Re: [BKARTS] Telling of the Book Arts World

[Richard Minsky <minsky@xxxxxxxxxx>]

The question of how to present book art categories for the 
international web audience goes beyond the mission of a particular 
institution. Including as many keywords or descriptive terms as 
possible in your listing enables a search, such as Google.  Including 
a search form on the page is a good idea.  Entering the info in a 
database and having those fields identified, with a multiple field 
search form adds value.

Some examples of what people are doing:

The most interesting project specifically for artist's books is 
Johanna Drucker's Artists Books Online:
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/collections/projects/abonline

Click on "Project Demo" to see how Johanna listed one of her books, 
and to see how a few others did it at a recent workgroup, go to
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/collections/projects/abonline/displays/

This project is still in its formative stages, and the data entry 
interface still has to be developed, but it is the most promising 
effort specific to this field.

Outside of Artist's Books, but still within Book Art, is the 
Publishers' Bindings Online site, a joint project of the University 
of Alabama and the U. of Wisconsin. This has a detailed set of 
parameters, a single keyword search function, a multiple field search 
function, a set of curated online exhibitions by category, and other features.
http://bindings.lib.ua.edu/

The Center for Book Arts uses a set of relational databases in its 
Exhibition Archive that brings up all the exhibitions an artist was 
in if you click an artist's name, as well as all the works exhibited, 
clicking an exhibition title brings up all the works in that 
exhibition, and a link to a scanned copy of the catalog ig that is 
available online. This enable you to read the curator's introduction 
to the exhibition, artists' statements, etc. Other information on the 
site works the same way. A website search form is included for those 
who have particular search terms. An examples is at:
http://www.centerforbookarts.org/newsite/exhibits/archive/showdetail.asp?showID=81

Click on "view the exhibition catalog." You can read the entire 
catalog online, cover to cover. Click a thumbnail image to see that 
page of the catalog, or click a artist's name to see what other 
exhibitions they have been in, and what work was exhibited.

You also can click on "return to the list of exhibitions" at the top 
of the catalog page to see over 100 listings of shows the Center has 
mounted during the last 31 years. This is an ongoing project, and in 
the future we intend to locate images of all the artworks that have 
been exhibited, and add a "curate your own online exhibition" 
feature. This project needs funding, so please donate all your 
available cash to it! The Center can also accept donations of 
securities. Click on the thermometer today for a 2005 tax deduction.

These three models provide a good beginning for how to address the 
issues that arose in this thread, and perhaps a synthesis of these 
approaches will develop in the future.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL BOOK ART LOVERS!!!!
--
Richard
http://minsky.com
http://centerforbookarts.org

            ***********************************************
Now Online - The Bonefolder, Vol. 2, No. 1 at <http://www.philobiblon.com/bonefolder>
                                   
            For all your subscription questions, go to the
                     Book_Arts-L FAQ and Archive.
                                   
         See <http://www.philobiblon.com> for full information
            ***********************************************