Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, 1993 : Exhibition report

LIBRARY The Library’s role was to provide effective research and information services to support the achievement of the Gallery’s aims and objectives in relation to the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art. Collection development From 1991, a specialised research collection on the contemporary visual art of the Asia- Pacific region was developed through purchase, gift and exchange to support the ongoing research and organisation of the Triennial. This collection currently holds more than 900 items, with a particular emphasis on exhibition catalogues. Researchers and librarians were alerted to the Library’s collecting activities through the Triennial Bulletins and notes in library and Asian studies newsletters. A paper on the Asia-Pacific collection was presented at the Art Libraries Society Australia and New Zealand Annual Conference held in Brisbane, on 21 August 1993. Extension of the Library’s publication exchange program to include art libraries and institutions in the Asia-Pacific region is continuing to enhance the collection. Copies of the Triennial catalogue and flyers about the book and video were distributed to sixty- eight Australian and international exchange partners. Asia-Pacific Triennial (APT) Collection Database Efficient documentation and access to the expanding collection of holdings of monographs, serials, exhibition catalogues and indexed journal articles on contemporary art of the Asia-Pacific region and cultural relations with Australia became possible with the purchase of Inmagic software in September 1991. The APT database, which currently contains 1 352 records, was developed and made accessible to Gallery staff via the Local Area Network. In-depth indexing of artists listed in group exhibition catalogues and journal articles has enabled effective retrieval on information on individual artists and the APT Database has grown to be a comprehensive resource on the art and artists of the region. Asia-Pacific Triennial (APT) Artists Database The APT Artists Database was developed by the Library for the Project Team to record details of the artists and other official participants. This proved to be a useful organisational tool for managing itineraries and other details. Future directions As the APT database is unique in its concentration on contemporary art of the Asia- Pacific region, it has attracted interest from librarians and researchers outside the Gallery. Future plans for this rapidly developing research collection and accompanying database, include making the database accessible to external users via AARNET (Australian Academic and Research Network) and the Internet. The Gallery plans to extend the database to visual records and entries via a CD-Rom public access computer data bank of images and text.