Category Archives: Metadata + Tagging

The World of Metadata: An Expedition

By Becky Teague

In August of 2020, I began working as a graduate research assistant on a digital humanities initiative titled Global Makers: Women Artists in the Early Modern Courts. Together with the two principal creators of the project (both art historians at the same university from which I received my master’s, one being my previous advisor), I embarked on a journey into the unknown world (to me!) of metadata schemas, digital mapping, and controlled vocabularies. 

The photo above is a screenshot of the upper portion of our homepage.

The art-historical aspect of the project was familiar – researching little-known women artists who contributed to the production of visual and material culture in the courts of Europe and Asia from c. 1400-1750. As a recent graduate of an MA program, I was comfortable with research. I knew how to scour archives, libraries, and universities’ digital resources for information. I often spent countless days holed up in research rooms surrounded by open books and stacks of old journal issues, immersed in a world five hundred years before my own. However, as a first-year MLIS student trying to translate those worlds into easily understandable visualizations, I felt out of my depth. 

We first began the project by creating our database, the primary storehouse of information on our women artists. Using the Omeka-S platform, we collaborated with the university’s DH Librarian and IT Specialist to choose some initial metadata sets we thought would work best for categorizing our artists, their patrons, and their artworks. With our schemas chosen, I set to work on populating the database with information – artist’s names, pseudonyms, collaborators, locations active, dates active, artwork formats, artwork mediums, courts involved, etcetera, etcetera. 

The photo above is a screenshot of the back end of our database on Omeka-S, specifically the metadata for Lavinia Fontana.

“This isn’t so bad at all,” I thought, “why was I ever worried about this in the first place?” 

Once we had around fifty items added, the team and I decided to open the site up to its first public users – a select few colleagues in the field who might have one or two artists to contribute. 

Prior to our request for outside participation, however, our contribution forms started giving trouble, erasing the alternate text prompts and simply displayed the metadata sets and each prompt’s corresponding element. So, for example, instead of seeing the prompt “Title Awarded at Court?” among the list of questions proffered, visitors saw the less-than-helpful ‘foaf:geekcode.’ Before we knew it, the site was having a host of issues in terms of data storage, reconciliation, and retrieval. Our Value Suggest module refused to fully integrate with the forward-facing contribution forms; the resource templates were not aligning with the collecting forms, leading to a loss of information when a template was chosen for an item; and only a fraction of the rich content available through the Getty Vocabularies (particularly the Thesaurus of Geographic Names, or TGN, and Union List of Artist Names, or ULAN – both useful for regularizing data) would upload to the site. “This was what I was worried about,” I remember thinking, “We don’t know enough about site development for this.”  

For nearly a year, the principal creators of the project and I fretted over the state of our project, frantically attending online Omeka-S workshops, organizing guest lectures from Getty representatives, and setting meetings with librarians and other specialists. We correspondingly kept pushing the opportunity to share our new site, even with our closest colleagues in art history. We felt self-conscious of its limitations, of our own incompetence and lack of knowledge. Who were we kidding to think that three art historians (one of whom, myself, was also a fresh LIS student) could create a complex, open-access database of early modern women replete with dynamic visualizations? Who did we think we were?

It wasn’t until Phase II of the site’s expansion focusing on visualization development began, just two months ago in early June, that we started realizing perhaps we weren’t quite as helpless as we thought. Our computer science research assistant, a Ph.D. student concentrating on information-centric networking, joined the team. We met with him several times, explaining our project goals, the current state of the database (which was clearly less than ideal), and the hopes we had for visualization functionality. He seemed impressed with the number of technical issues we had already overcome and was constantly more optimistic about the site and its potential than we had ever been. Within a month, he even had a fully functioning visualization program operating based on the information stored in our database. “Your database isn’t as broken as you think it is,” he told us, “I can still make it operate just fine, it’s the little things that need honing. You’ve only been working on this for a year!” 

The photo above is the data visualization I mentioned was part of the goal of Phase II — created by our computer science Ph.D. student. You can begin to see how the site is starting to show relationships between artists, their patrons, and the works of art they create/commission.

