Library of Congress and Dewey
Decimal Classification
References and Locations of
Cited Resources
Contents:
History and Background
As community-oriented service institutions of learning and cultures, libraries and museums seem to be natural partners. They often have similar resources, audiences, and educational missions, and they may face many of the same issues, such as copyright, serving changing communities, and implementing new technologies.1 Museums and libraries are critical to the transformation of America into an
information society and learning nation.2 They provide programs and resources for schools, families, the elderly, and other populations. They serve as meeting places and cultural centers and work to preserve the heritage of their communities.3 Collaborations vary widely in form, participants, goals, and outcomes. Models can be found in government, professional, and institution-based literature.
The director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, museum professional Diane Frankel, explains that although libraries and museums in the U.S. may have had different histories, both “community anchors” 4 are facing similar problems of maintaining their traditional collections and functions while looking to the future and serving their changing communities.5
Technological change in particular has enabled and encouraged interaction between museums and libraries, especially in the creation of cultural networks of linked digital materials. Both are working to develop opportunities for all communities to access services and resources and are involved in developing standards, practices, and efficient searches in digital resources.6
Libraries and museums have been joined at the
federal level. Congress created the Institute for Museum and Library Services in 1996, moving
government library services out of the Department of Education and merging them
with museums in the federal budgeting process.
Additional explanation of philosophies supporting
collaborative projects between museums and libraries can be found in the IMLS
document “Museums and
Libraries: An Investment in Learning.”
Because of the interdisciplinary and multi-institutional nature of this topic, print resources are authored by and scattered in a variety of fields. The parent fields of museums and libraries are themselves highly interdisciplinary, and relevant material may be found under many subject headings. While there are no books devoted solely to this topic, sections of monographs can provide useful background information on library and museum practices and issues.
Library of Congress
Subject Headings and Dewey Decimal Classification Numbers
|
artists
and community |
700 |
museums, galleries |
708 |
|
communities |
307 |
museums—educational
aspects |
069 |
|
libraries—cultural
programs |
021 |
museums—management |
069 |
|
libraries and
community |
021 |
museums—philosophy |
069 |
|
libraries and
education |
027 |
museum techniques |
069 |
|
library exhibits |
025 |
public libraries |
027 |
|
library publications |
025, 026 |
|
|
The federal agency for funding museum and library projects, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, is committed to exploring and promoting collaborations between these two types of organizations, as well as strengthening the role of each as cultural and civic centers, investments in cultural heritage, and opportunities for community relationships and outreach. Specific federal funding opportunities exist for collaborations. IMLS identifies and publicizes promising practices in both fields and gives special awards to institutions committed to community enrichment.
There are a variety of professional organizations for practitioners in the museum and library fields, any of whom may have an interest in museum-library collaborations. The American Association of Museums is the major professional organization for museum practitioners in the US and works to “enhance the ability of museums to serve the public interest.” 7 Its broad range of publications and the resources in its bookstore include national directories of institutions, practice/procedure manuals, and works on museum theory. Educational practice is of particular importance to many collaborations, and the sources in the AAM bookstore on this topic provide a comprehensive and excellent look at the philosophy and range of activities that museums use in their missions of education and outreach.
Like the AAM, the
American Library Association is an umbrella for a range of resources for and
issues faced by information professionals. Of particular relevance is the ALA Public Programs Office,
which addresses issues of diversity, collaborations, quality programming, and
the idea of the library as a community cultural center.
Many resources for this topic are found in journals from professional organizations and associations. For coverage of the range of issues and activities in US museums, see Museum News, published bimonthly by the American Association of Museums. The American Library Association’s American Libraries covers the same range of topics within the library field.
Other journals include:
In 1999 IMLS carried out a major report on the status and range of museum and library partnerships in the US, reported in “Libraries and Museums: The 21st Century Learner.” This report articulates the common goals of libraries and museums and describes exemplary collaborative programs. This is an excellent document for an introduction to the nature and scope of these programs.
The best starting point for exploring this topic is the Institute of Museum and Library Service’s web site. The site has sections covering grants and awards, legislation, IMLS publications, local resources, and links to other relevant sites. Also available on the site is a service to subscribe to IMLS’s monthly e-newsletter, Primary Source.
Another useful site is the Chicago Library System’s “Resources for Library and Museum Collaboration.” This list contains links to more than twenty other sites that deal with various aspects of museum-library projects, such as digital images, cultural heritage, networked systems, and government policy and funding.
Searching the web with a variety of search engines will yield descriptions and reports of specific collaborations, written and posted by host institutions or key staff members. Other types of relevant sites include conference presentation announcements and proceedings, press releases of new services, and e-journal articles.
Listservs provide valuable opportunities to post questions to experts in the field.
Most of the literature on the topic of museum-library collaborations is descriptive. From these accounts of various projects and processes, the reader can infer some of the underlying philosophies, concerns, and goals, as well as learning about the specific outcomes, problems, and procedures in each particular project.
Below is a list of some of the available descriptions of collaborations from the United States and United Kingdom.
“A Natural Cultural Partnership: Libraries, Museums, and Governments.” American Libraries, 28, no. 4 (1997): 35-6. UIUC Library and Information Science Library 020.5AM
AAM, Fact Sheet,
www.aam-us.org/aamfaqs.htm
Bishoff, Liz. “Interoperability and Standards in a Museum Library Collaborative: The Colorado Digitization Project.” First Monday 5, no. 6 (2000): www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue5_6/bishoff/.
Institute of Museum and Library. “An Investment in Learning.” www.imls.gov/pubs/pdf/pubinvst.pdf.
________. “Libraries and Museums: The 21st Century Learner.” www.imls.gov/pubs/pdf/pub21cl.pdf.
Owen, Tim, and Rosalind Johnson. “Libraries, Museums, and Archives: Collaboration in the United Kingdom and Europe.” Art Libraries Journal, 24, no. 4 (1999): 10-13.
UIUC Library and Information Science Library 026.705AR
2. IMLS, “The 21st
Century Learner,” http://www.imls.gov/pubs/pdf/pub21cl.pdf
3. IMLS, “An Investment in Learning,” http://www.imls.gov/pubs/pdf/pubinvst.pdf.
4. “A Natural Cultural Partnership,” >American Libraries, 28, no. 4 (1997): 35.
5. “A Natural Cultural Partnership,” 36.
6. Bishoff, Liz.
“Interoperability and Standards in a Museum Library Collaborative: The Colorado
Digitization Project.” First Monday
5, no. 6 (2000): http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue5_6/bishoff/.
7. AAM, Fact Sheet, http://www.aam-us.org/aamfaqs.htm
About the author:
Graduate
School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois
Graduate Assistant, Spurlock
Museum
Master of
Museum Studies, University of Toronto
Content copyright Beth Watkins. Created for LIS390, December 2000.