Collection ID: C637
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Collection context

Summary

Creator:
Indiana University, Bloomington. Fine Arts Library
Abstract:
The Indiana University Fine Arts Library opened in 1962 in conjunction with the dedication of the new Fine Arts Building. Betty Jo (B.J.) Irvine served as the Director of the Fine Arts Library from 1969 to 2007. This collection consists of materials related to her tenure as Director of the Fine Arts Library.
Extent:
4.4 cubic feet
Language:
Materials are in English
Preferred citation:

[file], Indiana University Fine Arts Library Director's records, C637, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

Background

Biographical / Historical:

The Indiana University Fine Arts Library opened in 1962 in conjunction with the dedication of the new Fine Arts Building. It housed books and journals in the fields of visual arts, art history, architecture, fashion, design, and related disciplines. The library's collections comprised over 130,000 volumes, over 3,000 periodicals, MFA thesis files from the School of Fine Arts, and a non-circulating collection of rare arts-related books, including over 2,000 artists' books. The Fine Arts Library also housed a reference collection consisting of dictionaries, encyclopedias, indexes, bibliographies, and other research materials. Betty Jo (B.J.) Irvine (MLS 1969, Ph.D. 1982, Indiana University) was the Director of the Fine Arts Library from 1969 to 2007. She was originally hired by the IU Libraries and Henry Hope, the chair of the Fine Arts Department, in the summer of 1966 to manage the department's sizeable slide collection.

The Fine Arts Library closed permanently on May 12, 2017, and its collections were relocated to the Herman B Wells Library.

Scope and Content:

The content of this collection contains materials pertaining to B.J. Irvine's tenure as Director of the Fine Arts Library from 1969-2007, as well as some materials from 1950-1969 that were carried over from the previous director's files. The collection is organized into four series: Administrative files (1962-2008), IU Art Museum & Fine Arts Library Building Project files (1967-1998), Library Faculty Status Files (1968-2003), and Management Review & Analysis Program (1973-1976).

The Fine Arts Library (FAL) series is broken down into four subseries. The Reports subseries (1962-2007) contains annual, budget, and statistical reports. The Correspondence subseries (1965-2004) consists of any and all ingoing and outgoing mail from 1965-2004 that reflect the overall operation of the library such as interdepartmental communications, letters to and from donors, correspondence with other libraries or book distributers, and other similar materials. The Collection Development subseries (1973-2008) contains documents focused on acquisitions, gifts from donors, and conspectuses. The final General subseries (1966-2000) consists of miscellaneous projects along with personnel policies and financial information.

The IU Art Museum and Fine Arts Library Building Project series focuses on materials pertaining to the planning and creation of the Fine Arts Library portion of the IU Art Museum/Fine Arts Library building which opened in 1962. The series contains four subseries. The Project Planning Documents subseries (1967-2007) focuses on all the documents directly related to the planning of the Fine Arts Library including budgets, correspondence, funding, research, and other records pertaining to the planning of the physical space of the library. The Furniture & Equipment Catalogs and Samples subseries (1970-1980) contains catalogs and samples the Fine Arts Library team used to purchase files for the Fine Arts Library. As the title suggests, the Fine Arts Library Building Plans subseries (1970-1981) consists of all the building plans on the Fine Arts Library. The final Research Aids – Other Libraries subseries (1970s) consists of information and examples gathered from other libraries, such as the University of Michigan's Fine Arts Library, to help the staff plan the physical space as well as the Fine Arts Library organizational systems.

The Faculty Status series (1968-2003) contains any and all documents related to faculty status and are arranged first in committee groups and then in rough chronological order.

The Management Review & Analysis Program (MRAP) (1973-1976) series consists of documents pertaining to the conducted program and arranged in roughly chronological order.

Acquisition information:
Accessions: 2007/137; 2015/139; 2016/067.
Appraisal information:

Select files closed to researchers.

Custodial history:

Collection was transferred from the Fine Arts Library to the University Archives in multiple batches on the following dates: September 19, 2007; November 13, 2015; and July 1, 2016.

Processing information:

Processed by Julia Kilgore.

Completed in 2017

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into four series: Administrative files, IU Art Museum and Fine Arts Library Building Project, Library Faculty Status Files, and Management Review & Analysis Program (MRAP).

Access

RESTRICTIONS:

Select files closed to researchers (noted in the folder list). Advance notice required for access to collection.

TERMS OF ACCESS:

Copyright interests for this collection have been transferred to the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, contact the Indiana University Archivist.

PREFERRED CITATION:

[file], Indiana University Fine Arts Library Director's records, C637, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
Herman B Wells Library E460
1320 East Tenth Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7000, United States
CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
CONTACT:
812-855-1127
archives@indiana.edu