Art Documentation

Art Documentation is the official journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America, 1982–present. It includes articles and information relevant to art librarianship and visual resources curatorship. Since 1996, it has been published twice yearly (spring and fall). Art Documentation is published for ARLIS/NA by University of Chicago Press, which supports green open access for all of its journals. Subscription to Art Documentation is included as part of ARLIS/NA membership.

Members-only Access

ARLIS/NA members may access Art Documentation electronically via a controlled access site:

Members-only access to Art Documentation

Authors

Authors who wish to publish their work in Art Documentation should consult the Contributor Guidelines.

Authors may self-archive their own articles and make them freely available through institutional repositories after a one-year embargo. Authors may also post their articles in their published form on their personal or departmental web pages or personal social media pages, use the article in teaching or research presentations, provide single copies in print or electronic form to their colleagues, or republish the article in a subsequent work, subject to giving proper credit to the original publication of the article in Art Documentation, including reproducing the exact copyright notice as it appears in the journal.

Non-member Access to Journal

To purchase individual issues please contact University of Chicago Press customer service online; by email at subscriptions@press.uchicago.edu; or via phone at +1 877-705-1878 (toll-free, U.S. & Canada), or +1 773-753-3347 (International).

Tables of Contents

To search Art Documentation contents 1982–present, visit the journal home page with the University of Chicago Press.

Current Issue Abstracts

Art Documentation Vol. 43, No. 1 (Spring 2024)

Queer Dis/Appearance in the Colonial Archive: Censorship, Punitive Surveillance, and Colonial State-Building 

Dallas Fellini

Abstract— This paper looks at the ways that gender and sexually diverse histories are both archived and erased as a strategy of colonial nation-building. It proposes that queer and trans histories from colonized geographies were imperative to constructing racist, transphobic, and homophobic myths that justified the colonial project. Inversely, in order for these myths to function, an erasure and suppression of European queer and trans histories must take place, thus setting up a binary of civilized/uncivilized purported through an understanding of gender and sexual diversity as immoral.

[This article is a revision of the paper that received the 2024 Gerd Muehsam Award. The award recognizes excellence in a paper written by a graduate student on a topic relevant to art librarianship or visual resources curatorship.]

Navigating IIIF in Art Research: How Two Institutions Engage with IIIF

Annalise Welte

This article explores how two large art institutions—The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Trust—are currently engaging the International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF). Attention to foundational information, including an overview of IIIF and how to use it, is followed by an analysis of its usefulness as an innovative tool for educators, librarians, and students. This is achieved through a discussion on how art institutions use IIIF and how the public can access these images in comparison between library and museum collections.

AI Art, Libraries, and Institutional Repositories: A Pilot Workshop at the University of Mississippi

Alex P. Watson

Abstract— Following the widespread release of generative “AI Art” tools like DALL-E in mid-2022, the University of Mississippi Libraries conducted a pilot workshop in collaboration with the University of Mississippi Department of Art and Art History to explore AI-generated art within a library context. This collaboration involved art students and faculty in producing and evaluating works created with DALL-E. Insights from this project, including images, participant feedback, and an experiment in integrating images into the eGrove institutional repository, have the potential to contribute to ongoing discussions about generative AI art in library frameworks.

DH in the Classroom Case Study: Alternative Fashion Trends and Omeka.net

Bonnie Finn and Amelia Cheever

Abstract— As technology continues to pervade higher education classroom instruction, digital humanities assignments may be looked to as an alternative for writing papers or curating exhibits and as an area of interest for faculty members looking for multiple ways to build student critical thinking skills. This case study focuses on an eight-week Omeka.net project assignment created collaboratively by a costume/design professor and the fine arts librarian at The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. This article includes the assignment instructions for students, a rubric for using Omeka metadata, and lead-in assignments that include image citation, visual literacy, and ethically finding image sources.

[This article is an expansion of a paper presented at the 52nd annual ARLIS/NA conference held in Pittsburgh, PA, in April 2024 as part of the panel “In Support of Digital Humanities.”]

“Untitled” by Unknown Artist: Imperfect Metadata for an Imperfect World

St John Karp

Abstract— NYC Health + Hospitals is a hospital system that has one of the largest public art collections in North America. It is a collection, however, that has been plagued by administrative difficulties, and it exhibits problems due to its distributed nature and its location in active medical facilities. These problems mean that best practices for cataloging visual resources are often sadly unachievable. By using less conventional techniques (or “pretty good practices”), however, the cataloger can obtain quality metadata by thinking around problems that would otherwise be prohibitive.

[This article is an expansion of a paper presented at the 52nd annual ARLIS/NA conference held in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in April 2024, as part of the session “New Voices in the Profession.”]

Experiential Learning through Mural Documentation: Building and Preserving a Digital Collection of Detroit’s Cultural Heritage

Joan Beaudoin

Abstract— This paper describes a mural documentation project created to provide students with direct experience developing and preserving an online collection. The project’s background, steps, and required resources are examined, emphasizing how art facilitates the development of various library and information science (LIS) proficiencies among Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) students through experiential learning. By acquiring the skills needed to create and preserve digital collections, students prepare a collection of research-worthy content, preserve visual and intellectual records of these ephemeral cultural artifacts, foster community engagement, and enhance access to murals that enliven Detroit’s urban landscape.

[This article is a revised version of a paper presented at the 52nd annual ARLIS/NA conference held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in April 2024, as part of the session “In Support of Digital Humanities.”]

Transformación: A History and Future of ARLIS/NA in Mexico
Lauren Gottlieb-Miller, Jon Evans, and Mark Pompelia

Abstract— The Art Libraries Society of North America was founded in 1972 as an international association, although this international standing reflected only the United States and Canada for much of its history. This article traces the history of ARLIS/NA’s attempts to sustain a relationship with art information professionals in Mexico as part of the association’s mission and scope, culminating in the ARLIS/NA 51st annual conference in Mexico City in 2023. The authors provide a timeline of key events in the history of this relationship, reveal persistent pain points and challenges, and make recommendations for the future.

Investigating Art Librarian Email Signatures: A Symbol of Identity
Jacob Lackner

Abstract— Email signatures are a key method for establishing digital identity and credibility, but their usage among librarians is nearly unexplored. This study surveyed self-identified art librarians about their email signatures. Respondents observed that signatures incorporated prominent values statements (personal pronouns, land acknowledgments), as well as a trend of advertising library services. Respondents were divided if art librarian signatures varied compared to other kinds of librarians. This article provides ideas for future research into the digital presence and performance of art librarians.