Will post when relevant

Hello everyone,

     A new semester has started and I need to focus on other projects, but I will post new information that I find relevant to the topic of libraries and museums when I come across them. Feel free to send me messages if you know of something that should be discussed on this blog.

Thanks!

For Library-Museum Enthusiasts

Here is a list of citations for materials about library-museum partnerships that I have evaluated for my Introduction to Library and Information Studies course this semester. If any of the listings pique your interest and you wish to learn more, please see earlier postings on this blog for the annotations of these articles:

 

RECOMMENDED BOOK

Dilevko, J. & Gottlieb, L. (2004). The evolution of library and museum partnerships: Historical antecedents, contemporary manifestations and future directions. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

RECOMMENDED WEB SITES

The Library, Archive and Museum Collaboration Program of the Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (n.d) Retrieved Sept. 28, 2008 from http://www.oclc.org/programs/ourwork/collectivecoll/relationships/default.htm

Institute of Museum and Library Services. (n.d) Retrieved Sept. 28, 2008 from http://www.imls.gov

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES ON LIBRARY-MUSEUM PARTNERSHIPS THROUGH TIME

1880 through 1920

Lewin, P.E. (1903). Libraries and museums. The Library Assistant, 3(23), 286-288.

1921 through 1940

Williams, L.B. (1931). Museums and their libraries. Special Libraries, 22(6), 207-208.

1941 through 1960

Williams, D.G. (1945). Adult education in public libraries and museums. Journal of Negro Education, 14(3), 322-330.

1961 through 1980

Hoffman, J. (1980). Archive-library relations. Journal of Library History, 15(3), 375-377.

1981 through 2000

Van de Vossen-Delbruck, E. (1987). Libraries of art museums. Art Libraries Journal, 12(1), 12-13.

2000 through 2008

Yasar, T. (2008). Libraries and museums in the flat world: Are they becoming virtual destinations? Library Collections, Acquisitions & Technical Services, 32, 1-9.

Library-Museum Partnerships that "think outside the box"

I decided to look around the Web today and see if there were any library-museum partnerships that had unique or out of the ordinary collections. I also wanted to see if there were any unusual services provided by or for library-museum collaborations. I am glad to say that I was not disappointed on either count. Please take a look at the examples below...I hope you find them as interesting as I did:

UNIQUE COLLECTIONS

San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library & Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum

http://www.sfoarts.org/about/alm.html

The most amazing thing about this library-museum is that it is located within the San Francisco International Airport! This institution is dedicated the history of commercial aviation and San Francisco's role as the "Gateway to the Pacific."

Armenian Library and Museum of America

http://www.almainc.org

Groups of all ethnic backgrounds can take lessons from this library-museum in Watertown, Mass., on to present and preserve one's heritage. While there are separate Web pages for the library and museum, great care is taken to show the symbiotic relationship between the two institutions.

SPECIAL SERVICES

Cartography Software and Design by ESRI for libraries and museums

http://www.esri.com/industries/libraries/index.html

Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) is a land use analysis company that uses Geographic Information System (GIS) software to produce results for its clients. Among the clientele that ESRI serves are libraries and museums who look to the company to provide assistance in construction of collections and exhibits using their cartography products.

Museum 2.0: The Living Library Project

http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/2008/07/living-library-using-our-institutions.html

This entry at the Museum 2.0 blog speaks to the concept of libraries and museums working collaboratively to inspire and create a civic dialogue in the communities that the institutions serve.

Book Annotation: Examining Library-Museum Collaborations

Dilevko, J. & Gottlieb, L. (2004). The evolution of library and museum partnerships: Historical antecedents, contemporary manifestations and future directions. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

This book presents a thorough analysis of the nature of library-museum partnerships and the historical contributions that these alliances have made. Authors Dilevko and Gottlieb pose the argument that the most potentially productive next phase in the advancement of the library and museum collaborations is the library-museum hybrid within a joint-use facility. Housing a library and museum dedicated to a particular subject under one roof could provide a community with greater opportunities for information literacy and life-long learning. The authors make their case through a report on landmark library-museum partnerships, a synopsis of the history of library-museum collaborations and a concluding blueprint of how the 21st century library-museum could thrive. The charts that list the grant figures for successful library-museum projects are worth examination. Dilevko and Gottlieb have published extensively in the field of library and information science and they demonstrate a credible proposal for the next chapter in the story of library and museum productions.

