Mariët Westermann, Judy and Michael Steinhardt Director of the Institute of Fine Arts, and Hilary Ballon, Professor of Art History at Columbia University and Editor of the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, recently completed a year-long study of the state of art history publication. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the study involved extensive data research and consultation with the many constituencies involved in scholarly publication in art history: scholars, curators, publishers, editors, university press directors, university librarians, directors of research institutes, museum administrators, scholarly societies, and technology specialists. Kate Wittenberg, Director of the Electronic Publishing Initiative at Columbia (EPIC) and Lawrence T. McGill, Deputy Director of the Princeton University Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies, served as consultants to the project. Eric Ramírez-Weaver, Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of Fine Arts, provided research assistance.

Professors Ballon and Westermann have now published their report, Art History and Its Publications in the Electronic Age, online with Rice University Press and the Council on Library Information Resources. The report analyzes current obstacles to vigorous publication in print and electronic form, with an emphasis on the special challenges posed by art history’s dependence on high-quality images. It makes specific recommendations toward the development of robust structures for peer-reviewed, electronic publications that make full use of the dynamic image capabilities of the digital medium. The authors have begun to work with CAA, SAH, and a wide range of collaborators and potential funders on the execution of the recommendations.

The report narrative and recommendations are available free of charge at http://cnx.org/content/col10376/latest/. A data research report by Lawrence T. McGill, consultant to the project, can be accessed at http://cnx.org/content/col10377/latest/. Responses to the report are most welcome; they may be posted on the publication site.

The Chronicle of Higher Education has published an article on the study; it can be found at http://chronicle.com/weekly/v52/i48/48a01201.htm.

Institute of Fine Arts news and announcements are published regularly at http://www.ifa.nyu.edu.