Now, as we prepare for a series of conferences on our DH project this fall, the team and I still have problems to fix. There are still bugs in the collecting module and Value Suggest options that do not work. But I think we’ve learned how to find comfort in the ambiguity, in the difficult space of “I don’t know.” In academia, we tend to learn our craft and how our field operates and then stick to that vein of knowledge, moving around in tiny circles of familiarity where we feel safe, competent, and knowledgeable; a place mostly free from that terrifying f-word – ‘failure.’ But that’s not where true growth occurs. We have to push ourselves to expand our interests into new territories, not feel incompetent and naïve for stepping outside our fields. After all, is that not what academia is, at its core? A dedication to continued learning and research?

As I begin formulating my conference papers for the next few months, then, I find myself wanting to talk more about this general hesitation to expand the bounds of our research rather than the technical developments of the Global Makers project. I want to tell fellow graduate students (and faculty!) that it is okay to be wrong, to ask “dumb” questions, to dare to explore a new field and its potential relevance to your own. That type of relentless and boundless curiosity is something academia (and the world) needs more of, and I fully believe the ones who pursue it are our best hopes for the future. Interdisciplinarity is the future. 

Don’t be afraid of asking questions, be afraid of never asking at all.

Becky Teague is an art history instructor at Shelton State Community College, a Graduate Research Assistant to the Global Makers project, and an MLIS graduate student at the University of Alabama.

She loves spending her free time traveling, painting, and reading. 

Note: Experiences, thoughts, and feelings shared on the ArLiSNAP blog are solely those of the featured author(s) and interviewees and do not represent the views of any employer.

Thinking about “Folk Art”

This post was sparked by an essay that caught my eye while reading Radical cataloging: Essays at the front, edited by K. R. Roberto (I highly recommend it if cataloging, description, and/or metadata is your thing). The article that intrigued me was a chapter by Joan M. Benedetti, a re-edit of an article that originally appeared in a 2000 issue of Art Documentation, entitled “Words, words, words: Folk art terminology- Why it (still) matters.” Benedetti talks about the mess of issues surrounding terminology like folk art and outsider art. It reminded me of the work of Sanford Berman and Hope Olson. Both Berman and Olson’s seminal works, Prejudices and antipathies: A tract on the LC subject heads concerning people and The power to name: Representation in library catalogs, discuss the biases, and with this power, in the language of the Library of Congress controlled vocabularies. While some time has passed since these works were initially published, 1971 and 1996, librarians are still challenging problems in the language of controlled vocabularies (see Emily Drabinski’s 2013 article “Queering the catalog: Queer theory and the politics of correction”).

Matthew Arient’s Angel by Howard Finster, 1987

 

Before digging into Benedetti’s essay and issues surrounding folk art terminology, I want to present brief definitions of terms that are helpful to think of in the context of this discussion. Definitions have been taken from The Getty Thesaurus for Art and Architecture.

Folk art: Art and crafts that are produced in culturally cohesive communities or contexts, and guided by traditional rules or procedures. It includes paintings, ceramics, textiles, sculpture, and other art forms. It is generally distinct from “naive art,” which is created by those without formal training, but not necessarily within a cohesive cultural community. It is also distinct from “outsider art,” which usually refers specifically to art created or collected according to a philosophy of avoidance of traditional training.

Outsider art: Refers to art created or collected according to a philosophy of avoidance of the conventional fine art tradition. The concept generally refers to art that fits the ideal described by Jean Dubuffet, who posited that art should be inventive, non-conformist, unprocessed, spontaneous, insulated from all social and cultural influences, “brut,” created without thought of financial gain or public recognition, and based upon autonomous inspiration, in direct contrast to the stereotypes of the traditional or official artistic culture. Dubuffet sought such art in the work of psychiatric patients and other insulated individuals. It is generally distinct from “naive art,” which is created by those without formal training, but not necessarily in accordance with the principles described above. It is also typically distinct from “folk art,” which is made according to the rules and traditions of a particular culture.

