Lost But Not Forgotten? An Inventory and Use Analysis of an Undergraduate Art Book Collection

Abstract

The authors embarked on an inventory and analysis of a small art book collection at a liberal arts college in order to understand its contents and usage. This project at Lehman College, CUNY, was designed to match the catalog record with the physical books, thus clearing up many inaccuracies in the online catalog. The authors then assessed the collection’s age and circulation to students at the college, the university system, and to external libraries through interlibrary loan. The article includes the unique history of the art monograph collection, the methods for conducting the inventory, and the analysis of the circulation data.