ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 210 / C&R L News E xhibiting lib rary books in an art g a llery By H ikm et D o g u Associate Librarian, Reference M useum o f Modern A rt Practical considerations for an off-site, collaborative exhibit. I n the past few years we have seen several descrip­ tive articles w ritten by librarians on the organiza­ tion of library exhibitions.1 These articles offer ad ­ vice a n d id eas g e ared to w a rd s th e lib r a r i a n interested in p ro d u cin g exhibitions in th e ir li­ braries. The often overlooked alternative to in­ house displays is the presentation of library m ateri­ als outside of th e lib rary ’s walls and out of the boundaries of the college or university campus. Off-site exhibitions require additional planning and considerations yet they offer unique opportu­ nities to expand the library’s audience and draw to­ gether communities who may not be aw are of the lib ra ry ’s resources. “ Beyond th e Book: A rtists’ Books in U tah”2 was just such an exhibition. Academic libraries house a vast array of m ateri­ als th a t lend themselves to exhibition. W hen defin- 1Lucy S. Caswell, “Building a Strategy for Aca­ demic Library Exhibits,” C & RL News 46 (April 1985): 165-68; Karen Hinson, “Exhibitions in Li­ braries: A Practical G uide,” A r t D ocumentation 4 (Spring 1985): 6-7; Jane Kemp, “CreatingExhibits in the Smaller Academic L ib rary ,” C U RL News 46 (July/August 1985): 344-46; M arjorie M arkoff, “More th an Inform ation: A Popular Exhibit Shows the Personal Side of Books and In fo rm a tio n ,” C&R L News 49 (June 1988): 367-68. 2Finch Lane Gallery, Salt Lake City, Beijond the Book: A rtists’ Books in Utah, M arch 4-A pril 8, 1988. ing “library m aterials,” it is necessary to look be­ yond the image of a library filled only w ith books, which are filled only w ith words. O ther books are created as works of art, or as a rt objects, as in the case of artists, books.3 The M arriott Library at the University of Utah has been collecting artists’ books since the early 1980s, at first random ly, and more recently w ith purpose and dedication. Purchased by fine arts, special collections and acquisitions li­ brarians, the collection of artists’ books in the M ar­ riott Library has developed into one of the finest of its kind in the Interm ountain region. W hile I was head of the Fine Arts Division, I came to realize th a t this extensive collection of artists’ books repre­ sented a u n iq u e category of visual m a te ria l in Utah; here was a well developed collection of art work produced by regional, national and interna­ tional artists th a t was rarely used and little known by the university public and the art community. Exhibiting this collection of artists’ books, then, resulted from the desire to highlight this com pre­ hensive library collection to the broadest commu- 3Artists’ books, defined by the above mentioned catalog “ ...m ay resemble other books by adhering to a sequential presentation of words or images, b u t the similarity may usually stop there. The artist m ay create a sculptural piece, a book in the shape of a fan, an accordion folded piece of paper or a text th at uses images and/or text.” March 1989 / 211 nity possible. The M arriott Library, limited in dis­ p la y sp ace a n d d isp la y cases, co u ld n o t accommodate such an exhibition, so an alternative venue was sought. By collaborating on the exhibi­ tion w ith an artist knowledgeable in gallery spaces and exhibition policies in Salt Lake City, we were encouraged to consider using a venue outside the university for the exhibition. By exhibiting library materials in an art gallery, we could showcase and publicize one of the rich collections of the M arriott Library, not only to librarians and academicians, b u t also to artists and book artists, local book p ub­ lishers, booksellers and designers as well as the gen­ eral public. In addition to using an alternative exhibition space w ithin the com m unity, we decided to ex­ pand the exhibition to include the art community by incorporating books m ade by local artists. The collections of the M arriott Library could then be integrated into the active art community and a rt­ ists, bookmakers would be offered a unique oppor­ tunity for exhibition of their work. T h e reaso n s fo r o rg a n iz in g th is e x h ib itio n seemed valid an d timely. B ut w ere the reasons compelling enough to interest the library’s adm in­ istration and meet w ith their approval? Had an ex­ hibition of this type been produced off-site before by the library? W ould a gallery find the exhibition proposal valid? If so, how and when would it fit into their exhibition schedule? These questions cover the first practical consid­ erations which need to be confronted in organizing an exhibition of this type. Library administrators need to evaluate the appropriateness of such