Naive art: Refers to art created by non-professional artists or artisans who have not had formal training and are often self-taught. It typically displays the artist’s poor grasp of anatomy and lacks mastery of conventional perspective and other hallmarks of trained artists. It includes painting, sculpture, embroidery, quilts, toys, ships’ figureheads, decoys, painted targets, and other objects, and often refers to such objects created specifically in 19th- and 20th-century Europe and North America. It is generally distinguished from “outsider art,” which includes the more extravagant psychotic drawings and other art created or collected according to a philosophy of the avoidance of, rather than simply a lack of, traditional training. It is also usually distinct from “folk art,” which is created according to specific cultural traditions.

Fine art: Genre including physical objects that are that are meant to be perceived primarily through the sense of sight, are of high quality, requiring refined skill in creation, and typically using the media of painting, drawing, or sculpture. It may also refer to architecture and design. Although there is overlap, fine art is generally distinguished from other art forms based on the media, extent of skill, and the level of formal training required. It is distinct from “decorative art” in that the fine arts are art in which the aesthetic or intellectual expression is more prominent than the utilitarian purpose. It is distinct from “crafts,” which are handiworks of media such as ceramics, glass, needlework, or any medium other than painting, drawing, sculpture, or architecture. It is also distinct from “commercial art,” which is created to serve commerce such as in advertisements or illustration.

The Getty Thesaurus of Art and Architecture gives distinct definitions for folk, outsider, and naive art, clearly delineating them as not synonyms to one another. However, these words are still often used interchangeably. This is also not an exhaustive list of terms that are used to describe art of this similar, yet variant nature, but just three I chose to highlight.

Man with a Plow by Bill Traylor, 1939-1942

Folk art, outsider art, and naive art are terms used by individuals in a position of privilege within the institution of fine art to describe the work created by individuals outside of this institution. A dichotomy between those with the power to name and those without, between those who point out this “other” and those who are this “other,” is always problematic. General acceptance of what constitutes fine art is rooted in Western, Eurocentric practice and thought. The land of outsider art, as posited by museum professional Kenneth L. Ames, is largely populated by “minority, marginalized, and unempowered people. (Ames, 1994, p. 255).

Navajo Rug, 1890-1900

Benedetti discusses problems with the overuse of “folk” as a designator for such a wide variety of works. She draws a distinction between items that are created by “culturally cohesive communities” with utilitarian value, such as a Navajo rug, and items created from a “personal consciousness,” which are often idiosyncratic and often “functioning in opposition to any community context,” such as the works of artist Howard Finster (Benedetti, 1987, p. 4). Oftentimes though, both of these types of works would fall under the same category of “folk art.”

The concepts behind folk art terminology is not so simple and further evaluation for nuances, biases, and clarification would be beneficial. Both Benedetti and Ames present issues with the terminology that garners future consideration, thought, and study by scholars, librarians, and anyone with an interest in the power of language.

References

Ames, K.L. (1994). Outside outsider art. In M. D. Hall & E. W. Metcalf, Jr. (Eds.) The Artist outsider: creativity and boundaries of culture (p. 253-271). Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.

Benedetti, J.M. (2000). Words, words, words: Folk art terminology- Why it (still) matters. Art Documentation, 19(1), 14-21.

Benedetti, J. M. (2003). Folk art terminology revisited: Why it (still) matters. In K. R. Robert (Ed.), Radical cataloging: Essays at the front (p. 112-125). Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company.

The Artist/Librarian: An interview with Kylie Schmitt

Kylie Schmitt, Digital Technician at the Frick Art Reference Library, at her computer workstation.

As art librarians we obviously have an affinity for the visual and creative arts.  In fact many of us found our field by starting originally as artists.  Kylie Schmitt, an early professional at the Frick Art Reference Library, is both librarian and artist.  She shares more information about her work as an information professional and as a practicing artist.

What is your current position? 

Digital Technician

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?

