Experimental, amusing, or beautiful, artist books are art in book form. Four years ago, we began collecting artist books for teaching and research. This non-browsing collection varies in structure, technique, and content. Our books have been used by students, faculty, and museum professionals.

Although artist books are tactile experiences, they are hidden in Special Collections for preservation and can be difficult to access through the library catalog. In order to increase accessibility, we have begun the digitization process for over 300 works. The first phase of the project will focus the 50 books by local and regional artists.

This new enhanced digital collection will include multiple images of a book. In addition, we are conducting artist interviews and creating videos to demonstrate the “reading” of an artist book which will be especially valuable for sculptural books. A unique addition is GIS mapping which is beneficial since the collection includes several items by local/regional artists. Mapping also demonstrates the relationships and collaborations between the book artists.

Behind the scenes, we are establishing metadata guidelines to improve the organization of information and accessibility. Part of this process is to create meaningful records by describing books in more detail (e.g. structure, materials). In conjunction with VRA Core, our content standards create a consistent, functional research tool. Starting with LUNA Imaging software as our digital platform, we will showcase images, audio, and video. This information will then be placed in ARTstor’s Shared Shelf to increase visibility.

Adapted from presentation abstract for Visual Resources and Digital Humanities (VRAlocal: Nashville 2014)

Source: Ongoing DH Project