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I. General Description of the Fine and Applied Arts Collection and Its Users

The subject scope of the art collection is broad, encompassing the history, theory, and contemporary and historical practice of the fine and applied arts. The art collection supports the studio-oriented undergraduate and masters level graduate programs (student research, faculty teaching needs) of the six departments of the School of Art and Design and the School for American Crafts. The art collection also supports the undergraduate and masters level graduate courses (student research, faculty teaching needs) in art history offered through the College of Liberal Arts to students in the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences and those enrolled in other RIT colleges. Students and faculty members involved in disciplines related to the fine and applied arts, particularly those in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences and the School of Printing Management and Sciences also draw upon the resources of the art collection for research and teaching needs

II. Description of the Programs Served by the Fine and Applied Arts Collection

A. Undergraduate Programs

The objective of the undergraduate curriculum of the School of Art and Design and the School for American Crafts is to provide students with the creative and technical basis to function in a variety of professional positions in commerce, art industries, primary and secondary education, and individual studios. Associate of Applied Science (AAS), Associate in Occupational Science (AOS), Bachelor of Science (BS), and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degrees are awarded. All programs begin with foundation courses in basic skills and theory: drawing, two-dimensional design, and three-dimensional design. They also include a liberal arts core and considerable course work in art history and related visual and performing arts (offered by the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts).

The undergraduate programs offered by the School of Art and Design are:

1. Graphic Design (AAS, BFA)
2. Illustration (AAS, BFA)
3. Industrial Design (AAS, BFA)
4. Interior Design (AAS, BFA)
5. Medical Illustration (BFA)
6. Packaging Design (BS)
7. Painting (AAS, BFA)
8. Printmaking (AAS, BFA)

The undergraduate programs offered by the School for American Crafts are:

1. Ceramics and Ceramic Sculpture (AAS, BFA)
2. Glass (AAS, BFA)
3. Metalcrafts and Jewelry (AAS, BFA)
4. Weaving and Textile Design (AAS, BFA)
5. Woodworking and Furniture Design (AOS, AAS, BFA)

B. Graduate Programs

The graduate programs of the School of Art and Design and the School for American Crafts are designed to develop the skills of students with demonstrated professional ability in a field of prior specialization and to develop new areas of competence in preparation for careers as self-employed artists, craftspeople, and designers as well as in commerce and art industries, arts administration, and education through the college level. Master of Science for Teachers (MST) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree programs are offered in most majors. The MFA program requires two years of study in one of thirteen areas (described below), work in an area of minor concentration, and course work in art history and related disciplines, and culminates in a thesis project. The MST degree requires one year of study and leads to permanent certification for teaching in public schools. It offers two programs of study: art education and studio in one of ten areas (described below).

The graduate programs offered in the School of Art and Design are:

1. Art Education (MST)
2. Computer Graphics (MFA)
3. Graphic Design (MFA, MST)
4. Industrial Design (MFA, MST)
5. Interior Design (MFA, MST)
6. Medical Illustration (MFA)
7. Painting (MFA, MST)
8. Printmaking (MFA, MST)

The graduate programs offered in the School for American Crafts are:

1. Ceramics and Ceramic Sculpture (MFA, MST)
2. Glass (MFA, MST)
3. Metalcrafts and Jewelry (MFA, MST)
4. Weaving and Textile Design (MFA, MST)
5. Woodworking and Furniture Design (MFA, MST)

III. Subject and Language Modifiers

A. Geographic Areas

No restrictions. Emphasis is on the United States and Western European countries. Material about the arts of Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, and other regions is acquired with varying degrees of discrimination, as indicated in Section IX.

B. Chronological Periods

No restrictions. Emphasis is on the twentieth centuries for all areas. Works pertaining to art from ancient times through the nineteenth century are acquired with varying degrees of discrimination, as indicated in Section IX.