On a day-to-day basis I perform quality assurance (QA) on our digitization projects’ TIF and PDF files; I create workflows for our digitization and QA processes; manage our digitization and QA team; maintain, organize, & backup files within our DAMS and local drives; officiate digitization requests; and report on progress of digitization projects numerically.

Tell us about what a typical work day looks like for you.

On a typical day I’ll start with some QA. Throughout the day I’ll manage others doing QA, answer questions, and troubleshoot issues that we have come across. I also will monitor if we have any digitization requests and by the end of the day I’ll have probably done some organization of files either on our DAMS or on a local drive.

What does quality assurance mean in your field?

Quality assurance is a process that all digital materials go through before they can be approved to go public. The process entails putting another set of eyes on digitized items to make sure all of our digital file standards are met. Our standards range from file size/resolution standards based on Federal Agencies Digitization Guidelines Initiative (FADGI), to making sure nothing foreign accidentally made it into the frame.

Can you describe one of your favorite digitization projects that you have worked on?

Each project takes quite a while to complete, however, I think I like our American School Digitization project best because as someone working on it you get to look at American art all day.

What is your educational background? How did you come into librarianship as a field?

I received my Bachelor’s in Studio art, concentrating in photography. After working in the fine art and advertising worlds, I realized it wasn’t for me, but I still wanted to stay in the arts. I worked at the Marymount Manhattan library while attended as an undergrad student and thought I should combine my enjoyment of the library with my passion for the arts so I went back to school and received my Master’s in Library Science.

What type of artwork do you primarily do?

Photography and ceramics.

How did you get into photography and ceramics?

When I was 10 years old my dad gave me my first camera. It was his manual film camera and he taught me how to use the aperture and shutter settings. I’ve been taking pictures ever since then but didn’t develop and print my own work until I went to Maine Media Workshops after high school. I took ceramics in grade school and was in pottery club, but then it wasn’t available in high school so I didn’t go back to it until I was in college where I fell in love with it again.

Does the your library work influence your artwork? What about vice-versa?

I don’t use a digital camera in my artwork which probably has to do with the fact that I work on a computer all day at the library. I do gain inspiration from seeing so many pieces of art at work on a daily basis.

So can you describe the medium of the image you are sharing?

This piece is a cyanotype, a form of photographic process. No camera, or negative was used; instead I used organic materials directly on paper, coated with a light sensitive cyan medium, as a contact print.

Photograph of a plant negative

Meristem, 2015
Cyanotype
Kylie Schmitt

Who are your artistic influences?

The f/64 group for sure, and Georgia O’Keeffe

Tell us more about the f/64 group?

The f/64 group was formed in the 1930s. They are a group of San Francisco photographers including Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and Imogen Cunningham, to name a few. At the time the popular photographic style was pictorial, so this group of photographers formed based on their modern aesthetic. The term f/64 is a small aperture size that allows for a clearer focus throughout the image and greater depth of field. The aperture setting f/64 is used in the straight photography that the group was known for.

Who is your favorite artist?

Edward Weston

Do you have art on your walls? What kind?

I do. Mostly photographs – old prints found at thrift stores, and some nature photography (one being an Ansel Adams of course), but no original pieces by artists themselves. I hope to one day invest in some original works after I save up.

As a new professional in the field what is one thing you wish you had known before you graduated?

I wish I knew how digital and technical the library world is becoming.

What advice can you give to someone in library school who wants to do the kind of work you are doing?

I think for my work, experience is everything. I would say my best advice would be to do as many internships as you can, to build up experience and to network.

Visual Arts Research Data Management

Visual arts research data management (VARDM) seems to be a burgeoning subfield among art librarians and visual resource professionals that will be increasingly relevant to the success of emerging professionals in these fields. VARDM is the subject of a workshop at the VRA Annual Conference in March and, with the advent of data management services and interdisciplinary research, we can expect to see data management spread beyond the sciences into the arts and humanities.

