Author Archives: Courtney Tkacz

Reflections of Toronto

Now that we’re in the heat of the summer, I find myself looking fondly on my experiences at the 2012’s ARLIS/NA Conference in Toronto. I was immeasurably pleased to be chosen as the Caroline Backlund Travel Award winner for this conference and am excited to share my experiences with those reading this blog post. At first I chastised myself for not writing immediately after the conference. However, as I look back on what transpired in Toronto, I realized how much the rest of my year has been influenced by this spectacular conference—a perspective I would not have had if I had written this in April.

The first day at the conference for me was all about having fun. Text messages trickled in as far-flung librarian friends arrived in Toronto. Before meeting up with some of them for dinner, I visited the Bata Shoe Museum with ARLIS-DMV officers Sarah Osborne Bender and Anne Simmons. Of particular interest to us was the architecture of the building and the exhibit on the Roaring 20s—those art deco shoes are just spectacular. Afterwards I traveled to the Windsor Arms for a fancy dinner with ARLIS/NA members from Texas, Indiana, and Florida. My, how ARLIS brings people together! The food was exquisite, but the company was even better.

Bright and early the following day I attended the mentoring program workshop. This is the second time I have attended this workshop, although my first acting as a mentor. We watched a DVD of mentoring expert Margaret Law who informs us about key aspects of the mentoring relationship. In between the DVD segments we had breakout sessions to perform different exercises to get us in the mentoring mood. I spoke to my mentee, Kai Alexis Smith from Pratt, before the conference but it was good to finally meet her in person that morning. I highly recommend joining the mentorship program as both mentor and mentee—there is always something new to learn. We even have a virtual mentoring program that is open for any ARLIS/NA member. Did I mention that I joined the Mentoring Subcommittee of the Professional Development Committee this year? Go mentoring! Continue reading →

Part-time and Internship Opportunities at Dumbarton Oaks

The Image Collections and Fieldwork Archives (ICFA) at Dumbarton Oaks is seeking applications for a part-time Archival Assistant and a Metadata Intern. The Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection is an institute of Harvard University located in Washington, D.C. that supports scholarship in Byzantine, Pre-Columbian, and Garden and Landscape Studies. The ICFA at Dumbarton Oaks houses one of the most important collections of Byzantine photographs and fieldwork papers in the world.

Archival Assistant (part-time)

ICFA is seeking a part-time Archival Assistant to assist ICFA staff with ongoing archival processing and preservation projects and other administrative tasks. Under the supervision of the Archives Specialist, the part-time Archival Assistant will assist with the assessment, arrangement, description, processing, and preservation of archival collections, which comprise administrative records and fieldwork papers produced or created by scholars and archaeologists. In addition to ongoing archival processing and preservation projects, the part-time Archival Assistant will also provide general support to ICFA staff. For more information and application instructions, please see the following link: http://www.doaks.org/about/employment/part-time-archival-assistant.

Metadata Intern (Fall 2012 semester)

ICFA is seeking a Metadata Intern for the Fall 2012 semester to assist the Metadata and Cataloging Specialist with the implementation of a new collection management system. ICFA’s holdings include both visual resources and archival collections. As a blended repository, ICFA must address the challenges of physical and intellectual control of both documents and images by implementing a new collection management system. This provides a unique opportunity for the Metadata Intern to engage with both the archival and VR communities and their practices.

Tasks:

The Metadata Intern will assist with the migration and conversion of metadata from a legacy database in preparation for import into the new system. This will involve the following tasks:

Working within the legacy database and/or exported CSV files to clean up and prepare image metadata for import into new system
Comparing previous cataloging practices with current standards to identify missing elements and normalize description
May also assist with data entry and/or encoding of archival finding aids for import into new system

In so doing, the student will learn how different standards are employed in this process and in the management of archival documents and images. Relevant content and encoding standards include:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
General International Standard for Archival Description (ISAD-G)
Encoded Archival Description (EAD)
Cataloging Cultural Objects (CCO)
VRA Core
Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS)

Qualifications:

Students must be able to take the internship for course credit. The ideal candidate is pursuing a graduate degree in Library and Information Science or Archival Studies, and has the following characteristics:

Knowledge of:

Cataloging and/or metadata in archival, library or museum setting
Creating and/or working with XML documents
Relational databases

Interest in:

Archival and/or visual resource collections
Byzantine art, architecture, or archaeology
Information management and structured data

To apply:

Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references to:

Shalimar Fojas White

Manager, Image Collections and Fieldwork Archives
Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection

1703 32^nd Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
whites@doaks.org

Artists’ Books at the Smithsonian Libraries

For the past two summers, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Library (HMSG), the National Museum of African Art Library (NMAA), and the Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery (AA/PG) Library have hosted graduate library student interns to work on the three libraries’ artists’ book collections. Each library has a history of collecting artists’ books with distinctly different goals. Books in the HMSG Library have been acquired to support the museum’s collection; artists’ books in NMAA were collected as examples of African art and those purchased for the AA/PG library have been obtained primarily for aesthetic reasons. Under the coordination of Anna Brooke (HMSG) and in partnership with Janet Stanley (NMAA) and Doug Litts (AA/PG), the internships were developed to define the issues regarding artists’ books in library collections and to determine ways to provide greater accessibility to them in the online catalog with the ultimate goal of providing more exposure to one of the Smithsonian Libraries’ many hidden collections.

The 2011 internship addressed fundamental issues of defining artists’ books, surveying the three collections, and developing recommendations for enhanced cataloging. The internship also included field trips to many DC-area artist book collections, including the Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and George Mason University.

Amanda Meeks and Michelle Strizever were selected for the 2012 internship. Amanda is finishing up her MLS at Emporia State University and studied Book and Paper Arts. Michelle is also completing her MLS at the University of Maryland and for her Ph.D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania she wrote her dissertation on artists’ books.

Amanda Meeks (left in photo) and Michelle Strizever organized the exhibit of selections from the AA/PG artists’ book collection. Photo: Doug Litts

Continue reading →