Cataloging a Special Art Collection

Since 1986, a project has been underway to catalog a private collection of the massive body of work of the artist Anne Ward Huey. The project has progressed from a handwritten card file to a computer file using AACR 2 and OCLC tags and format. A compact disc or videotape file is also presently projected. In addition to taking traditional library cataloging out of the library setting, the project has addressed a number of problems involved in cataloging silkscreen prints, and the records created by the project also contain information that AACR 2 does not specifically address but that artists consider important. The author recommends that the cataloging rules be revised to encompass these specific aspects of cataloging art work. This project could serve as a prototype by which other private or public art collections could receive thorough, enhanced documentation.