C. Languages

No restrictions. Emphasis is on English-language materials. European, Asian, and other languages are acceptable for heavily-illustrated materials and key sources unavailable in English translation.

 

IV. Date of Publication

General emphasis for acquisition of new monographic titles is on current publications in all subject areas. A limited number of retrospective titles are purchased, including hard copy reprints of works of historiographic interest, museum publications related to twentieth-century fine arts, and classic titles in craft media and decorative arts. Acquisition and retention of material older than ten years is based upon importance of the work to the discipline, usefulness for historical information or perspective, extent of current publishing on the topic, curriculum needs for new program development, usage of existing material of same age; and physical condition of material.

Significant retrospective acquisitions (through purchase or gifts) are made of original and reprinted serials and monographs related to twentieth century design. Retrospective acquisition of serials to meet new program needs is extremely selective and limited to the past five years. Document delivery will be used to meet these needs whenever feasible.

V. Treatment of Subject Matter

A. Level of Treatment

Emphasis is on a collection which supports curriculum-related needs of students (primarily undergraduate) and faculty. The special needs of the NTID students are considered where relevant. Major published source material appearing in core collection bibliographies or recommended lists is included when appropriate, as are pertinent reference sources. Every effort is made to accommodate faculty requests for specific curriculum-related titles.

B. Scholarly Works

Material covering the history, practice, and current research in fine and applied arts is collected in all subject areas.

C. Picture Books

Well-illustrated works with little or no text are collected primarily in the crafts and design.

D. Manuals of Practice

Emphasis is on advanced techniques and new materials and technologies in all areas. A limited number of introductory and intermediate level works on methods and materials are also added to the collection for the use of beginning students and non-professional artists in the RIT community. Project and pattern books are not acquired.

E. Textbooks

Textbooks are not routinely acquired unless useful as general surveys or handbooks for a particular area not otherwise represented.

F. Serials

Journals, magazines, newsletters, newspapers, calendars, bulletins, creative directories, design and photography annuals, and other types of serials are of major importance to research and current awareness at all levels of study in the fine and applied arts. Selections are made using the subject and collection level criteria given in Section X. Subject Divisions.

G. Government Documents

Government publications are acquired when their content is appropriate to the subject scope of the collection. They are not maintained as a separate collection, but integrated into the collections described in Section VIII. Locator Assignments.

H. Maps/Atlases

Maps and atlases are acquired selectively when appropriate for specific representations.

I. Other

Pamphlets, including exhibition documents, are selectively acquired if sufficiently important to warrant cataloging; no vertical file of pamphlet or exhibition catalogs is maintained.

J. Multiple Copies

Second copies of monographic titles are acquired only when very heavy demand is anticipated (primarily in graphic design), when a copy in the collection has been mutilated, or at the curriculum-related request of a faculty member. Second copies of serials are acquired in hard copy if available (through purchase or donation) or in microform when hard copy editions have been extensively mutilated.

VI. Cooperative Collection Development Agreements

No contractual cooperative collection development agreements for fine and applied arts have been made between RIT Library and any other library. Informal exchange among local art and photography librarians does exist and closer associations will be pursued in the future. Monographic acquisition decisions should be made with regard to the strengths of the local collections listed below. When faculty and student research needs fall outside the primary curriculum-based scope of the on-site collection, information will be provided through traditional as well as commercial document delivery services.

Beginning in April 1993, representatives from the art and photo library collections at the University of Rochester, Rochester Public Library, International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House, and RIT Library have met regularly to develop a cooperative collection development plan for regional serials holdings in these disciplines. The goal of this group is to maintain rich and diverse art and photo resources in the Rochester region despite decreasing serials budgets at all four institutions by fostering serials resource sharing, building on the unique strengths of each collection, and reducing duplication of materials of secondary interest to users of each library.

A. University of Rochester

Acquisition of very expensive titles (monograph and serial, current and out-of-print), particularly in the history of fine arts and non-Western art, should be made only after consultation with the University of Rochester Art Librarian to avoid local duplication of costly materials of secondary interest to RIT Library users.

