a subject in transition; opportunities and problems
CHArt Seventeenth Annual Conference
|
|
DIGITAL
ART HISTORY a subject in transition; opportunities and problems |
Phillip Purdy, Visual Arts Data Service (VADS), UK
15 Million Words Worth of Digital Image Source Materials
The saying goes that every picture says a thousand words, thus VADS Catalogue of archived visual arts digital resources is worth 15million at least, as it will deliver over 15,000 digital images, by the time of CHArt 2001. The paper will have two sections. Firstly, it will outline the background, features and functionality of VADS Catalogue of fully cross-searchable image collections and some of the issues that have been faced in its development. Secondly, it will address some of the issues surrounding the application of digital image archive sources for use within research, learning and teaching of the History of Art by assessing usage and feedback of VADS collections.
VADS Catalogue of archived digital resources is available from http://vads.ahds.ac.uk. Image collections represent the fine and applied arts and come from sources such as The Imperial War Museum, The London College of Fashion, The National Archive of Art and Design Education and The Design Council Archives. Each collection and image retains the identity of its source within the Catalogue, whilst simultaneously being integrated through a single access point on the Internet. Collections can be searched individually and or across one another, with the use of Boolean and other search operators to locate digital images, which are licensed for educational purposes.
The Visual Arts Data Service, is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB), the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and The Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College, to support research, learning and teaching by providing visual arts digital collections and advice.