Finding and Cataloging Images of Native American Art
Special Bulletin No. 15

by Karen Kessel

Over the last decade, Native American culture has begun to be recognized as a part of American history.  The 500th anniversary of the landing of Columbus in the Western Hemisphere in 1992 and American Indian activism have helped to awaken a fresh perspective on the relationship between the indigenous peoples of the Americas and the Europeans and others who now populate these continents.  Native American art is moving into university curricula and art museum collections to broaden the definition of American art.  The new VRA special bulletin makes it easy to find comprehensive materials for documenting the arts of the Native peoples of North America. It provides sources for images, accurate cataloging information, and a primer on identifying subject content and distinctive patterns.  It comprises a concise annotated bibliography and discography of books, films, CDs and DVDs, websites, and periodicals; lists of image vendors, museums, and historic sites that provide visual materials; pre- and post- European contact chronologies; a guide for building a basic image collection, 19 maps, and a glossary of common terms.  The culture and period chronology demonstrates the dynamics of Native American cultures across the continent and the millennia.

Table of Contents [PDF file] or selected pages

$25 [PDF file]
Order Form

Strategies for Transitioning to the Age of Digital Media
Special Bulletin No. 14

by Sarah Cheverton and Christina Updike

This Special Bulletin identifies strategic actions that will facilitate the change from analog to digital media for all key players. It is the result of a workshop developed by Cheverton and Updike for presentation at the VRA Annual Meeting 2004 and subsequently presented at the VRA Summer Educational Institute, The emphasis is on identifying positive actions, encouraging collaboration, and helping faculty cope with the transition to digital media. It includes digital media surveys for professionals and instructional faculty, summaries and action plan worksheets. A CD containing blank surveys and worksheets for use by the home institution is included with the Special Bulletin.

$35
Order Form

A Guide to Cataloguing Chinese Art
Special Bulletin No. 13

by Wendy Holden

This guide contains cataloguing information covering Chinese architecture, painting, sculpture and arts (ceramics, jade, bronzes, furniture and clothing).  Chronologies, color maps, and a section on early Chinese cultural history are included. 
Appendices include glossaries of Buddhism, Daoism, and Chinese symbolism, spelling systems for both Pinyin and Wade-Giles, an Index of Chinese artists through the Qing dynasty, Wade-Giles concordance for Chinese painters, an archaeological site index, and essential bibliography.

$55
Order Form

Subject Classification for Visual Collections: An Inventory of Some of the Principal Systems Applied to Subject Classification
Special Bulletin No.12

by Colum Hourihane

Fifty subject classification systems are detailed. Entries include a description of the system; subject; access system; examples; references; and contact name and address.

$10 [PDF file]
Order Form

by Jenni Rodda and Christa Blackwood, Illustrated by Stan Shockey

The Guide provides information on equipment, supplies, and procedures for the non-professional. Individual chapters include discussion of the copystand and related equipment; cameras and other equipment; films, light, and processing; and how to make copy photographs. Appendices provide information on lenses and their uses; photography for art historians; equipment and technical information sources; and what works in visual resources collections. A bibliography is included.

$20
Order Form

edited by Mary M. Lampe

Example:

Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Department: Art Division
Contact: Diedre Cantrell, Administrative Assistant
(818) 405-2225
Fax: (818) 405-0634

Collections Information: An illustrated catalogue of the collection is available from the publications department. A list of slides is available; slides also offered by Rosenthal.
Color Formats: 35mm slides (originals & duplicates); 4x5" and 8x10" transparencies (originals); copy photographs.
B&W Formats: Copy photographs.

Special Services: Photography is done in-house. If an object has not been photographed, new photography may be requested. This takes 4 weeks with an additional cost determined by the request. No rush orders are accepted. Shipping is via first class of FedEx, billed to the recipient.

Reproduction Conditions: Cropping is allowed with permission. Overprinting is not allowed. Permission requests are accepted in writing only. A copy of a publication or clip is required. Slides may be used for reproduction. Fees are for one-time use only, and must be paid in advance.

Required Credit Line: Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery.
Processing and Materials Fees: 35mm slides-$5.00; 4x5" color transparencies-$125.00; 8x10" color transparencies-$175.00 (6 month loan); 8x10" B&W photographs-$9.00.
Use Fees: B&W-$75.00/plate per edition; color-$100.00/plate per edition. Use fees are waived for educational, nonprofit publication.

