Introduction to Art Image Access

Book excerpt: With the proliferation of information on the World Wide Web and in other networked environments, one of the main things that users search for are images of works of art and architecture. End-users generally try to search for images by subject, a process that often proves unsatisfactory and frustrating. Cataloging images of works of art has always been challenging, but now that end-users need only have access to the Internet, the challenge is more daunting than ever. This illustrated book on using metadata standards and controlled vocabularies to catalog and provide accurate end-user access to images of works of art also focuses on decisions that must be made about the arrangement of visual records, descriptive principles and methodologies, and requirements for access. Introduction to Art Image Access addresses the issues that underlie a visual collection to make it accessible in an electronic environment. A glossary, selected bibliography, and list of acronyms and URLS are included.