The panel discussion focused on identifying and sharing collections of distinction through digital initiatives. Jason Roy presented on making unique collections accessible online to impact the growing array of visual resources. The panelists then described their projects that showcase collections to both local and broader users: accessCeramics features contemporary ceramics; Reed Digital Collections features artists' books; and Local Color features art in University of Michigan campus buildings. The discussion addressed building user communities around shared collections and addressing copyright when displaying non-public domain works digitally.

1. Closing Plenary: Collections of Distinction: Adding Value to the
Online Community of Visual Resources
[Introductory remarks and introductions, Heidi S. Raatz, Visual Resources Librarian,
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Session Organizer and Moderator]
In a very recent article published in Research Library Issues, “The Collaborative
Imperative: Special Collections in the Digital Age”,1 Anne R. Kenney of Cornell
University concluded that in considering large-scale digitization projects, special
collections units in research libraries must consider the changes granted via digital access
to materials on a grand scale. Specifically, they need to avoid re-creating traditional
approaches that fail to accommodate the differences and opportunities inherent in an
online environment characterized by ubiquitous access, social networking, and Web 2.0
applications, values, and expectations. Special collections must take advantage of the
blurred institutional borders, participatory digital communities and unaffiliated user
groups when considering access to their materials and in identifying partners for
collaboration. I would venture to say the same is true as we seek new avenues of
approach for our rich, and often surprisingly unique visual resources collections and
holdings.
Our featured speaker Jason Roy has presented on the subject of digital collections and
initiatives at the annual conferences of the Minnesota Digital Libraries (MDL), the
Society of American Archivists Annual Conference, and the Archive-It Conference.
Currently Head, Digital Collections Unit & Interim Co-director, Digital Library
Development Lab, at the University of Minnesota Libraries, Jason fosters the creation of
and access to research and scholarly material in digital form from within the collections
of the Libraries and across the University of Minnesota. Making content available to
users is an expectation shared by nearly every cultural organization. Often this means an
increasing commitment to digitization and the use of online discovery tools for providing
access. Since no one institution has the financial resources to digitize everything in their
holdings, it is imperative that organizations identify and prioritize which collections most
deserve their attention.
This session will focus on approaches and methods of targeting those collections within
your own institution that can provide the most value to users. By showcasing our own
collections of distinction we can significantly impact the growing array of online visual
resources now available to our community of users while still highlighting the uniqueness
of each of our own holdings. In an era when it is all too easy for institutional
administrations to view subscriptions to large image databases as a one size fits all
solution to visual resources needs, a shift towards identifying what you have that's unique
and getting it out there in a manner that makes your collection relevant to both your local
1
Anne R. Kenney. “The Collaborative Imperative: Special Collections in the Digital
Age.” Research Library Issues: A Bimonthly Report from ARL, CNI, and SPARC, no. 267
(Dec. 2009): 20-29. http://www.arl.org/resources/pubs/rli/archive/rli267.shtml

2. users and the larger universe of image users becomes vital.
Some visual resources collections have already begun this process. Recent success stories
include the accessCeramics collection, a pilot project organized by the Visual Resources
Collection of Watzek Library and the Art Department of Lewis & Clark College2, and the
Reed Digital Collections Artists' Books site at Reed College3. We can also learn from
projects still in the earliest stages of development, such as Local Color: A Database of
Art on Campus being developed at the University of Michigan.4
Jason's presentation in this session will be followed by a moderated discussion, featuring
a panel of respondents who I will introduce after Jason has concluded his remarks. Our
respondents include visual resources professionals who have achieved various measures
of success in identifying, creating, and sharing collections of distinction. It is my great
pleasure to present Jason Roy.
[Jason’s presentation]
I’d now like to introduce our panel of respondents, each of whom will give a very brief
overview of their projects before we open the floor for discussion.
Margo Ballantyne and Stephanie Beene, representing accessCeramics, Lewis &
Clark College:
Margo Ballantyne (unable to join us today) began her career in 1990 at Lewis & Clark
College as the school’s first Visual Resources Curator. In the summer of 2006, Margo
joined with Art Department and library colleagues to develop the idea of accessCeramics,
an online database of contemporary ceramics. She served on the curatorial board and
was a member of the grant-writing team for the 2008 NITLE “Instructional Innovation
Fund” grant and the 2009 NEA “Access to Artistic Excellence” grant which grew the
project. Margo was also a founding member and past Chair of the VRA Pacific Rim
Regional Chapter and served from 2003-2005 as Secretary for the VRA. She also served
as a Founding Director for the VRA Foundation. Margo retired from Lewis & Clark
College in 2009 and is currently on hiatus from accessCeramics, leaving it in the able
hands of Stephanie Beene, the current Visual Resources Coordinator.
Stephanie Beene comes to Lewis and Clark from the University of Texas at Austin,
where she completed her M.S. in Information Studies, and was the Database
Development Assistant at the School of Architecture Visual Resources Collection. She
has an M.A. in Art History from the University of California, Riverside, and a B.A. in Art
and Art History from Colorado State University. Stephanie has an impressive track
record in visual resources collections, gallery, and museum work, arts education, digital
library initiatives, and community service that she brings to Lewis & Clark.
2
accessCeramics: a contemporary ceramics image resource - http://accessceramics.org/
3
Reed Digital Collections: Artists’ Books - http://cdm.reed.edu/cdm4/artbooks/index.php
4
Updates and announcements regarding the Local Color project will be available via the
AAEL Blog - http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/aael/

