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The legacy and history of the alternative art space movement of the 1970s and 1980s in New York City is well documented. What is not so universally understood or documented is the legacy of the special collections formed in relation to these enigmatic organizations. While rehousing these collections is often a necessity that finds its own logical conclusion, there are some factors that should be taken into consideration when making such a move, including practical, political, and ideological implications for the materials. This article reveals some of these implications using three organizations as case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Libraries, staff from Collection Management, Cataloging, and Special Collections and Archives developed a local genre headings index to be used in the online catalog to provide enhanced access to the libraries' collection of artists' books. The book art genre index was designed to help students and users of the collection locate items by their structure, format, or features when they were unfamiliar with individual artists or titles. The index includes entries to describe book art formats, binding methods, structures, and special techniques or mediums. Library staff also collaborated in developing a workflow to more easily add book art genres to materials as they are being cataloged and to add genres retrospectively to previously cataloged materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the approaches employed by the cataloging department of the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) to improve the accessibility of nonbook materials. The department uses volunteer staff, implements template cataloging and utilizes retrieval codes creatively. Among the nonbook materials within the collection are toys, architects' prospectuses and greeting cards. The CCA library also collects competition programs and site plans.

The article presents abstracts of research and articles related to the provision of subject access to visual information in art libraries. They include "Intellectual Problems of Indexing Picture Collections," "Art Cataloging: Looking Back in North America 1972-1982," "Subject Indexing in the Visual Arts," and "Guest Editorial: A Paradigm Shift in Library Science."

The article considers the methods to improve access to illustrated books and book illustration collections at the Amon Carter Museum Library in Fort Worth, Texas. The illustrator and the content of the book are considered in the selection of items for the collection of illustrated books. Cataloging on Research Libraries Information Network fosters the accessibility of the collection to a wider audience. The invisible backlog of illustrations in books can be attributed to the cost of cataloging.