VARDM is currently  more developed in the UK than the US, due to a series of JISC funded projects that have investigated the topic since 2007. These projects have labored to define the field, its component parts and the different roles that exist for researchers and data managers. The projects have made their various outputs available – most notably a series of online training toolkits aimed at students, researchers and data managers.

A common thread among these projects is the struggle to define key terms like ‘research data’, ‘data set’, and ‘research output’ as they pertain to the visual and performing arts. Some definitions that recur in the existing literature appear below.

Research Data

  • “A useful point to consider is that the research data of today may well be the special collections of the future” (cited in Murtagh, 2011)
  • “Research data is digital information created in the course of research but which isn’t a published research output. Research data excludes purely administrative records. The highest priority research data is that which underpins a research output” (Research Data Management Glossary)
  • “Data which arises out of, and evidences, research” (Garrett and Gramstadt, 2012)

Research Output – regardless of presentation, is a planned public statement of new knowledge or interpretation

Data Set – research collated in a certain way to substantiate a particular interpretation, analysis, or argument. May not always lead to a research output (Garrett and Grandstadt 2012)

Evidence – Evidence which is used or created to generate new knowledge and interpretations. (Garrett 2012)

The concept of the ‘visual arts researcher’ is a broad one, drawing from the fields of art, architecture, art history, design, dance, performance, etc. and including both practitioners and researchers from within each – including those who would identify simultaneously as both. Thus, ‘research data’ is understood to encompass sketches, samples, notebooks, process materials, reference materials, and any number of other things. Thinking about VARDM poses interesting challenges because, in addition to the logistics that need to be resolved in order to effectively preserve and provide access to the materials throughout their life cycle, one must constantly be distinguishing between the creative process and the research process, all the while recognizing moments when they intersect and align.

To date, most of the efforts to tackle these problems and get a handle on research data in the visual arts have been funded in various ways by JISC in the UK. Between 2007 and 2009, JISC funded a project called Kultur which developed an institutional repository model for research output in the creative and applied arts. Kultur was succeeded by a project called Kultivate which applied the best practice developed by Kultur. In August 2010, the JISC Managing Research Data Program (MRDP) funded the CAiRO project (Curating Artistic Research Output) which ran until July 2011 with the goal of creating a teaching and learning module designed for researchers at the postgraduate level.

CAiRO was followed by the KAPTUR project (also funded by JISC MRDP) from 2011 – 2013 which, “investigated the nature and scope of research data in the visual arts”, and, “created a sectoral model of best practice in the management of research data in the visual arts, consisting of: toolkits, workshops, case studies, institutional policies, a technical requirements analysis, and business and sustainability plans”. For more information, see the project’s outputs – in particular the  KAPTUR Environmental Assessment Report. The report investigates issues of terminology, the role of the visual arts researcher and the visual arts research data lifecycle by exploring the following two research questions:

What is the nature of visual arts research data?

How can we support the needs of visual arts researchers through institutional infrastructure

KAPTUR also developed three of the previously mentioned online toolkits designed to provide an introduction into research data in the visual arts and its management – two of the toolkits are geared towards researchers (Introduction to Research Data, Data Management Planning) and the third is intended for visual arts data managers (Managing the Material).

KAPTUR was succeeded by a group called VADS4R (Visual Arts Data Skills for Researchers) from February 2013-July 2014 which built upon the work of KAPTUR by piloting and further developing additional training plans and making the KAPTUR toolkits available. VADS4R created two additional toolkits: How to Avoid a Data Disaster and Writing the AHRC Technical Plan.

Within the VADS4R toolkits the merits of effective research data management are discussed at great length and I will not reproduce all of them here. The concise version, available on the project site, is as follows:

Managing your research data can…

…Ensure you meet research funder expectations

…Make it easier to understand successive iterations of your research

…Make it easier to re-visit your research if changes are required, for example by a journal editor or exhibition curator

…Enable easier access to your research for re-use in other projects

…Avoid the serious implications of having to re-do your research from scratch, for example due to data loss or inaccessible data

For emerging professionals, the point of interest here is not so much the history of VARDM projects in the UK, but the methodical aims and prodigious outputs of these projects which are exceptionally well documented and easily accessible online. While earning my MLIS I was not aware of any coursework addressing VARDM and I would be very interested to hear about any programs that offer this kind of material or institutions that are actively addressing it.