3. accessCeramics is a growing collection of images of contemporary ceramics by
recognized artists. Designed for use by artists, arts educators, scholars and the general
public, it is intended to fill a void in contemporary ceramics digital image collections on
the Web. The project merges a traditional academic digital image collection's metadata
capabilities with Flickr's openness and flexibility. accessCeramics is a pilot project
organized by the Visual Resources Collection of Watzek Library and the Art Department
of Lewis & Clark College. In 2008, the project received a NITLE Instructional
Innovative Fund Grant and was the recipient of a 2009 NEA Access to Artistic
Excellence Grant.
Stephanie Beene: [Stephanie’s presentation]
Karin Whalen, representing Reed Digital Collections: Artists’ Books, Reed College:
Our second panelist, Karin Whalen is the Visual Resources Librarian at Reed College in
Portland. Karin holds a Masters in Art History from the University of Oregon, and she
has been an adjunct Professor of Art History at Portland Community College (PCC) and
Mt. Hood Community College. At PCC she has been involved in the Study Abroad
program emphasizing Art and Architecture of Renaissance Italy. She is also presently
teaching Art History in the galleries at the Portland Art Museum. Karin has regularly
presented papers, organized sessions, and co-taught workshops at the VRA annual
conferences and the ARLIS/NA-VRA Summer Education Institute (SEI). She also
served as the VRA co-chair for SEI. Karin was a founding member and first chair of the
VRA Pacific Rim Regional Chapter and currently serves on the VRA Education
Committee.
The Collection of Artists’ Books at Reed College runs the spectrum of modern and
contemporary artists’ books including traditional letterpress printed books of poetry,
conceptual book works, sculptural and visual works, concrete poetry, and magazine
works. This unique collection, which holds significant 20th century and contemporary
artists’ books, gives students and the broader population insight into the significant role
artist's books have played among the avant-garde of Eastern and Western Europe, Asia
and the United States, from the turn of the last century to the present. The Artists’ Books
website was developed as part of the Reed Digital Collections initiative to integrate
digital assets into the liberal arts curriculum. Images in the collection are provided for
members of the Reed academic community, for use in teaching, study, and research.
Reed College students, faculty, and staff may use images for in-class display, as well as
academic presentations, papers, assignments, and theses papers.
Karin Whalen: [Karin’s presentation]
Jamie Lausch, Local Color: A Database of Art on Campus, University of Michigan,
Art Architecture and Engineering Library (AAEL):
Our third panelist Jamie Lausch is a University Library Associate and Master's student at
the UM School of Information working in the Art, Architecture and Engineering Library
(AAEL) and a student member of VRA. Jamie divides her time at AAEL between
reference services and projects behind the scenes, notably the creation of a database

4. called “Local Color”, which will features art in University of Michigan campus buildings.
She is also the Curatorial Research Center Librarian and Art Handler at the Unversity of
Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), assisting museum visitors find information about the
objects in UMMA's collection.
Jamie Lausch: [Jamie’s presentation]
I’d now like to open the floor up for questions and discussion, and encourage you all to
address our featured speaker Jason Roy as well as our panel of respondents Stephanie
Beene, KarinWhalen, and Jamie Lausch.
Sample questions and issues for discussion in the event that the audience is quiet –
1) In your experience, what are the recommended methods or tools for harnessing
opportunities to build user communities and incorporate social networking around shared
collections?
2) Certainly there has been a growing up-swell in support of the lifting of fees and
restrictions on use of reproductions of works of art in the public domain. Major museums
such as the V&A, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, have begun to incorporate
methods for actively distributing and sharing this content with users, particularly for
scholarly and educational purposes. Interestingly, the projects each of our panelists
represents incorporate images of works which are still under copyright protection. I’d be
interested to hear how you addressed the issues of displaying and sharing digital images
of non public domain works.