BiblioFile

You may have overlooked the Library's smallest branch library, the Art Slide Library (ASL), located in the List Art Center. From its name, you may have judged it to be irrelevant to your work or assumed that access is restricted to those teaching art. Neither of these is true. Anyone is welcome to use these visual resources for a Brown course. The scope of the collection is, perhaps, more accurately described as "visual culture," and the slides hold a wealth of imagery that can enliven lectures or student presentations.

For instance, Prof. Guha of the Department of History, a regular user of the ASL, comments: "History requires us to engage with the lives of people who are often remote in both time and space. The slide library allows me to present them far more vividly than would otherwise be possible. A slide showing a building, an artifact, or a burial allows students to take a look at evidence for themselves. Furthermore, looking at deliberately produced representations like paintings and cartoons allows them to think about people in the past and how they perceived themselves and others." Students in language courses often borrow slides for short presentations that require them to speak about some aspect of the history or culture of the country they are focussed on. Images may also support the study of literature, especially writings from times and places foreign to our own experience. During the 2000-2001 academic year, representatives of thirty-one different departments borrowed slides.

The slides are physically arranged in a classified scheme that facilitates browsing, especially for those approaching them from an art historical perspective. For onsite users, the database catalog, IRIS, provides alternate means of access, especially through extensive subject indexing. Staff members will assist with searches in IRIS or teach users how to conduct their own. A web interface called Anita enables remote access to part of the database from the Library's homepage. Best results, however, are usually obtained by consultation with a staff member who is familiar with the collection and the database, particularly because Anita lacks records for acquisitions prior to 1990.

Weekly slide production, in response to requests from faculty and students, supplies new images for use in the classroom and, selectively, for the permanent collection. Guidelines approved by the University's General Counsel govern this "copywork" production, so that additions to the collection can be justified as "fair use" under copyright law. The policies and procedures for borrowing from the existing collection and for requesting new slides may be found at: http://www.brown.edu/library/libs/art/index.html

Individual slides and slide sets are also purchased from vendors, museums, galleries, institutions, artists, and photographers in order to build the collection in support of the curriculum. Every slide is individually cataloged and integrated into the classified order of the collection. In addition, a copystand is available for those who wish to shoot their own slides from books or other flat copy. A camera, as well as a lens adapter kit for a personal camera, may be borrowed. Instruction on the use of the equipment is offered by appointment. To the best of their ability, staff will offer advice on seeking permission to reproduce copyrighted images. ASL staff will also assist in obtaining non-circulating books from other Library locations for slide-making purposes. Media Services loans projection equipment for a presentation, if it is in a classroom where it is not already installed.

General art reference service is offered by the ASL staff, in addition to advice based on their specialized knowledge of image resources. A small, non-circulating reference library is available for onsite use. The staff can also assist with searching the Library's art-related electronic and Internet resources. Please stop by, call for more information or schedule a formal orientation.

-Norine Duncan

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