes participation from a broad range of educational
and non-educational institutions in this project such as
- Representatives of private industry, state and national
Libraries, museums, Universities, and VET providers, both nationally and
internationally, who have an interest in the collection and management digital
objects
- Teachers and educational support staff in the VET sector who
have an interest in using digital objects in teaching, eg. Fashion, design,
visual arts, music, horticulture and building/architecture
For further information: LearnScope
http://learnscope.anta.gov.au/
Hunter Institute AMED Faculty.
http://www.ccc.newcastle.edu.au/wyong/arts-and-media.html
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