Stuart Edits Book on Economics Across Libraries, Archives, and Museums

Thu, 11/04/2021 - 11:35am | By: Dawn Smith

Lorraine A. Stuart, associate professor and head of Special Collection in University Libraries at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) is the primary editor of the upcoming publication Economic Considerations for Libraries, Archives, and Museums. The book, which will be available Nov. 12, provides insight into the economics of collaboration across Libraries, Archives, and Museums (LAMs) and cultural heritage funding.

The book covers the five most important areas in the development and sustainability of collaborative LAM projects: the digital environment; collaborative models; education; funding issues; and alternate sources of funding. Responding directly to the issue of a lack of adequate funding for maintaining and providing access to cultural heritage resources globally, the book argues that cultural heritage institutions must seek creative methods for funding and collaboration at all levels to achieve shared goals.

Co-editors are Thomas F.R. Clareson, senior consultant for Digital and Preservation Services at LYRASIS, and Joyce Ray, Ph.D., senior lecturer and program coordinator of the Digital Curation program at Johns Hopkins University. Clareson, who consults on preservation, disaster preparedness, digitization, funding, strategic planning, and arts and cultural advocacy, wrote two chapters, addressing disaster response and federal funding of disaster preparedness. Ray collaborated with Peter Botticelli, Ph.D., of Simmons University School of Library and Information Science for a comparative look at their institutions’ educational programs in the LAM disciplines. Stuart wrote the closing chapter on LAM contributions to the cultural economy and the introduction.

Interest in a book on this topic arose from a series of panel presentations given by Stuart and her co-editors at the 2018 annual meetings of the American Library Association, the Society of American Archivists, and the Museum Computer Network. The presentations caught the interest of UK office of Routledge, a publisher of professional and academic books, which resulted in an invitation to present a formal book proposal.

“The topic is one we certainly felt worthwhile; looking back, what brought it about was Routledge’s recognition that it was an important topic from a perspective often ignored in the cultural heritage sector – economics,” Stuart said.

“What I would hope is that practitioners in the cultural heritage sectors, particularly librarians and archivists, will reflect more on how their professions are impacted by economic factors and, conversely, how they impact local and broader cultural economies. It is even more important for administrators to look through that lens and to consider sustainability in terms of economics.”

Stuart also noted that the book will be most beneficial to administrators of small to medium cultural heritage institutions and hopes it will influence graduate curricula and those preparing for or new to the profession. 

Other contributing authors are: Chris Batt, OBE, PhD, Chief Executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) of the United Kingdom (UK); Kenn Bicknell, Digital Resources Librarian for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Library and Archive; Liz Bishoff, owner of The Bishoff Group, a library and cultural heritage consulting organization; Mads Dambos, Director of Artcenter Spritten and former Director of the Kunstsmuseum Brandts in Denmark; Emmanuelle Delmas-Glass, Collections Data Manager at the Yale Center for British Art and board member of the International Image Interoperability Framework Consortium (IIIF) and the International Council of Museums’ International Committee for Documentation (CIDOC); Monika Hagedorn-Saupe, professor of museology at Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft in Berlin and member of the European Commission’s Expert Group on Digital Cultural Heritage and Europeana; Elizabeth Joffrion, Director of Heritage Resources and associate professor at Western Washington University; Trilce Navarrete, Ph.D, lecturer at the Erasmus University Rotterdam and board member of CIDOC; Jenn Riley, Associate Dean for Digital Initiatives at McGill University Library in Montréal; and Holly Witchey, Ph.D., Director of Education and Outreach for the Intermuseum Conservation Association and former board member of the Museum Computer Network.

For a full interview with the editors or for pre-orders, visit https://lucidea.com/blog/interview-with-the-editors-economic-considerations-for-libraries-archives-and-museums/.