In the recent conference co-sponsored by ArLiSNAP and VREPS, “Visualizing the Future: New Perspectives in Art Librarianship”, Kate Thornhill of Lelsley University College of Art and Design discussed the early stages of her foray into VARDM. If you’re interested in initiating VARDM programming at your institution, I would recommend reviewing her presentation in addition to the VADS4R toolkits and Kultur outputs.

For more information:

PT term Manager of Digital Assets and Collections Information– Glenstone

Position: Manager of Digital Assets and Collections Information

Reports to: Chief Archivist/Librarian

Background:

Located on 200 acres in Potomac, Maryland, Glenstone strives to provide visitors with a unique experience through the seamless integration of art, architecture, and landscape. Its first exhibition building was designed by late architect Charles Gwathmey and opened to the public in 2006. It hosts a series of rotating exhibitions with artworks drawn from Glenstone’s permanent collection of post-World War II art. The outdoor landscape is home to monumental sculptures carefully placed amidst rolling pasture and unspoiled woodland. Admission is always free, and visits are scheduled by appointment to encourage an unhurried, intimate engagement between the viewer and their surroundings.

Glenstone is now embarking upon an expansion in order to strengthen its commitment to the viewing public. The centerpiece of this project will be the construction of a new exhibition building designed by Thomas Phifer and Partners. The building will highlight a series of discreet pavilions, or “rooms” surrounding a central water courtyard, many of which will be devoted to single-artist installations. It will provide significantly expanded gallery space and state of the art collection storage. Landscape architects Peter Walker and Partners will also oversee a revised master plan of Glenstone’s outdoor landscape. Finally, the expansion will incorporate a new public entrance and visitor amenities, to support a more comfortable and rewarding visit.

Job Purpose:

To develop detailed requirements for systems to manage Glenstone’s digital assets, including: a Digital Asset Management System (DAMS) and/or Digital Preservation System.

Job Duties:

 Produce a short and long-range plan as it relates to the creation, management, and use of information, digital assets, and other collections-related assets; deliverable due by end of appointed term.

 Work closely with IT and other departments to ensure the reliability, security, and accessibility of all digital asset and collections information systems, including managing user groups, permissions, workflows, and reporting.

 Work with records creators across departments to establish logical file directory structures, naming conventions, metadata standards, and formats for born-digital records and assets.

 Develop and/or adopt metadata standards for digital assets and collections information.

 Develop policies, procedures, and workflows for the ingestion of digital assets and collections information into all digital asset and collections information systems. Train staff accordingly and monitor compliance.

 Develop and implement digital preservation strategies.

Required Qualifications:

 3-5 years of experience overseeing digital asset management and/or collections information management in a museum or archival setting.

 BA or equivalent in Art History, History or Humanities. Advanced degree, preferably MLIS with archival focus, or Museum Studies with Collections Information Management and/or Digital Asset Management focus highly preferred; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

 Knowledge of current best practices related to DAMS and collections information metadata, processes, and preservation strategies.

 Experience selecting and implementing digital asset management and/or collections information management systems.

 Experience and familiarity with one or more of the leading digital asset management systems, e.g., ADAM, Canto Cumulus, Extensis Portfolio, MeGlenstoneBin, NetXposure, Razuna, Xinet.

 Familiarity with one or more of the leading ILS or AMS platforms, e.g., Aleph/Voyager, Archivists’ Toolkit, Archon, CollectiveAccess, CuadraSTAR, Koha, Millennium, Omeka.

 Experience crafting institutional digitization and digital preservation strategies.

 Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifcations:

 Experience implementing open source software.

 Familiarity with current cataloging best practices and metadata standards for collections in museums, libraries, and archives, including Cataloging Cultural Objects (CCO), LIDO, CDWA Lite, AAT, ULAN, DACS, EAD, MARC, AACR, LCSH, Dublin Core, PBCore, VRA Core, IPTC Core, XMP, EXIF, METS, MODS, and other standards as appropriate.

