to: [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask]
 
re: Re: Libraries and museums
 
 
Alexandra Hauchecorne asked the following of the list yesterday, and
I am posting the reply in the hope that it's of general interest -- I
wish others would correct or add to it.
 
 
Jack Kessler
 
[log in to unmask]
 
***
 
Alexandra Hauchecorne asked,
 
        We are interested in relationships between museums and
        libraries in various countries : cooperation, partnership,
        differences of status.  Would those of you who have already
        thought it over be kind enough to send us their informations
        (or references of books or articles).
 
A great deal of current theoretical work is being done in this area by
Geoffrey Nunberg and David Levy at XeroxPARC. The general undertaking
is to re - define "document" as a general concept, and you will see
that the new definitions certainly can include museum objects. Three
references:
 
     * David Levy, What do you see and what do you get? Document identity
       and electronic media, Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Conference
       of the University of Waterloo Centre for the New OED and Text
       Research, 1972.
     * David Levy, Document reuse and document systems, Electronic
       Publishing -- Origination, Dissemination and Design, 6(4), (to
       appear, 1994).
     * Geoffrey Nunberg, The places of books in the age of electronic
       reproduction, Representations, 42, 1993.
 
You can find these, and much other material about XeroxPARC's and
others' current work on "Digital Libraries", and other projects, at:
 
        http://www.xerox.com/PARC/dlbx/dstudies.html
 
Theoretical and historical work in this area, on the work of Paul Otlet
and others, is being done by Professor Michael Buckland at the
University of California at Berkeley. He gives much credit,
incidentally, to the following, French, article, for having been the
first to suggest the affinity being libraries and museums in
information:
 
Dupuy, Suzanne Renee (Briet), Qu'est-ce que la documentation?  Paris,
Editions documentaires, industrielles et techniques, 1951.  Series
title:  Collection de documentologie 1.
 
also see,
 
Buckland, M. (1991): "Information as thing" _Journal of the American
Society for Information Science 42:351-360; _Information and
information systems_. N.Y.: Praeger; "Information retrieval of more
than text" _Journal of the American Society for Information Science_
42:586-588.
 
There are, in addition, many "digital access" projects now under way at
US universities, in most of which the university museums are heavily
involved. For one such example, which contains pointers to many others,
you might try: gopher ucmp1.Berkeley.EDU.
 
 
        I have been told that there has already been talks over this
        subject on museum list. Is there a way to get "old" messages
        ???
 
Yes. If you would send to email address [log in to unmask], with
no "Subject:" entry, the following message:
 
//
Database Search DD=Rules
//Rules DD   *
Search Compare Museums to Libraries in Museum-l
Index
/*
 
you will receive an index file of all of the recent Museum-l postings
on this subject. If you then send a second message to the same address
giving the appropriate index numbers, for example:
 
//
Database Search DD=Rules
//Rules DD   *
Search Compare Museums to Libraries in Museum-l
Get 3524 3511 3503
/*
 
you will receive the texts of those messages.
 
Best wishes,
 
 
Jack Kessler
 
[log in to unmask]