Author Archives: Courtney Tkacz

In the Library: Announcements from the Vertical Files

Greetings ARLIS DMVers! The show I organized in the Library here at NGA will be closing at the end of next week, Friday, April 26. Please come and take a look–and maybe we can grab coffee or lunch, as well?

Please note that the exhibition is open only during regular business hours, Monday to Friday, 10:00 am- 4:30 pm.

In the Library: Announcements from the Vertical Files

Often printed on simple postcards, museum and gallery announcements advertise upcoming exhibitions—conveying the who, what, when, and where. The objects in this show, however, do more than merely inform; they reflect the materiality of the art they promote. Through imaginative use of layout, color, form, and material they distill the spirit of the works of art into a handheld package. Crafted of paper, vinyl, plastic, and sand, they expand, light up, reflect, and decode.

This exhibition is culled from the vertical files of the National Gallery of Art Library, which houses an extensive collection of announcements, pamphlets and small exhibition catalogues. Also on display here are installation views borrowed from the Library’s department of image collections. Together, this group of objects provides insight into the overall experience of gallery-going and the material culture of the art world.

— Anne Simmons, Reference Librarian for Vertical Files and Microforms, National Gallery of Art Library

New Finding Aids from the ICFA at Dumbarton Oaks

The Image Collections and Fieldwork Archives (ICFA) at the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection is pleased to announce the publication of four new finding aids on the department’s archival collections webpage.

ICFA staff completed the archival processing and finding aids for the following collections:

Additionally, ICFA has revised existing finding aids for collections produced by Byzantine scholars and/or Dumbarton Oaks staff, including:

In future months, ICFA plans to complete the processing of the Robert Van Nice Fieldwork Records and Papers and the Margaret Alexander Fieldwork Papers. While these projects are still in progress, ICFA staff and interns have created online resources to document these collections, including:

More importantly, ICFA is currently moving its long-form finding aids to an open-source web-based collection management system (International Council on Archives Access to Memory or ICA-AtoM) for increased accessibility. While the change has opened the door for lively debates about archival description and “More Product, Less Process,” this challenge has definitely been an educational and exciting journey for the staff in ICFA.

For more information about ICFA’s ongoing activities and projects, please visit the departmental blog and “friend us” on the Dumbarton Oaks Library and Archives Facebook page.

Internship Opportunity at the Smithsonian Libraries

The Smithsonian Libraries’ Summer Internship Program includes an internship for working with artists’ books at three of the art libraries at the Smithsonian (the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the American Art Museum / National Portrait Gallery, and the National Museum of African Art). Interns will be working closely with staff from all three libraries and the Smithsonian Libraries’ internship are unique learning experiences that benefit from professional mentorship from SIL staff, as well as internship programming opportunities and events from the Libraries and the Smithsonian Institution. Please note that this internship does not carry a stipend, though we are happy to work with students to help them obtain credit from their college or university.

Information about the project (titled “Artists’ book accessibility and research”) and how to apply for an internship can be found at:

http://library.si.edu/internships/summer-2013-internship-projects

Please note that although the deadline is given as April 12, we will be accepting applications until the internship is filled.