Collecting Artists' Books in Academic Libraries: Perspectives for the 21st Century

Veronika Schäpers. 26° 57.3' N, 142° 16.8' E : [3 Gedichte] / von Durs Grünbein. 2007.

Collecting Artists' Books in Academic Libraries:

Perspectives for the 21st Century

Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA

August 3-5, 2022

Wellesley College Library is pleased to announce Collecting Artists’ Books in Academic Libraries, a professional seminar for Oberlin Group librarians, curators, and directors. Conducted in person in the library’s Special Collections, this two and a half day masterclass is designed to develop the critical insights needed to collect and teach with contemporary artists’ books. Attendees will participate in hands-on analysis of books selected from the collection in a guided discussion, with a focus on expanding and refining curatorial skills, and identifying strategies to maximize the impact these books can have in a multi-disciplinary undergraduate curriculum. Issues of content, craft, access, collaboration, course support, and research potential will be addressed.

Originally planned for September 2020, the pandemic forced us to postpone this program. Now planned for August 3-5, 2022, attendance is limited to 20, with preference given to those who were already signed up for the originally planned 2020 event. Please note, we can only offer one registration per institution.

Supported by a generous grant from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation and a donation from the Codex Foundation, we are able to offer a $300 travel stipend to each participant, as well as free registration and most meals.

CONTACT: Ruth R Rogers, Curator of Special Collections, Wellesley College (rrogers@wellesley.edu).

ATTENDANCE

Please note that we have reached full capacity for this seminar, so registration is currently closed. Please feel free to add your name to the first-come first-served waitlist by emailing rrogers@wellesley.edu. We will email you immediately if openings arise.

PROGRAM RATIONALE

Creation and distribution of the contemporary artist-made book is flourishing on a global scale. With burgeoning production and widespread availability, curators and directors need tools to knowledgeably build academic collections and promote them to diverse audiences. Collections are in a position to acquire work that is not only engaging for an art or design audience, but is also applicable to undergraduate teaching across disciplines. One of the goals of this seminar is to articulate how artists’ books are relevant to the larger special collection at one's institution.

OUTCOMES

Librarians responsible for collection development and teaching with artists’ books will have the skills and broader context to acquire and promote this hybrid genre of books in their institutions. They will learn strategies to increase and sustain faculty collaborations across disciplines. Librarians attending will explore new approaches to interpret the visual and communicative power of artists’ books to students in class discussion, individual research, and investigative writing for course assignments.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• Refine Curatorial Skills

Define and clarify collecting mission and strategies: articulate a collection development policy and philosophy

How to evaluate quality and long-term relevance of potential acquisitions

Discussing and critiquing individual books

Understanding the elements of studio practice to develop terminology for interpreting artists’ books to diverse audiences

• Use and Promotion of the Collection

Making the collection relevant to the institution’s curriculum and educational mission

Partnering with academic departments for broader impact

Ideas for collaborative projects with faculty, students, administration

Access through finding aids, digitization, exhibitions and catalogs

• Venues and Interactions

Identify venues to meet artists, printers, designers, dealers, collectors, writers, and publishers

What information artists and book dealers need from you to be effective partners, and what you need from them

Professional journals, online resources, and membership organizations for collectors

• Audience for the Seminar

Librarians and curators responsible for developing artists’ books collections, those who are new to the genre, or called upon to assume additional areas of responsibility.

Librarians whose research and instruction requires them to know more about the history, terminology, and context of the contemporary book, or those creating new initiatives in interdisciplinary teaching.

Administrators exploring new opportunities in the shifting landscape of library collections: digital vs. print, prioritizing unique and special collections for teaching and research.