The Greening of the Art World

It seems as if you can’t go anywhere these days without being told how to “Go Green.” Once a trend, green living has quickly become a way of life all over the world. In need of inspiration and materials, artists have always run to constructing works with natural materials or reclaiming one man’s trash as artists’ treasure. The Chrysler Museum is the proud owner of many Earth-conscious pieces of art including Vik Muniz’s 2006 creation “Orestes Pursed by the Furies (Pictures of Junk)” and David Smith’s 1961 construction “Gondola.” If your visiting the museum before July 2011, please be sure to stop by the Frank Photography Galleries and see the installation “Contrast: Interactive Works by Daniel Rozin,” an artist who works in reclaimed materials and electronic parts.

Care to learn more about green art and artists? Looking for some inspiration of your own? Stop by the Jean Outland Chrysler Library and spend a moment with our exhibit about eco-art. We are currently displaying recent craft and art education magazines focusing on making art with reclaimed, as well as books about green artists such as Rodney A. Greenblat (whose 1990 work "Confrontation in the North" is pictured above), Alexander Calder, David Smith, Vik Muniz, Andy Goldsworthy, Robert Smithson and more. Special thanks to the Chrysler Museum Facilities Department for feeling the green-spiration and lending us publications about sustainable facilities. We hope to see you soon!

- SMR

Farewell from the 2010 Jean Outland Chrysler Cataloging Fellow

Sadly, it’s time to say goodbye. Like the old cliché, time flew and, though I feel like I’m just getting started here at the Jean Outland Chrysler Library, the 2010 Cataloging Fellowship is coming to a close. I hope my time here has served the library as well as it has served me. In the spring, I looked forward to the diverse material and formats I would encounter here at the Chrysler and, in the end, underestimated just how rich an opportunity this fellowship is. Over the summer I’ve cataloged in the neighborhood of 650 items: monographs, periodicals, pamphlets, archival collections, and videos. Many presented time-consuming challenges and I hope to have met those challenges with the result of ever-improving access to this valuable collection.

Open coffee container = place in the empty bottom drawer

But now I have to say goodbye to my desk chair, my caffeine drawer (pictured), white archival gloves, volume of Pearl Jam photographs (pictured), and Library of Congress Classification System reference books.

It’s been a summer of professional growth (applying classroom lessons in a professional setting) and personal milestones (my fiance's engagement ring was mailed to the Chrysler!) and I cannot thank the Friends of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library enough. Finally, thanks are due to Dickson Librarian Laura Christiansen and Library Assistant Sara Mason who created an environment of collaboration and put up with my stream of questions. Best wishes, all around!

--John Curtis, Cataloging Fellow

Mid-Summer Report!

This past Wednesday, we rearranged some furniture and welcomed the Friends of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library for an open house. It was a pleasure to meet so many enthusiastic supporters of the library. Thank you to those that stopped by and we appreciate the continued support of all the library Friends and volunteers. Personally, the open house was a chance to show museum staff, museum volunteers, and library Friends what I’ve been up to this summer and hopefully promote the ongoing benefits of the cataloging fellowship. It’s hard to believe I’m beyond the halfway point of the fellowship; so far, roughly 500 items in a variety of formats have been added to the catalog and I hope to keep that number climbing steadily in my last few weeks!


--John Curtis, 2010 Jean Outland Chrysler Cataloging Fellow

2010 Cataloging Fellow - Welcome!

The staff of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library extends an enthusiastic welcome to 2010 Library Cataloging Fellow John Curtis! Established with the goal of enabling access to the Library’s unique resources while offering Masters of Library and Information Science students the opportunity to gain valuable experience, the Jean Outland Chrysler Library Cataloging Fellowship is made possible by funding from the Friends of the Library. John, a recent graduate of the M.L.I.S. program at Simmons College in Boston, MA is already hard at work cataloging materials that have previously been unavailable to Library patrons. We look forward to working with John this Summer. Keep an eye on the Library's blog for weekly updates about his work, new additions to the collection, and interesting items he comes across while cataloging!

Out of Storage and Into the Stacks

Are you a glass collector or enthusiast? This Wednesday May 5 at 6 p.m. the Jean Outland Chrysler Library will host Curator of Glass Kelly Conway in the Library Reading Room for a unique opportunity. Join us for Out of Storage and Into the Stacks and view fine pieces from the Chrysler’s glass collection alongside rare books from the Chrysler Library’s extensive glass research collections. Treasures from both collections will be on display and we will discuss how to use the Library’s resources for glass identification and research.


Whether you already have an extensive collection of glass or would like to learn more, this is a great opportunity to learn how to begin your research.

Space is limited to 20 participants and room is still available, so please R.S.V.P. For more information, contact Laura Christiansen at (757) 965-2035 or at lchristiansen@chrysler.org

"Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?"

When ArtNews published feminist art historian Linda Nochlin’s essay “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” in 1971, it set off a firestorm of discussion in the art world. Nochlin focused on the male-centric world of art history. Were there really never any great women artists, or had their accomplishments been misattributed and played down? Thirty years later Nochlin’s question became the topic of a conference at Princeton on the state of women artists, and her new essay “Why Have “”There Been No Great Women Artists” Thirty Years After” was published. Are you interested in weighing in on this issue? Please join us at the next Chrysler Museum Art & Books, Wine & Cheese on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 for what is sure to be a lively discussion. Please e-mail us at library@chrysler.org if you would like to have digital scans of the articles sent to you. We hope to see you there!

