ARLIS/NA 54th Annual Conference

Please note that adding a workshop to your Sched itinerary does NOT mean you have registered for the workshop. You must register via conference registration.

Art exhibition publications pose unique cataloging challenges and often require more use of cataloger's judgment than other types of art documentation. They usually necessitate intervention in terms of transposing, omitting, and supplying data, and choice of access points can be complicated.

This workshop will provide practical guidance to catalogers working with art exhibition publications by explaining issues and situations characteristic of this type of material. The four chapters of Cataloging Exhibition Publications: Best Practices, updated 2023-2025, will frame the program, and relevant standards and documentation will also be covered. Presentations by members of the Cataloging Advisory Committee will be supplemented by interactive learning activities, real-world examples, and discussion.

The workshop will include an overview of cataloging art exhibition publications; recommendations for applying RDA rules and policies; instruction on assignment of Library of Congress Subject Headings and use of controlled thesauri for genre/form access; and local considerations in selection of subject headings and name access points.

While especially helpful to catalogers, the workshop also welcomes new professionals and students interested in cataloging, solo librarians for whom cataloging is only a minor part of their job, and other art library workers.

Learning Objectives:
• An understanding of cataloging issues unique to art exhibition publications and familiarity with best practices and documentation.
• RDA rules and national policies applicable to transcription of title and statement(s) of responsibility, addition of notes, and selection of name and title access points.
• Use of controlled vocabularies for subject and genre/form access, especially assignment of LCSH in accordance with the relevant sections of the Library of Congress Subject Headings Manual.