a proj­ ect for their library and need to approve staff time spent away from routine activities. They need to be aw are th a t library m aterials will be removed from circulation for the duration of the exhibition. The initial proposal is also enhanced if it includes a de­ tailed checklist of materials to be included in the exhibit, the insurance coverage policy of the gal­ lery, and a statem ent of the gallery’s security m ea­ sures. Galleries usually require w ritten proposals and slides of at least some of the works of art intended to be displayed. Proposals are subm itted at least six months to one year in advance of the proposed ex­ hibition date. The gallery then decides, usually by jury, if the proposal meets their criteria for exhibi­ tion. It is appropriate at this point to consider the gallery’s source of funding. If the gallery is com­ mercial, it may not be able to or w an t to exhibit li­ brary materials th a t would not be offered for sale. The M arriott L ibrary’s adm inistration, as well as the Finch Lane Gallery/Art Barn, a non-profit, city-owned gallery, both responded enthusiasti­ cally to our exhibition proposal. W e were sched­ uled to present “Beyond the Book: Artists’ Books in U tah” one year from the initial gallery proposal. The next tw elve months w ere spent in the real planning of the exhibition and in continually rede­ fining its limitations and outcome. Several initial questions directed th e exhibition’s course. W hat would be its scope? W ould it have a theme? W ho would be the targeted audience? The scope was in­ clusive in order to represent all of the various forms and formats taken by artists, books. By using this broad range of m aterial this exhibition served as a comprehensive introduction to artists’ books. The anticipated audience was all the local communities interested in books, contem porary art and the book arts. Local book artists w ere petitioned to subm it their books through a call-for-entry in area news­ papers and through the Finch Lane Gallery. Selec­ tion of the artists was m ade by a panel of three ju­ rors which included myself, the co-organizer of the exhibition and a book artist/teacher. W e included a wide variety of artists’ books (including books created as scu lp tu ral pieces, fold-outs, p h o to ­ copies, multiple-edition books, and so on) while paying attention to originality and quality. Once this selection was m ade, we selected artists, books from the M arriott L ibrary’s collections in both sim­ ilar and differing form ats to broaden and enrich the scope of the exhibition. Above all, it was de­ cided to present the widest variety of artists’ books in hopes of touching the largest audience. As the exhibition developed, other questions and considerations quickly followed. W hat accompa­ nying w ritten m aterials should be included or ad­ ditional program s planned? How much publicity could the exhibition potentially receive? Are there enough people able to assist w ith these tasks? Most im portantly, w hat sources are available to fund these activities? Answering these questions added a rich and complex dimension to our exhibition. Up to this point production costs were m inim al and assumed by the Finch Lane Gallery, which supplied the an­ nouncem ent flyer, the installation of the pieces, and the catered opening reception. To further p ub­ licize th e exhibition w ould re q u ire ad d itio n al funding. Publicity additional to w h a t the Finch Lane G allery could offer w ould p o te n tia lly reach a w id er audience and in tro d u ce them to th e re ­ sources of th e M arrio tt L ib ra ry and to artists’ books. Announcement flyers would be sent by the Gallery only to those on their m ailing list; funds needed to be procured to p rin t and mail additional flyers to about 3,000 members of the University public. The Gallery would pay to host weekend workshops (one of their ongoing activities) on p a ­ perm aking and bookbinding during the course of the exhibition, but a guest lecturer speaking on a rt­ ists’ books could not be funded. And the Gallery had no funds available to produce and print a cata­ log to accompany the exhibition. The overwhelming support of the University of Utah and the local art com m unity finally deter­ mined the extent of publicity granted to “Beyond the Book: Artists’ Books in U tah .” Once we had set our sights on securing funding for additional flyers, 212 / C&RL News a guest lecturer and an exhibition catalog, we ap­ plied for, and subsequently received, a matching grant through the Utah Arts Council six months be­ fore the scheduled exhibition. The M arriott Li­ brary generously provided the m atching funds. The flyers were ordered and mailed and a guest lec­ turer scheduled. Two lectures were presented by a West Coast book dealer who specializes in artists’ books and fine press books. The first lecture was geared for a general audience, while