Cataloging Fellowship 2010

The Jean Outland Chrysler Library seeks a graduate, or recently graduated library and information science student interested in career as a cataloger in archives or libraries. Qualified applicants will:
            • Be current graduate students in good standing in a library science, information studies, preservation, archives or
             related program
            • Have experience in technical services and cataloging or have significant coursework in relevant areas.
            • Have knowledge of MARC, LCSH, AACR2, and DDC.
            • Have familiarity with art history research materials
            • Have good computer skills and familiarity with searching bibliographic databases.
            • Be detail oriented, organized and flexible with the ability to work independently.

 Cataloging Fellows will have the opportunity to work on a variety of cataloging and technical services projects. Responsibilities will include:

              • Assisting with the acquisitions workflow including accession records, physical processing and tracking of
                materials prior to cataloging.

             • Copy, derived, or original cataloging; Fellows will assist with cataloging materials in various formats including
                books, periodicals, archives, etc.

             • Some work with other formats including serials and audio-visual materials.

             • Technical processing of library materials

             • Introductory cataloging of rare books and unique materials.

             • Regular reports of project progress and participation in Library outreach activities including presentations to the
               public.

             • Some reaching and lifting may be required.

Applicants must commit to 10  weeks of employment between June and August 2010. Fellows will receive a stipend of $5,000 to be used for housing, travel and other expenses. The stipend will be divided into three payments: one upon starting, the second halfway through and the third upon completion of the internship.

 APPLICATION

To apply, candidates should submit: a letter of recommendation from an academic advisor or work supervisor, a cover letter, and a resume. Cover letters should highlight previous employment, coursework, and/or other qualifications. Applications must be received by April 15, 2010.

Applications may be sent via e-mail (lchristiansen@chrysler.org) or mail to:

The Jean Outland Chrysler Library
Attn: Laura Christiansen
245 West Olney Rd.
Norfolk, VA 23510

  Only those applicants who are chosen for possible placement will be contacted within two weeks of the respective application deadline to arrange for an interview.

Curious about what the Cataloging Fellow actually does? Take a look at the wonderful work of our 2009 Fellow Rachel Juris here:  

http://chryslermuseumlibrary.blogspot.com/search/label/fellowship

Thanks for a Wonderful Saturday Afternoon !

Special thanks to everyone who attended last Saturday's Workshop in the Library. We certainly enjoyed discussing the Library's resources and learning a bit about the many interesting items being researched. Unable to attend but still want to learn how to get started with your research? Keep an eye on the blog for future workshops or stop by the Library for more information.

Are you ready for some research?

There's still time to join us tomorrow,  Saturday January 23, 2010 at 1 p.m. in the Library
for an introduction to using the Jean Outland Chrysler Library’s resources to investigate mystery items in your personal collection. This workshop is free for Friends of the Library, and only $5.00 for others. We look forward to seeing you there!

Coming Soon... Library Workshop January 23, 2010

Farewell from Rachel

Although the 2009 Jean Outland Chrysler Library Cataloging Fellowship has ended, the knowledge I gained through my work this summer will be put to use in my next job, cataloging and archiving photographs at the Chicago History Museum, and as continue I pursue a career in museum libraries. This summer, I learned about cataloging many different types of materials and had the opportunity to work hand-on with many old and rare items. I want to thank the Friends of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library for making the Cataloging Fellowship possible. I am also appreciative of the staff, volunteers, and patrons of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library and the Chrysler Museum for providing me with such a welcoming and educational environment. I had a wonderful summer in Norfolk!

Farewell to Our Fellow...

The summer is quickly drawing to a close and our inaugural Jean Outland Chrysler Library Cataloging Fellow, Rachel Juris is on her way back to Chicago. Rachel spent the summer hard at work adding information about materials previously unavailable to Library patrons to the Library’s online catalog. Over the course of ten weeks, she added or corrected records for over 1,000 items! Rachel will go on to use her new skills as the Hedrich Blessing Photography Collection Project Archivist at the Chicago History Museum. Rachel created an impressive portfolio of the work that she completed for the Library this summer. It is available online at http://courseweb.lis.illinois.edu/~juris/chrysler/chryslerlibrary.html

Thank you Rachel for all of your hard work this summer!

You are invited to a Library Open House!

If you've been reading this blog this summer, you'll know that Cataloging Fellow Rachel Juris and Interns Gabrielle, Emma, Jessica and Brendan have been hard at work helping the Library accomplish some big projects. Before our interns return to their respective schools for the year, we invite you to stop by the Library Reading Room on Friday, July 31 between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to meet them and see some of the amazing work they've completed. This is also a wonderful opportunity to meet Rachel and hear about her excellent work cataloging the Library's backlog.

We look forward to seeing you on Friday!

New Feature - Cataloged, Labeled and Shelved...

As you are scrolling down the blog this week you may notice a rather lenghty list has been added under our regular list of new acquisitions. This summer, with the able help of Cataloging Fellow Rachel Juris, the Library staff is working to catalog, label, and shelve as many uncataloged materials as possible. Previously part of our cataloging backlog and unavailable to researchers, the 150+ items listed this week were entered into our library catalog by Rachel between June 15 and June 30. Now all of these items are easy to find in our catalog and on our shelves. Rachel is still working away - so keep an eye for further additions in the coming weeks!

Friends of the Library Annual Meeting - Wednesday May 27 at 6 p.m.

Next Wedesday, May 27, the Friends of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library will hold their Annual meeting beginning at 6 p.m. A brief business meeting will be held followed by a presentation featuring the accomplishments of the Friends in 2008-2009 and some highlights of recent Library acquisitions and improvements. Refreshments will follow. We hope to see all members of the Friends of the Library there!

Interested in learning more about the Friends of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library? Established in the early 1980s, to promote community support and interest in the Library, The Friends of the Library raise funds for special Library projects. You can find out more information here.