B. Visual Studies Workshop

Because an extensive collection of artists' books and contemporary artists' periodicals is available to RIT students and faculty at the Research Center, RIT Library's development of these areas is be limited to study collections.

C. Melbert B. Cary, Jr. Graphic Arts Collection

The Cary Collection complements the fine and applied arts collections of RIT Library with files of ephemeral materials (type samples, trade catalogs, posters, magazine covers), extensive holdings of type face catalogs, contemporary fine press books, and livres d'artistes. Occasional cooperative purchases of costly primary and secondary source materials are made with the Cary Collection. Graphic design, book design, papermaking, and illustration are the subject areas most appropriate for joint purchases. Special funds are favored for these acquisitions.

D. Rundel Library Art, Music, and Photography Division (Rochester Public Library)

Rundel Library maintains an extensive circulating picture file which is available to the RIT community.

VII. Publication Formats

A. Microforms

Hard copy is preferable for all illustrated materials, monographic and serial. Resources available only in microform as well as microform reprints of material unavailable (or prohibitively expensive) in hard copy are acceptable.

B. Non-Print Materials

Acquisition of traditional non-print materials (slides, videotapes, films, sound recordings, slide/tape programs) is very selective and made in consultation with the Media Resource Center Media Specialist. These materials will be housed in the Media Resource Center.

C. Manuscripts

Manuscripts are not actively pursued, but donations of such material, particularly if related to RIT, and microform reprints of manuscript collections are considered for addition to the collection (see Section XI. Archival and Special Collections). Fuller descriptions of the criteria for adding manuscript material to the collection are given in "Collection Development Policy Statement: Special Collections" and "Collection Development Policy Statement: RIT Archives."

D. Museum Publications

Exhibition catalogs, collection catalogs, bulletins, journals, newsletters, and annual reports issued by museums and galleries are acquired when their content is appropriate to the subject scope of the collection. Ephemeral publications, such as exhibition announcements and exhibition checklists are not retained for the collection.

E. Sales and Auction Documentation

Sales and auction catalogs of works of art are not collected. Sales and auction catalogs of books and posters are acquired selectively for office use by the Art and Photography Librarian. Secondary sources about the art market, such as price guides and retrospective sales records, are not collected.

F. Trade Catalogs

Acquisition of trade catalogs is very selective. Well-illustrated original catalogs or reprint editions are acquired if they will serve as primary source material for the study of the history of the applied arts .

G. Loose Reproductions of Works of Art, Study Photographs, Pictures

RIT Library does not maintain a file of source illustrations or reproductions of works of art. Material of this type issued in bound or portfolio format is considered for addition to the collection (see also Section V.C).

H. Software and CD-ROMs

Indexing and abstracting services and other sources will be acquired in electronic formats when they meet subject collection criteria as well as the Electronic Resources Policy criteria [in process].

VIII. Collection Maintenance

Continuous maintenance of the collection is based upon systematic evaluation of materials in all locations in relationship to curriculum shifts, use statistics, core bibliographies, physical space limitations, and the availability of information in alternative formats. Current periodical titles are reviewed annually prior to their renewal. All other areas of the collection should be reviewed every three to five years. The collection maintenance process includes weeding materials no longer relevant to curriculum needs of the School of Art and Design, the School for American Crafts, and related programs in other colleges as described in Section II. Description of the Programs Served by the Fine and Applied Arts Collection, eliminating superfluous titles when information is duplicated in more current or more authoritative sources, and ordering replacement copies of damaged and heavily used items still relevant to curriculum needs.

