What we do
The Cataloguing & Classification Committee supports the cataloguing and classification of all art materials in libraries, promoting effective discovery of library resources for the visual arts, architecture and design, and by supporting development and research in the cataloguing and classification of art materials in libraries.
We support librarians responsible for providing bibliographic access to these resources by maintaining and disseminating awareness of good practice, especially in the light of technological, organisational and cultural change.
Who we are
Chair | Victoria Parkinson | Library Solutions and Metadata Coordinator, King’s College London
Victoria is a Library Solutions and Metadata Coordinator at King’s College London, where she started in the Acquisitions team in 2010 before moving to her current role seven years ago. She trains and supports colleagues in cataloguing and classification, advocates for metadata in the library, manages the library catalogue, and supports the library management system and discovery tools.
Secretary | Katie Blackford | Senior Liaison Librarian, Tate, London
Katie Blackford has worked as a Liaison Librarian for Tate Britain and Tate St Ives since October 2013. She has a particular interest in artists’ books and cataloguing. Since graduating with an MA in Library and Information Studies from UCL in 2010, Katie has worked at Christie’s Education and the British Library, on the British Newspaper Digitisation project.
Katie joined the Arlis Cataloguing and Classification Committee in January 2018, and was previously on the Student and Trainees/Professional Development Committee, 2010-2016.
Committee Member | Mary Mitchell | Courtauld Institute of Art | The Warburg Institute
Mary is a cataloguer at The Courtauld Institute of Art and at The Warburg Institute. She has previously worked as a cataloguer at the National Gallery library and at the Society of Antiquaries of London, where she catalogued and classified a variety of materials, and in a private library, where she created a new classification scheme for a special collection.
She received her MA in Library and information Studies in 2000, and joined the ARLIS Cataloguing and Classification Committee in 2018.
Committee Member | Dr Deborah Lee | Senior Teaching Fellow in Library and Information Studies, University College London
Deborah is the Senior Teaching Fellow in Library and Information Studies at University College London, where her responsibilities include leading the Cataloguing and Classification and the Knowledge Organisation modules. She has a PhD in library and information science, and has published a variety of articles in the field of knowledge organisation, including about music classification, knowledge organisation systems, art cataloguing, FRBR/LRM and RDA, and cataloguing education. Deborah was the Senior Cataloguer at the Courtauld Institute of Art from 2008 until 2019, and was latterly also the Joint Acting Head of the Book Library.
Committee Member | Kalliopi Anyfantaki | Academic Liaison Librarian, QA Higher Education
Kelly is an Academic Liaison Librarian at QA Higher Education. She has a BA in Literature and Linguistics and an MSc (Dist) in Library Science. She has also worked at UCL and City, University of London as a Library Assistant. She enjoys reading, watching films, cooking, visiting museums, seeing exhibitions at galleries and dining out. She joined the ARLIS Cataloguing and Classification Committee in 2018.
Committee Member | Dr Annalisa Ricciardi | Cataloguer, British Library
Annalisa is a Cataloguer of artists’ books and fine press at the British Library for the Americas and Oceania Office. Here, she has been a member of the Anti-Racism Project -Cataloguing and Metadata Subgroup, working on developing advisories for catalogue records. She has previously worked at Senate House Library, Middlesex University Library, Sotheby’s Institute of Art Library, and Tate Britain Archive. Annalisa graduated with an MA in Conservation of Cultural Heritage, and an MA in Library and Information Studies at the University of Tuscia, Italy, and has published on printing and Reformation in Italy in the 16th century. She has a PhD in History of pilgrimages and peoples’ movement in the Euro-Mediterranean Middle Ages. Annalisa joined the ArLiS Cataloguing and Classification Committee in June 2021.
Committee Member | Lucy Dodge (she/her) | Library and Information Studies student (University College London), Library & Archives Assistant (Natural History Museum)
Lucy is a part-time Library and Information Studies Masters Student at University College London. Alongside her degree, she works part-time at the Natural History Museum as a Library and Archives Audit Assistant within a large collections move project team. Previous to this, she has worked as a Library Assistant in a North London secondary school, and completed a library graduate traineeship at Trinity College, Cambridge. To date, Lucy has enjoyed learning about art librarianship and cataloguing and classification as part of her Masters degree and job roles.
Committee Member | Laura Wood | Subject Library Assistant, Leeds Arts University
Laura is a Subject Library Assistant at Leeds Arts University, and is currently completing their MA in Librarianship at the University of Sheffield. They work closely with special collections, cataloguing artists’ books, photobooks, and zines. They are also interested in comic books, graphic novels and manga, and how these are catalogued, classified and made available in the library. They joined the ARLIS Cataloguing and Classification Committee in 2023.
