This session, moderated by Lois Swan Jones, Professor Emeritus, University of North Texas, addressed various aspects of the challenge of finding art information on the Internet. Margaret Culbertson, Architecture/Art Librarian, University of Houston, Polly Trump, Electronic Resources Trainer, San Antonio Public Library, and Jacqui Allen, Art Reference Librarian, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston provided us with an overview of how information specialists from various types of libraries (academic, museum, and public) use the Internet for their particular needs.

Lois Swan Jones, whose latest book is: Art Information and the Internet: How to Find It, How To Use It (Phoenix, AZ : Oryx Press, 1998) mentioned that free updates to her book will be available on the World Wide Web. She reminded us not to confuse facts and knowledge, and mentioned that reference librarians develop knowledge documents as a facet of research. Will the Internet provide quicker or better access to information (facts, knowledge, indexes, visual resources)? She suggests we consider the following:

• Is there a cost involved? (Fee-for- service as a basis for quality service?)
• Is the material current? (When only out-of-copyright material can be legally placed on the web it might not be the most current material.)
• Is the information accurate? (Who is the author or manager of the information?)
• Are there visual materials? Vocabulary is a problem for works of art: titles can change; subjects are also of interest. Emphasize where the art is located and link to the owner’s site (museums may provide accurate info.).
• Is the web material plagiarized? (What about legal concerns relating to copyright and fair use of scanned materials?)
• Is the web site stable? (Sites are removed, relocated, revised, etc.)
• Is the Internet the best source? (Searching is time-consuming, therefore costly: one often needs to know where to search; print sources might be quicker, therefore cheaper.)

She distributed a handout that lists web addresses to sites illustrating each of her points.

Margaret Culbertson mentioned that the bulk of her reference questions are still answered from information in books, but she is using the Internet more & more each month. One factor: the library is getting better (faster) Internet access, allowing for more cost-effective use. Other factors: users are not necessarily in the library; the Internet has the potential for being more up-to-date than print. One drawback: this assumes educated users! (She needs to remind students to evaluate their information sources.) She finds the Internet most useful for the following sources:

• Directory information (museum hours, addresses, etc.).
• Queries outside the scope of the branch library’s subject collection.
• Information not easily available in standard sources (manufacturers of cell towers; conference abstracts; items not published, or not yet published, such as research a Ph.D. student gathered for his dissertation).

She also uses the Internet for: listservs; e-mail (including queries from outside users); collection development, especially access to OP dealer catalogs.

Jacqui Allen mentioned that she frequently uses the Internet to answer questions from Museum Trustees making travel plans and looking to schedule museum visits (the web is usually more up-to-date than the printed sources). She also refers to sites for Ticketmaster, airline tickets, or city pages (for maps of cities, accommodations, exhibition venues). Her other uses of the Internet include:

• Information on contemporary artists (self-promoting pages)
• People locators (especially for photographers)
• Library catalogs (for bibliographic verification & inter-library loan)

She sees the conversion of CD-ROM products to web databases as a major boon (less maintenance). Challenges of CD-ROMs included keeping equipment in working order. Connection to Internet service providers has also been a problem. Other challenges include: not enough machines, not enough staff, and keeping staff up-to-date (the Internet changes by the minute!).

Polly Trump described her duties which involve educating users. She is part of an Internet work group that produces web pages for reference use. She consults with Reference Desk staff to determine frequently asked questions (hours, directory information) so that she can include useful links for staff. She distributed copies of her “Art and Architecture” page and welcomed suggestions for additions. Her classes include general Internet search strategies as well as more specialized classes such as “Searching for Jobs on the Internet,” “Travel and Art,” etc. One of her favorite search engines is ‘Dogpile’. The San Antonio Public Library’s main page is located at: http://www.sat.lib.tx.us/.