A. Weeding

1. Not Weeded
   The RIT Library Purchase Prizes are permanent holdings and are not to be deaccessioned.
   
   
2. Duplicates Only Weeded
   a. Monographs
   At least one copy in good condition of standard and classic titles listed in major general bibliographies of fine and applied arts and special subject lists, such as Rainwater and Arntzen's Guide to the Literature of Art History, Chamberlin's Guide to Art Reference Books, Thomson's American Graphic Design, and Ehresmann's Applied and Decorative Arts and Fine Arts, should be retained in the collection.
   b. Serials
   A highly selective collection of consumer periodicals central to the history of twentieth century American design and photography is maintained as a primary resource for the study of these disciplines. Although most of the collection is housed in the Archives and Special Collections stacks, several titles (for example, House and Garden, House Beautiful, a second run of Life) are housed in the bound periodicals area. One copy in good condition of these titles should be retained in hard copy.
   
   
3. Selective Weeding
   In general, both monograph and serial materials in the visual arts retain their value as information longer than materials in scientific and technical disciplines.
   Other local collections, most notably the University of Rochester's Art Library, far exceed the depth, range, and significance of RIT Library's fine art resources described in Section X.A. Subject Divisions: Fine Arts. Older items in these areas (with the exception of standard or classic titles) are weeded when sufficient coverage is provided by more contemporary titles.
   The craft media/decorative arts and design collections of RIT Library described in Sections X.B. Subject Divisions: Craft Media and Decorative Arts and X.C. Subject Divisions: Design are regional collections of record, and should be weeded more selectively. Though some information in older titles in these collections may be available in more contemporary sources, these works are still valuable in establishing the historiography of design history or may document significant early processes, and should be retained.
   The art education collection described in Section X.D. Subject Divisions: Art Education should be kept current. Older and infrequently used materials should be discarded regularly.
   a. Monographs
   Multiple copies in all areas should be carefully scrutinized. If recent circulation statistics do not show a need to retain them and at least one copy is in good condition, extra copies should be deaccessioned.
   b. Serials
   1. Indexing and Abstracting Services
      Bibliographic control of the periodical literature of the fine and applied arts is far less comprehensive than for science, technology, and social science. At present, the large general access systems such as CARL and Lexis/Nexis provide only minimal coverage of the fine and applied arts.
      Systematic coverage of fine and applied arts periodical literature does not exist before the appearance of Art Index , which began publication in 1929 and remained the only indexing and abstracting source for the discipline until the development of more specialized services in the late 1960s. In-depth coverage of design and craft media was not available until the mid-1980s, reflecting the development of scholarly interest in these areas a decade earlier. There is little duplication in coverage among arts indexing and abstracting services and several short-run (Art Design Photo, LOMA: Literature of Modern Art) and narrowly focussed (Index to Crafts Journals) titles provide the only coverage of periodical literature in key areas of curriculum interest.
      Indexing and abstracting publications should be discarded only when equivalent or improved coverage and access is available through new sources, printed or electronic (i.e. covers approximately same or more pertinent journal titles in the field and/or provides enhanced search capabilities pertinent to our programs).
   2. Scholarly Publications
      Long runs of key scholarly journals in all aspects of the visual arts that meet the criteria given in the introduction to this section should be retained indefinitely. Priority for retention should be given to titles accessible through indexing and abstracting services available at RIT Library and titles not available in any other Rochester-area library. Short runs and broken runs should be scrutinized more carefully and retention decisions should be based on the collecting levels assigned in Section X: Subject Divisions.
   3. Design Annuals
      Design annuals such as Graphis Design, AIGA Graphic Design USA, British Design and Art Direction, Design International are invaluable sources for the study of both contemporary developments and the history of graphic, industrial, and interior design and applied photography. Only duplicates and severely mutilated items should be weeded from the collection.
   4. Creative Directories
      A selection of well-illustrated creative directories (for example, Creative Black Book, Workbook) is maintained as a visual record of the history of contemporary commercial design and photography, functioning in much the same way as design and photography annuals. Only the current issue of creative directories that are not illustrated or have few illustrations (for example Design Directory) should be retained.
   5. Trade Journals
      Retention of trade journals should be carefully scrutinized. Those that provide primarily timely information (industry news, new products, market trends, etc.) should be discarded after a period of one to five years. Those that include articles of more lasting value should be considered for longer retention, particularly if they are accessible through indexing and abstracting services available at RIT Library.
      