Committee Member | Jane Carr | Librarian
Jane previously worked as Systems Librarian at the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin and Serials and Liaison Librarian at Tate Library, London. She is interested in simplifying discovery of library items and also developing and promoting artists’ books collections.
Past Co-Chairs | Dr Deborah Lee and Yamuna Ravindran
Events
Forthcoming workshops
ARLIS UK & Ireland Cataloguing and Classification ethics series 2022
List of past workshops available here
Resources
Cataloguing resources produced by the Cataloguing and Classification Committee
Art Libraries Journal, vol. 36, no. 4, 2011, edited by Gillian Varley. ISSN 0307-4722.
The committee, led by Deborah Lee, co-ordinated a special issue of the Art Libraries Journal on the subject of classification in art libraries. Written by a variety of contributors including some committee members, the articles provide an interesting overview of the issues associated with this aspect of bibliographic control.
The first part of the issue looks at how successfully established classification schemes cater for art-related materials, with articles that discuss the relative merits of DDC, UDC, Bliss and Library of Congress Classification within the context of a variety of institutions. The second part covers some of the current issues in classification in art libraries, such as the problems of updating an adapted classification scheme to maintain its currency, discussions about the reclassification issues encountered during library mergers and the practical steps involved in reclassifying an area of library stock, and the challenges of classifying photography. The final article describes a museum library that has moved away from traditional classification to concentrate on keyword indexing for access to its collections.
Artists’ books: a cataloguers’ manual compiled by Maria White, Patrick Perratt and Liz Lawes (London: ARLIS/UK & Ireland, 2006). viii, 93 p.: ill.; 21cm. ISBN 0-9552445-0-1/978-0-9552445-0-6.
This manual is designed for anyone involved in the cataloguing of artists’ books. As many cataloguers may not be very familiar with the genre, the manual is preceded by an introductory section giving a brief history of artists’ books, a discussion of the problems associated with defining the term itself and an outline of specific problems the cataloguer may face. The manual itself takes the cataloguer through each applicable rule from AACR2, offering guidance on interpretation and, where necessary, expanding on the rules. Appendices include full examples in MARC21, some with photographs, a bibliography and a list of websites that the cataloguer may find useful. The manual is in an easy to use spiral bound A5 format.
What the reviewers say:
‘This manual […] will come as a welcome addition to the cataloguer’s reference shelf.’ (Simon Ford,ARLIS News-sheet, Issue 183, September/October 2006, p3)
‘At last a proper manual for cataloguing artists’ books!’ (Sarah Bodman, Book Arts Newsletter, No. 29, September 2006)
‘This is a very useful book, not just for the special collections cataloguer but those working in more general collections who are likely to encounter artists’ books only now and again.’ (Richard Price,Catalogue & Index, No. 155, Winter/Spring 2007, p71)
Cataloguing artists’ videos and DVDs: diversions and frictions (Notes, 2nd draft 16/8/2005) compiled by Jacqueline Cooke and Patrick Perratt on behalf of the ARLIS/UK & Ireland Cataloguing and Classification Committee, and presented at the ARLIS workshop Artists’ film and video: building a balanced collection, 10 June 2005, Kent Institute of Art & Design, Canterbury.
The guidelines are based on MARC21 and AACR2, with other compatible guidelines for cataloguing moving image material, from the art libraries milieu. The authors highlight some of the difficulties of cataloguing this material in this format to provide a simplified guide.
The draft guidelines, presentation, and references can be downloaded below:
Draft guidelines (246KB PDF)
Presentation (1.51MB PDF)
References (76KB PDF)
Jacqueline has recently written an article about cataloguing artists’ videos for the Art libraries journal. Details about the article can be found at: Cooke, Jacqueline (2009) Cataloguing artists’ videos.Art libraries journal. vol.34, no.3, pp.40-45.
Trade literature: cataloguing and classification guidelines compiled by Bernadette Archer and Kaye Bagshaw for the ARLIS/UK & Ireland Cataloguing and Classification Committee (London: ARLIS/UK & Ireland, 2004). ISBN 0-9519674-8-7. (Originally sold as a boxed CD and now available as a PDF (549KB PDF) file to download for free.)
These guidelines are designed for anyone whose collections include trade literature, both current and historic. They provide general guidance on cataloguing and classifying these ephemeral resources.
Art exhibition documentation in libraries: cataloguing guidelines compiled by the ARLIS/UK & Ireland Cataloguing and Classification Committee (London: ARLIS/UK & Ireland, 2000). ISBN 0-9519674-7-9.
An invaluable addition to the professional literature for cataloguers who handle exhibition catalogues and other related documentation.