 Ability to work with staff possessing a wide range of technical competence.

 Experience and/or familiarity with CRM software.

Salary:  Glenstone offers a competitive salary.  This is a six-month, term position.

Application Process:

Electronically submit a cover letter, resume, list of three professional references, and a writing sample to HR@glenstone.org, or mail to:

Human Resources Generalist
Glenstone
12002 Glen Road
Potomac, MD 20854

Date Posted: May 20, 2014

Deadline: June 6, 2014

Visual Resources Intern– The Jewish Museum

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Jewish Museum’s Visual Resource Archive consists of photographic materials depicting permanent collections objects, past exhibition installations, and themes relating to Jewish history and culture.

Under the supervision of the Visual Resources Coordinator, the Visual Resources Intern will be responsible for researching and cataloging physical photographic collateral including glass plate negatives, 35 mm slides, and 4×5 transparencies. The successful candidate will have film handling experience and will be familiar with collections databases. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to pursue a career in the visual resources fields and to observe the inner workings of a museum visual resources collection. The internship will also provide experience and hands-on training working with the most commonly used museum collections software, The Museum System (TMS).

The intern will receive a museum identification card that allows for free admission to other museums and various discounts.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

 Identify, research, and store photographic materials in the Visual Resources Archive
 Transcribe information associated with the images
 Label archival envelopes for the permanent storage of analog photographic materials
 Use TMS to find information about artwork depicted in images
 Entering data and attaching images to records in TMS may be required

REQUIREMENTS:

 At least 3 years coursework toward Bachelor’s Degree in Art History or Photography
 Experience handling delicate materials such as negative and transparencies
 Experience working with analog photographic materials and scanners
 Strong attention to detail
 Applicants with coursework toward advanced degree in Art History. Photography, Archives and/or
Library Science preferred

Full posting here.

Job postings

Picture Library Assistant– The Granger Collection

Archivist (theater)– Confidential 

Digital Asset Manager– Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Archivist– The Felix Gonzalez Torres Foundation

Library Assistant IV– The Getty

Metadata Librarian I- The Getty

 

 

Assistant Visual Resources Curator– School of Visual Arts

DATE AVAILABLE: May 2014
JOB TITLE: Assistant Visual Resources Curator
DEPARTMENT: Visual Arts Library
REPORTS TO: Visual Resources Curator
STATUS: Exempt

POSITION OVERVIEW: Assists Visual Resources Curator in the daily operation of the Visual Resources Collection.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Develop and provide access to digital image collection.
  • Provide support to faculty and student in the Visual Resources Collection.
  • Assist the curator in the daily operation of the Visual Resources Collection.
  • Maintain image database, organize and manage electronic images.
  • Oversee image processing (scanning of digital material, creation of metadata, and uploading of images and metadata to our local database).
  • Assist with ongoing digital image conversion projects; familiarizing faculty with MDID2, ARTstor, and other image resources.
  • Assist with inquires regarding scanning, Photoshop, PowerPoint and other VR related software and equipment as needed.
  • Troubleshoot image databases and working with Library Systems staff and campus IT to resolve technical issues.
  • Supervise and train student staff.
  • Occasional general maintenance of analog collection.

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Art History, Fine Arts, Design, or other relevant field.
  • Knowledge of contemporary art–or be able to demonstrate an equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • Strong knowledge of digital imaging technologies, scanning, FileMaker Pro, PhotoShop, Excel, PowerPoint, PC and Mac Platforms
  • Mature and professional demeanor.
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to work well with a diverse group of people.
  • High organizational aptitude and attention to detail.
  • Previous visual resources, library, art history, or gallery experience; working knowledge of data standards used for cataloging works of art and/or general office experience a plus.

