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Mission Statement of the Ingalls Library and Archives
The Ingalls Library and Archives share the vision of The
Cleveland Museum of Art. The library's mission is to support the museum's
current and future collections, research, exhibitions, publications, lectures,
programs and activities. The archives' mission is to preserve records
that document the origins, development, achievements, and activities of
the museum and to administrate the museum's records management program.
The Ingalls library and archives serve the museum's community by identifying,
acquiring, organizing and providing access to information in accordance
with our stated values.
| Excellence
| Ingalls library is committed to the
highest standards of the profession and is responsive to current and future
information needs through the acquisition, organization, and dissemination
of resources.
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| Teamwork
| We work collaboratively, both internally
and externally, supporting each other through communication, sharing ideals,
and working in support of our mission.
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| Appreciation
| We take pride in our collections,
traditions, and history and communicate this pride to our patrons.
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| Innovation
| We lead in a manner that welcomes
and flourishes in a dynamic and ever changing environment, allowing for
professional growth, modern services, and collection growth beyond physical
boundaries.
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| Enjoyable Work Environment
| The Ingalls Library is an open and welcoming place
where mutual respect, collegiality and professionalism motivate the staff
to use their talents to bring the pleasure and meaning of art to all in
comfort and security.
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A History of the Ingalls Library
Reading Room circa 1916 |
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The founders of the museum had the vision to include a
library at the center of the museum's intellectual life and plans for
a library of 10,000 volumes were underway when the museum was incorporated
in 1913. Upon opening in June 1916, several notable collections of books
related to the museum's collection of objects had been acquired. Among
these were J. Homer Wade's donation to compliment the Wilson lace collection
and the Macomber collection of books on arms and armor given by Mr. and
Mrs. John L. Severance. In 1939, upon the death of Mrs. Julia Morgan Marlatt,
the library received more than 300 finely printed books, including a complete
set of works printed by William Morris at the Kelmscott Press.
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Demand for library resources and services grew rapidly
and by the early 1950's the book collection had grown to more than 37,000
volumes and the photograph collection to nearly 47,000 images. In 1956,
Leonard C. Hanna bequethed a substantial endowment to the museum and the
library was able to increase it's collections at an unprecedented rate,
adding scholarly volumes as they became available, and moving to new quarters
in the expanded museum. In 1967, the joint program in art history with
Western Reserve University was inaugurated with graduate-level courses
and the library began serving faculty and students in the program.
During this time the library began participating in technology-based solutions
for access to information and shared cataloging of materials. In 1979,
the library joined the Research Libraries Information Network [RLIN],
in order to benefit from a national database of bibilographic information.
The library, in cooperation with libraries at the Metropolitan Museum
of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago, developed a computerized union
catalog of art auction sales catalogues for RLIN.
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Reading Room, 1958 addition
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Ingalls Library Reading Room, 1983 addition
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Despite the existance of satellite libraries in curatorial
and conservation departments the stack space for the now 100,000
volume collection was exhausted in 1979. In 1983, a third addition
to the museum provided library stacks with room for 20 years of
collection growth. The new library was named in honor of Jane Taft
Ingalls and Louise Harkness Ingalls.
As the collection and its use continued to increase, the need for automation
became clear. In 1986 the Reinberger Foundation provided significant funding
for an integrated library system with a computerized card catalog.
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As part of the museum's renovation and expansion project,
the Ingalls Library moved to another new home in 2006. The new library
facility has been planned with the technological and spacial flexibility
necessary to accomodate the growing and increasingly diverse community
of library patrons.
In conjunction with the move into the new facility, the library has undertaken
a series of technology-based projects designed to facilitate research.
The Ingalls library has implemented a new integrated library system to
support all forms of media and allow seamless searching across local,
national and international library catalogs and databases. The library
collections have been reclassified according to the Library of Congress
Classification System, a nationally and internationally recognized standard.
The collection of almost 500,000 slides has been digitized with funds
provided in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education under
the Fund for the Improvement of Education. Finally, a new security and
inventory system, using state-of-the-art RFID [radio frequency indentification]
technology, will control and safeguard the library collections has been
implemented.
The founders' vision of a museum library has been sustained by the institution
to the current day. We are proud of where we have been and excited for
the future as the library continues to support the museum's mission and
to provide access to a world-class collection of research materials for
patrons locally, nationwide and abroad.
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Ingalls Library Reading Room, 2006
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