      
4. Current Edition/Year Only Retained
   a. Monographs
   1. Modern (post-1960) textbooks
   2. Modern (post-1960) manuals of practice
   3. Career guidance and professional information (legal, business, tax, grant, etc. materials)
   4. Standards
   b. Serials
   1. Newsletters, calendars, other current awareness services providing timely information about the events and activities of organizations and institutions, employment opportunities.
   2. Membership directories of arts organizations
   3. Directories of museums and other arts organizations

B. Replacement of Materials

1. Lost, Mutilated
   Every effort should be made to replace lost or heavily mutilated titles if they are judged to be of continuing relevance to the collection. Out-of-print materials should be searched through general search services or special art book dealers. When mutilation is confined to a few pages, replacement copies of these should be requested through the Information Delivery Service (see RIT Library Bindery Policy: Monographs and RIT Library Bindery Policy: Serials).
   
   
2. Duplicate Gift Copies
   Gifts which duplicate existing holdings should be used to upgrade the condition of collection by replacing worn circulating copies with more sound gift copies.

C. Stacks Maintenance

Because the "N" and "OVER" areas, where the majority of the circulating art materials are housed, are among the most intensely-used areas of the RIT Library collection, they should be shelf-read frequently . The condition of items shelved in these areas should be monitored to ensure those in need of repair and rebinding are attended to before they are irreparably damaged.

IX. Subject Divisions

 

	Support Level (see Introduction for key)
A. Fine Arts History, theory, and practice of painting, sculpture, architecture, drawing, printmaking, and works in contemporary media (such as video art, performance art, conceptual art). The emphasis of this area is western art of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Representative material about the fine arts of other cultures and pre-modern western art is acquired more selectively. Areas of minimal collection activity are archaeology, urban design, and landscape architecture. Support material is drawn from collections in the humanities.	C-2
B. Craft Media and Decorative Arts History, theory, and practice of ceramics, glass, woodworking, furniture design and construction, metalwork, jewelry, and textiles (weaving, fabric decoration, basketry). Within this range, areas of lesser development are enameling, rugs and carpets, upholstery, needlework (embroidery, lace-making, knitting, crocheting), fashion and clothing design and construction, paper work (paper making, paper cutting, wall paper), gems, and stained glass. Materials in pattern and surface design are collected to support works on specific media. The geographical and chronological guidelines for collecting in this area are broader than those for fine arts and design. Material about decorative arts, particularly non- manufactured items, from all cultures and dating from ancient times to the present is acquired.	C-1
C. Design Material about the history, theory, and contemporary practice (including methods and materials and business practices) is acquired for each of the following areas:
1. Graphic Design and Illustration Design for all print and non-print media including illustration for advertising and other promotional media, books, periodicals, corporate identity, medical and scientific illustration, and computer graphics. Supporting materials for typography and lettering, printing production techniques, and photography are drawing from the graphic arts collections.	C-1
2. Industrial Design Product design and engineering for all types of manufactured items. Supporting materials in human factors, manufacturing techniques, and materials science are drawn from the engineering collections.	C-1
3. Interior Design Design of commercial and residential interiors. Includes space planning, interior architecture, and furnishings.	C-1
4. Packaging Design Technical and aesthetic development of product packaging materials. Supporting materials are drawn from collections in engineering, graphic arts, and business.	C-1
D. Art Education Contemporary theory and practice of primary and secondary art education including art materials and methods and art appreciation. Supporting materials are drawn from collections in the education and educational psychology.	C-2

[rev. 7/94]

Maintained by Sheila Smokey