School of Visual Arts has been a leader in the education of artists, designers, and creative professionals for more than six decades. With a faculty of distinguished working professionals, dynamic curriculum, and an emphasis on critical thinking, SVA is a catalyst for innovation and social responsibility. Comprised of more than 6,000 students at its Manhattan campus and 35,000 alumni in 100 countries, SVA also represents one of the most influential artistic communities in the world. For information about the College’s 31 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, visit sva.edu.

Find out what it’s like to work at SVA visit: www.sva.edu/about-sva/working-at-sva .

To apply for this position, please send a cover letter and resume to working@sva.edu. No walk-ins please.

The School of Visual Arts is an equal opportunity employer.

Full post here.

P/T Database Entry Coordinator– chashama

Location: New York

Employment Type: P/T

chashama Arts, an NYC based arts non-profit that nurtures artists by transforming unused property into affordable work and presentation space, is seeking a Database Entry Coordinator to add, update and organize existing information using Filemaker Pro.

Efforts will be focused on:  transferring years of company data into the organization’s Filemaker Pro database;  streamlining internal data entry procedures;  providing user support and suggesting improvements to the database; and ongoing maintenance of record accuracy.

Qualifications:

The Database Entry Coordinator must be a professional with at least 1-2 years of experience implementing and/or using Filemaker Pro, or equivalent  cross-platform (Mac & Windows) relational database software, with preferable experience in: Cataloging and metadata management, data entry coordination, user interface interaction, mail list and data management.

  • Able to identify inefficiencies, address issues that arise during data transfer, and advise staff on how to correct errors and make necessary modifications to entry methods/processes.
  • Organized, extremely detail orientated, focused, with excellent skills in communication, multi-tasking, time management, and problem solving.
  • Able to work independently as well as collaboratively. A strong sense of initiative and independence is a must.
  • Proficiency in Mac OS X, Windows, Microsoft Office Suite (especially Excel) is required. Familiarity with Adobe Acrobat, Outlook and Google Apps a plus.
  • Has an understanding and familiarity with cultural institutions and non-profits.

To apply for this position, please send a cover letter, resume and salary requirements, with subject line “Database Entry Coordinator” to jobs@chashama.org

Library Collections Technician– Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY

For those of you who are interested in photographic archives…

 

Position Summary:

The department manages a circulating collection of slides, videos, 16mm films, and pictures/clippings and
an archival collection of bookplates, photographs, and design drawings. Under moderate supervision and
with moderate latitude for independent judgment, the employee holding this position participates in the
preservation, maintenance and acquisition of these collections.

Position Duties:

– Participate in the evaluation, scanning, inventory, and de-accessioning of the department’s circulating
slide, video, 16mm, and picture collections.
– Participate in maintenance of archival still and moving image collections including inventorying,
rehousing, and scanning projects.
– Assist Curator in maintaining digital image production work flow and tracking deadlines.
– Oversee filing, shelving, labeling, and repair of circulating departmental collections.
– Participate in acquisition of digital images and videos including entering and tracking orders and
preparing items for circulation.
– Oversee circulation statistics of departmental collections.
– Participate in providing public service as needed, including relaying policies, receiving image orders and
video purchase requests, assisting patrons locate images in ARTstor and the Picture Collection,
circulating slides, videos, and 16mm film.
– Participate in the hiring, scheduling, training, and supervising of student workers and graduate
assistants.
– Propose policies and procedures associated with department services
– Perform all other related duties as assigned

Education:
High school diploma or equivalent; and relevant associate’s degree or minimum 2 years related college
required. Bachelor’s degree or minor in film or photo-related field preferred.

Experience:
Must have experience handling rare or fragile materials, especially slides, photographs, and film.
Experience working with cataloguing and databases preferred.

Other:
Excellent organizational, interpersonal, communication, and customer service skills required.

To Apply: Please submit your cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information for three
professional references.

PRATT INSTITUTE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND RECOGNIZES AND
VALUES THE BENEFITS OF A DIVERSE WORKFORCE.
Position Type – Full-Time/Regular
Salary – 39,400.50 USD
Tracking Code – 1386

 

From VRA Job Opportunities.