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LIBR 539B: SPECIALIZED MATERIALS: Visual ARTS and Performing Arts Special Collections (3) -- COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

PRE-REQUISITES : ARST/LIBR 500, LIBR 501, LIBR 502, LIBR 503 [for students in the MLIS or Joint programs. ARST 500/LIBR 500, ARST 510, ARST 515, ARST 516, ARST 520, ARST 540, ARST 573, ARST 587 [for students in the standalone MAS program] .

 

COURSE GOALS : Students will be introduced to the theoretical and methodological knowledge necessary for the management of visual arts and performing arts special collections. Students will be introduced to the artistic processes and activities, as well as to the documentation efforts, which lead to the creation of visual arts and performing arts materials housed in special collections and in other types of repositories. Students will learn about and experience the different types of formats of visual arts and performing arts materials, and will become familiar with different user groups and needs. Students will also learn the specific skills necessary to manage, preserve and provide access to the materials. The knowledge acquired in this course will prepare students to work in specialized art and performing arts libraries, special collections, digital collections, and cultural heritage collections. Students will also be prepared to work with visual arts and performing arts materials that exist in non-specialized repositories.

OBJECTIVES :
Upon completion of this course students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate understanding of the processes and activities that lead to the creation of visual arts and performing arts materials, in the context of artistic creation and of documentation efforts, for the purpose of identifying what materials are important to retain and acquire, and for the purpose of understanding the significance of the materials to the creators and to the users.
  • Demonstrate the ability to identify and manage the many formats of visual arts and performing arts materials, including ephemera, three-dimensional objects, sketches, manuscripts, notation, photographs, multimedia, and digital formats, among others.
  • Demonstrate understanding of access to and use of visual arts and performing arts materials on the part of different user groups, for the purpose of providing adequate access and support to users, including online access to digitized collections.
  • Demonstrate understanding of how information professionals manage and preserve visual arts and performing arts materials in different environments, for the purpose of properly maintaining collections.
  • Demonstrate understanding of how to conduct marketing, awareness and outreach projects and activities, for the purpose of making collections better known and funded, and more widely used and available.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the major repositories that house visual arts and performing arts materials, and of relevant professional and scholarly associations, for the purpose of understanding the current situation and becoming part of a network of professionals and scholars.
CONTENT :

  • The Context of Creation of Visual Arts and Performing Arts Materials: who creates the materials, how and under what circumstances?
  • Working With Artists and Creators: how can information professionals establish a supportive collaboration with living artists and creators, as well as their estates, in order to assist in the creation and acquisition of materials, and in order to respect the intentions of artists and creators when it comes to preservation and fruition?
  • Characteristics of Visual Arts and Performing Arts Materials: what are the specific characteristics, formats and requirements of the materials?
  • Use of Visual Arts and Performing Arts Materials: who uses the materials, for what purposes and under which circumstances? What are the specific user needs and how can information professionals meet these needs and provide users with adequate access and support?
  • Theories and Practices in Visual and Performing Arts Special Collections: what theories and practices inform the management of visual arts and performing arts materials?
  • Management of Visual Arts and Performing Arts Materials: what are the specific standards, practical and theoretical tools employed in the everyday management of visual arts and performing arts materials? What are the legal and ethical issues faced by information professionals? What marketing, awareness and outreach activities can be conducted in relation to visual arts and performing arts special collections?
  • Visual Arts and Performing Arts Repositories: what are the most important repositories that house visual arts and performing arts materials? Where are they located and how do they operate?
  • Scholarly and Professional Visual Arts and Performing Arts Associations: what are the relevant professional and scholarly associations and what are their main objectives? How are they run and what activities do they promote and support?