$20
Order Form

compiled by Astrid R. Otey

Example:

ASTRID R. OTEY
SLIDE CURATOR
MIAMI UNIV.
110 ART BLDG.
OXFORD OH 45056 USA
TELEPHONE: 513-529-7420 FAX: 513-529-1992
EMAIL: AOTEY@MIAMIU.ACS.MUOHIO.EDU

COMPUTER: IBM PC/AT NO: 2
HARD DISK: 40 MB
COMPUTER: NCR 386 NO: 1
HARD DISK: 33MB
COMPUTER: IBM VALUEPOINT 466DX2/DP NO: 1
HARD DISK: 340 MB RAM: 8 MB
PRINTER: EPSON LQ-1500 DOT MATRIX (LABELS)

BARCODE READER: WELCH ALLYN HBD-PC SCANNER
BACK-UP UNIT: MOUNTAIN FILES AFE TAPE 7150
NETWORK SERVER: IBM PS/2 MODEL 57 SLC, 252MB

DATABASE: DBASEIII+ (FLEX CUSTOM PROGRAM)
WORK PROCESSING: WORKPERFECT, MS WORD
OTHER SOFTWARE: MS OFFICE

SLIDE LABELS: UNIVERSITY PRODUCTS FOILBACKED PIN-FEED
BARCODE LABELS: DATA COMPOSITION INC.

ACCESS: SLIDE CURATOR & ASST.; ART HISTORY FACULTY
SERVICES: DATABASE FUNCTIONS; INTERNET ACCESS

$10
Order Form

compiled by the Art and Architecture Thesaurus

Example:

Yale Center for British Art, P.O. Box 208280, New Haven CT 06520-8280 USA
Contact: Elisabeth Fairman, Associate Curator
Phone: 302-432-2814 Fax: 203-432-9695 Email: elisabeth.fairman@yale.edu
Department/Project: Rare Books / Cataloging prints, drawings, paintings, sculpture

Collections Information
Function: museum
Profile: fine arts
Scope: British, especially 18th-19th century
Medium: prints, drawings, paintings, sculpture
Cataloging Practice
Collections Management Software: ARGUS
Cataloging Utilities:
MARC format cataloging: No
Submits AAT Candidate Terms: No

$10
Order Form

edited by Lise J. Hawkos

This Special Bulletin contains valuable information on disaster planning, both before and after the event. Included is information on assembling an emergency kit and writing a disaster plan for your institution. Among the topics are Risk Management for Slide Libraries; Personal Security; Emergency Procedures; The Hurricane, pre-disaster preparation and post-disaster preparation; and A Slide Curator's Guide in Case of Disaster. A bibliography is also included.

$20
Order Form

by Nancy S. Schuller, with Marlene E. Gordon and Elizabeth Spungen.

Among the works included are:

Giovanni Bellini, Pesaro Altarpiece
Carracci, Palazzo Farnese Ceiling
Cimabue, Fresco Cycle, San Francesco, Upper Church
Donatello, Pulpits, San Lorenzo
Duccio, Maesta Altarpiece
Giotto, Bardi Chapel frescoes
Gozzoli, Procession of the Magi
Lorenzetti, Allegory of Good and Bad Government
Piero della Francesco and Bicci di Lorenzo, Brancacci Chapel Frescoes
Pacher, St. Wolfgang Altarpiece
Luca Signorelli and Fra Angelico, San Brizio Chapel Frescoes

$10 [PDF file]
Order Form

by Jonny Prins

Example:

4-23
THE LION GATE, Mycenae
Bazin, Germain
The History of World Sculpture
Greenwich, CT, New York Graphic Society, 1968
118
Rosenthal: 23.025
Sandak: 8 316 0052
Saskia: JGA-076, JGA-077, JGA-078, HGA-079

by Eleanor Mannikka

This Special Bulletin covers cataloging for South Asian art, which includes Rajput and Mughal painting, cataloging tables for Indian paintings and sculpture, and a list of scenes from the life of the Buddha. The section on Southeast Asian art covers Burmese, Thai, Cambodian, Cham, and Indonesian art. The Japanese portion provides a hierarchical classification system for Buddhist art, lists the identification with its Japanese name and its Sanskrit equivalent. There is also a classification system for Japanese ceramics. Some bibliography is included.

$20
Order Form

by Christine L. Sundt

The issue contains articles on some of the common problems and issues that slide and photograph curators deal with on a daily basis. There are short articles on foggy glass and fungus, products such as film cleaner and alcohol, temperature fluctuations and humidity control. There is also advice on seasonal check-ups for equipment, troubleshooting projector problems, chemical streaking on film, and reevaluating your insurance coverage.

$15
Order Form

compiled by Nancy S. Schuller

Examples:

architrave archtr
archive, archival archv
archivolt arvlt

$10
Order Form

Sample entries:

AUSTEN, Winifred Marie Louise (RI) (RE) (fl.1899-1900; d.1944)///Mrs. Frick
British
BARRALET, John James (1747-1815)///(also Barelet or Barolet)
British/Irish
SOANE, Sir John (RA) (IRA) (1753-1837)///(also Soan or Swan)
British
VIGEE-LEBRUN, Marie-Louise Elisabeth (755-1842)
French