Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2011

Publication Title

Art Documentation: Bulletin of the Art Libraries Society of North America

Volume

30

Issue Number

2

First Page

49

Last Page

55

Keywords

Digital images, Databases, undergraduate, Art libraries

Disciplines

Cataloging and Metadata | Information Literacy | Library and Information Science

Abstract

This article investigates current metadata practices in art image databases. Searches were completed in the Bridgeman Education and ARTstor databases using only terms found in introductory art history texts. Details from the search results point to overalltrends in the data and offer comparisons between the databases for particular search sets. The examples reveal tendencies in precision,recall, and consistency, as well as identify some particular issues that may impede successful retrieval for the novice user. A short discussion on the usability of both of the databases' interfaces offers further insight into their respective strengths andpeculiarities.

Comments

This article was originally published in Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America, volume 30, issue 2, 2011. It can be found online at this link. © 2011 by The University of Chicago Press

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