From 2010 - 2011, Brian Rosenblum, a Digital Initiatives
Librarian at the University of Kansas (KU) partnered with the University’s
Spencer Museum of Art. This was thanks in part to the Keeler Family
Intra-University Professorship award, which granted Rosenblum the opportunity
to, in the words of the award: “…enhance [his] knowledge of an academic
specialty, broaden the depth of a defined field of study or start a new
academic endeavor and promote collaboration across disciplines.”[i]
As the Digital Initiatives Librarian at the KU, Rosenblum approached his
professorship with an idea to further explore digital convergence between libraries,
archives and museums by working with the Spencer Museum of Art in order to
learn more about the museum profession.
Rosenblum’s work on this project can be
seen as being successful, as he came away with plans for further collaboration
between the University of Kansas Libraries and the Spencer Museum of Art. His
time there opened up a running dialogue between the two institutions, and
through this dialogue Rosenblum and employees of the Spencer Museum of Art
discovered similarities in regards to technical challenges they faced. Both
institutions were struggling to acquire, describe, preserve and provide access
to data and content, specifically for students and faculty and especially in
digital formats. In addition, as the Museum and Libraries are part of the
University of Kansas, Rosenblum discovered a shared interest between the two in
providing access to scholarly and cultural materials to enhance teaching,
learning and research at the University.[ii]
While both institutions have different missions and provide different services,
they still have allegiance to the KU community and their collaboration can only
benefit the community further.
Rosenblum began his professorship by attending
the September 2010 conference “Yours, Mine and Ours: Leadership Through
Collaboration” on LAM collaboration at the Smithsonian Institution. There, he
learned the importance of collaboration initiatives between LAM institutions.
Libraries, archives and museums share common goals and, especially when they
are located within the same institution, these goals merge even more. Working
together ensures more is likely to be accomplished, in less time and at less of
a cost. Each LAM institution has access to unique information and materials
that can be beneficial to the other institutions. In addition, each employs
professionals with concentrated skills that can be useful beyond the boundaries
of libraries or museums. The use of library staff in the museum and vice versa
also opens up communication and collaboration between the libraries and museum
that continues beyond the scope of the project.
Post conference, Rosenblum looked at
the mission statements and strategic plans of the Spencer Museum of Art and the
KU Libraries and compiled a list of similar words and phrases. This examination
brought forth many reoccurring statements, deepening the need for collaboration
between the two institutions. Both outlined their ultimate goals in these
mission statements and strategic plans and being aware of these is integral to
understanding the institutions and what they are looking to accomplish.
Beginning with this exercise was a good way to open this project as it would be
difficult to fully engage either without knowing what they are striving to
accomplish with their presence at the University of Kansas.[iii]
Rosenblum’s next step was to examine
some of the past collaborations between the KU Libraries and the Spencer Museum
of Art. They worked together to create a digital image repository called LUNA
Insight, where low-resolution images of the Spencer’s art collection were
uploaded online. These images were available to anyone with Internet access with
the options to manipulate, compare and also zoom in to get a closer look at the
images of pieces from their collection. Another past project was between the
Spencer Museum of Art and the Art and Architecture Library. This project seemed
like a more natural collaboration because the Art and Architecture Library is
housed within the Spencer Museum of Art, and exists as a valuable relationship
between the KU Libraries and the Spencer. The staff of the Art and Architecture
Library and the Spencer work together to provide access to staff members and
Spencer Museum of Art curators. While that relationship is purely internal,
serving the staff members better can help them to better serve their audience.[iv]
From this research, Rosenblum came to a
few conclusions regarding collaboration between the KU Libraries and the
Spencer. The first was to become
involved in the digitization of some of the Spencer Museum of Arts Archives,
including their ethnographic collections and the SMA Register, a publication
relating to scholarly articles and research about the Spencer’s collection. KU
Libraries would take the lead on these projects with assistance from the
museum. Digitizing these materials lead to an increase in access to relevant
scholarly resources, especially to those in the University of Kansas community,
which touches on a shared service mission in the two institution’s mission
statements.
Another digital project suggested by
Rosenblum is an update and reconfiguration of the LUNA Insight Digital Library.
LUNA Insight had been neglected since the original partnership between the KU
Libraries and the Spencer and Rosenblum wanted to update the metadata to fit
more seamlessly with the Spencer’s Museum Plus (the system used by museum staff
for tracking information about their works) data, which is updated more
routinely than the LUNA Insight Digital Library. Both institutions would be
tasked with finding a better way to incorporate this existing data into the
LUNA Insight system. [v]
While also collaborating on outreach to
both the KU community and the public to bolster their images, Rosenblum also
suggests the two link their search capabilities, so that one search searches
the libraries, the Spencer’s and other KU cultural resources at the same time.
Rosenblum’s proposals seem quite sound.
While he outlines quite a bit of projects between the two institutions, a
portion is building upon systems that already exist. It is much simpler to
elaborate and manipulate existing systems than to create new ones from scratch.
Many of the others will simply be a result of the continuing communication
between the KU Libraries and the Spencer Museum of Art. This communication is
heavily stressed by Rosenblum, and while technology serves as a great
connection between staff members in different locations, it is very handy that
the Art and Architecture Library is in the Spencer Museum of Art, and starting
with collaboration and communication in this shared space is a good way for
communication to branch out to the other KU Library locations.
I enjoy that Rosenblum’s report
includes strategies for how to go about achieving success in a partnership
between the two institutions. He insists that the projects that benefit both
institutions be given priority over other projects. In order to check up on the
progress of these projects, Rosenblum suggests semi-regular meetings between
involved staff, as it is important to establish face-to-face communication. In
addition, all staff of both institutions should also begin to meet regularly,
to discuss projects each institution is working on in a solo basis, for their
own gain. Rosenblum hopes that the openness of sharing these personal projects
will lead to a fostering of community where staff can offer suggestions and
raise questions about other projects.
Within
the confines of Rosenblum’s specific task, to find ways in which the Spencer
Museum of Art and KU Libraries could open up communication and collaboration, I
believe he was successful. His report very clearly details ways in which the
two institutions can go about implementing this collaboration and that he
assembled this report while working with both institutions also points to its
continued success. Working with both institutions to establish these projects
and goals ensures both are aware of and excited for the coming collaborations.
[i] Rosenblum,
Brian, A Report on Library-Museum collaboration at the University of Kansas:
The Spencer Museum of Art and KU Libraries, KU
ScholarWorks, (June 2011), 1 URL: https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/bitstream/handle/1808/7706/SMA-KULIB-collab-Rosenblum.june2011.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
[ii]
Rosenblum, 2
[iii]
Rosenblum, 5
[iv]
Rosenblum, 6
[v]
Rosenblum, 7
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