Web Site Annotations: Sites that report on Library-Museum Partnerships

The Library, Archive and Museum Collaboration Program of the Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (n.d.) Retrieved Sept. 28, 2008 from http://www.oclc.org/programs/ourwork/collectivecoll/relationships/default.htm

The objective of this OCLC-sponsored program is to encourage greater collaboration among libraries, archives and museums by creating an exchange of data, services and expertise. This Web site serves as a repository for survey results, articles and Web postings that are relevant to the Libraries, Archives and Museums community (LAM). The site describes the program's goals and solicits interactions from LAM institutions in the program's research.

Institute of Museum and Library Services. (n.d.) Retrieved Sept. 28, 2008 from
http://www.imls.gov

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) was established when the Museum and Library Services Act was passed by Congress in 1996. Library-museum partnerships have been an IMLS priority since the organization's inception. The primary mission of the IMLS is to empower libraries and museums with the resources to connect people to information and ideas. Helping to underwrite the alliance between libraries and museums is an integral part of that mission. Among the IMLS' directives to stimulate library-museum partnerships is the International Strategic Partnership Initiative. Through this program, American libraries and museums are encouraged to share with and learn from others engaged in library and museum work around the globe. A site search reveals several archived reports about library-museum collaborations.

Article Annotation: L&M from 2000 through 2008

Yasar, Tonta. (2008). Libraries and museums in the flat world: Are they becoming virtual destinations? Library Collections, Acquisitions & Technical Services, 32, 1-9

Inspired by the suggestions put forth in Thomas Friedman's book, "The World is Flat," Tonta Yasar, a professor of information management from Ankara, Turkey, attempts to describe how the emergent information landscape affects traditional libraries and museums. While today's libraries and museums have successfully become "virtual destinations," they are not yet playing by the same rules set forth by competing information sources available on the Internet and the World Wide Web. Libraries and museums may still offer the best and most authoritative resources and services, but they are no longer the first stop for users seeking information. The Internet has altered the information-seeking and learning behaviors of people. Today's information users expect the simplicity and instant gratification of Amazon, Google and their ilk and these are the standards by which libraries and museums are now judged. If libraries and museums fail to offer as much information about their materials as these upstart competitors can, users may no longer consider these institutions as worthwhile information providers.
One way that libraries are addressing this trend is through the Open WorldCat catalog. Developed by OCLC in cooperation with Google, libraries can move their catalogs to this system and expose their data to major search engines. Museums can participate in this phenomenon of "flattening" information by making digital records of past and present exhibitions available to viewers online. In terms of the reciprocal relationship between libraries and museums, the institutions can become worthy competitors on the new information playing field by continuing to build on the relationships of the past. Libraries and museums can sustain each others' existence in the digital world by sharing and consolidating data, services and innovations.

Article annotation: L&M from 1981 through 2000

Van der Vossen-Delbruck, E. (1987). Libraries of art museums. Art Libraries Journal, 12(1), 12-13.

This article reflects how libraries and museums have “grown up together” and also how they are being affected by advances in technology. In a special volume devoted to the evolution of art libraries and museums in the Netherlands, the author describes how museum libraries that specialized in the collection of art resources were able to expand their clientele from just the museum staff to the general public. One example is the Rijksmuseum library in Amsterdam which began as a small reference library in 1877. More than a hundred years later, the library has grown large enough to warrant its own building and separate entrances and rooms for the public. The article concludes by reporting that while the use of a card catalog is still present at most Dutch art libraries and museums, most staff members are being trained in the automated cataloging of books.