Bibliographic Instruction:

Art & ArchitectureMēgan A. Oliver, MLIS

Know Your Constituents

• Curators

• Students & Faculty

• Visiting Scholars & Historians

• Architects

• Museumgoers

• Art appraisers

• BibliophilesDetail of The Defenders of the Eucharist by Peter Paul Rubens ↑

Service Philosophy

• Quality customer service, diplomacy,

and attentiveness are key.

• Make a patron’s visit as pleasant as a

park on Sunday afternoon, and

they will return.

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat →

Demystify the Library

← Fumée d’Ambre Gris by John Singer Sargent

• Greet

• Listen

• Assess

• Provide

• Invite back

Greet

• The best way to begin the bibliographic instruction process is to greet patrons when they arrive.

• Floating reference assistance in the reading room and ready reference area.

• Each patron should be shown how to use the library and its catalog for themselves, time permitting. This gives the user greater confidence on return visits.

Listen

• The most important part of directing users is listening intently during the reference interview.

• Repeat what the patron has said back to them, for clarity.

Tristan and Isolde by Salvador Dalí →

Assess

• Determine what is readily accessible at your library first.

• Choose sources that give the patron the most substantial amount of information, to avoid overloading them with resources. What sources provide sufficient access to research literature?

• And what resources are up-to-date?

Provide Art Specific Resources

• Library catalog and collections

• Kubikat

• Grove Art/Oxford Art Online

• JSTOR

• Art Index Retrospective

• Bénézit Dictionary of Artists

Provide Architecture Specific Resources

• Library Catalog and collections, most especially the ARTIC Archive Image and Media Collection.

• The Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals.

• Dictionary of Architecture and Construction.

• ARTBibliographies Modern.

• Select digital libraries and historical societies.

Bibliographies & Finding Aids

• Anticipate needs and provide bibliographies for upcoming museum and library exhibitions.

• Create finding aids for popular, information-rich archival and special collections.

• Create and maintain research guides that inform on art movements, architectural styles, and periods represented in the museum’s permanent collection.

• Connect with regional arts faculty and maintain course bibliographies, if applicable.

Engage & Invite Back

• Once you’ve taught someone how to use the facility and provided them with a starting point, end the reference interview to let them begin their studies.

• Check back periodically and cordially invite the patron to return.

Hypotheticals

• Curatorial

• Visiting faculty

• Curious public patron

The Beguiling of Merlin by Edward Burne-Jones →

Thank You!Mēgan A. Oliver, MLIS

ms.meganoliver@gmail.com