the second was targeted for a professional audience composed of local book publishers, sellers, dealers and design­ ers. Topics for these lectures ranged from defining artists’ books and their aesthetic appeal to charac­ terizing current collecting trends of libraries and private collectors. Each lecture was well attended, owing to advance publicity through local newspa­ pers and the campus public relations office. We were also able to publish an accompanying exhibition catalog in the form at of a one-page, fold-out artists’ book. The catalog not only has out­ lasted the five-week exhibition but has reached an audience beyond the local region. Producing a cat­ alog required a strict timetable for the exhibition’s planning steps and also required the time and coor­ dination of many people. A whole new set of con­ siderations needed atten tio n . W hich studio or printing service should be chosen for the catalog? Does the campus have graphic and printing ser­ vices, or will an off-campus commercial studio bet­ ter suit the catalog’s purposes? Developing a close working relationship with the art directors is crucial to the success of the cata­ log. The catalog, which outlasts the exhibition, should insure that the theme and scope of the exhi­ bition are clearly presented. For our exhibition all of the books had to be selected three months in ad­ vance of the exhibition’s opening date to allow time for photographs to be taken for illustrations, essays to be w ritten and the design, layout and printing of the catalog to be completed. Proof th a t th e exhibition was successful in achieving its original purpose of publicizing the M arriott Library’s collections and highlighting art­ ists’ books and local artists was evident by the high turn-out at the opening reception and by the many reviews that the exhibition received, not only from local newspapers, but also through a radio talk show and television coverage. Many people and of­ fices were vital to the exhibition’s overall success, including the library adm inistration, librarians and assistants and several campus offices, along with gallery directors and the untiring energy of the artists involved. Librarians wishing to undertake an off-site, col­ laborative exhibition of a similar nature will en­ counter situations and questions similar to the ones discussed, and undoubtedly several others. Will you be best serving your library and institution by moving one of its resources out of its established p a­ rameters? Is your administration supportive? Do you have the time to undertake a major project such as this, and are there enough people willing and available to give of their time and energy to help your vision? By looking closely at a library’s collection, assessing user needs, identifying a ta r­ geted audience and determining the visual appeal of the materials to be exhibited, librarians are able to create exhibitions as visual statements with pur­ pose and impact, both outside and inside the li­ brary’s walls. ■ ■ Issues in library research The U.S. Office of Library Programs, directed by Anne J. Mathews, has released the first two of three volumes entitled, Rethinking the Library in the Information Age: Issues in Library Research— Proposals fo r the 1990s. These publications are an o u tg ro w th of a study begun by th e O ffice in 1986-1987 to identify researchable issues th a t might help libraries m aintain a position of leader­ ship in an information society. As p art of the study, a series of four meetings was held at which field-nominated experts identified is­ sues they considered most im portant to the profes­ sion: government policy; training for the profes­ sion; access to in fo rm a tio n ; archives an d preservation; indexing and retrieval of materials; the role of the public services librarian; library funding and economics; libraries and education; information users and needs; and library models. A series of papers was commissioned to explore these topics. Volume I provides summaries of the papers and identifies a number of issues and prob­ lems that need further research. Volume II is a col­ lection of the complete essays, enriched by review­ ers’ suggestions of additional research topics. The authors include Beverly P. Lynch (University of Il­ linois at Chicago), Pat Molholt (Rensselaer Poly­ technic Institute), Richard J. Cox (New York State Archives) and Lynn W. Cox (SUNY-Albany), and Brian Neilsen (Northwestern University). Volume III, Rebuilding an Infrastructure fo r Research, is in press and will be available later this spring. Limited copies of the first volume are available from the Office of Library Programs, 555 New Jer­ sey Ave., N .W ., W ashington, DC 20208; (202) 357-6293. Copies of Volume II are available for $11.00, payable to the Superintendent of Docu­ ments, from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402; stock no. 065-000-00348- 1.