Information in the personal collections of writers and artists: Practices, challenges and preservation

Abstract

This article presents findings from interviews with 18 writers and artists in New Zealand, whose lives and work have potential heritage value. The objective was to investigate the perceived value of participants’ personal collections, the relevant management practices and challenges, and their potential effects on preservation and (re)use. The findings provide a characterisation of the personal information management (PIM) practices of writers and artists, revealed challenges common to organising personal collections across time and devices as well as those caused or increased by the nature of writers’ and artists’ work, and produce insights into the impact of perceived collection value and PIM practices on future access, preservation and (re)use of such collections.

Information needs and information-seeking behavior of visual artists: a systematic review of the literature

“…Despite the large amount of information available on the internet, the importance of certain sources of printed information and the love of visual artists for libraries is evident (Beaudoin and Brady, 2011; Daniels, 2018; Krtalic and Dinnen, 2022; Lo and Chu, 2015; Mason and Robinson, 2011; Usak, 2011). Artists make considerable use of libraries and printed materials (Cobbledick, 1996; Challenger, 1999).…”

A Guided Tour Study of the Untidy but InspirationalPIMof Visual Artists

“…For example, PIM studies have examined teachers (Diekema & Olsen, 2014), knowledge workers (Alon et al, 2019) and immigrants (Krtalic, 2021), among others. The demographic group of visual artists, however, has only been the focus of one recent study addressing the personal collections of writers and visual artists in New Zealand, which explored how they perceive the value of their personal collections, their collection management practices and challenges, and the influence these phenomena may have on the possible future use of such collections (Krtalić & Dinneen, 2022). Among the findings were that the participants saw value in their personal collections and used idiosyncratic management practices (Krtalić & Dinneen, 2022).…”

Towards Data‐driven GIM tools: Two Prototypes

“…Accumulated over years or a lifetime, these digital assets can have long‐term value for family members, and the collections of culturally significant people can also have value for society in the form of cultural heritage (Krtalić et al, 2021). But such collections also pose management challenges that entail various risks of loss (Digital Preservation Coalition, 2021; Krtalić & Dinneen, 2022). When collections are transferred to heirs or cultural heritage repositories (Day & Krtalić, 2021), whether for immediate use or preservation, they are often shared without detailed metadata about the contents or context, and it can thus be very difficult for the new owner or custodian to navigate and grasp the often vast and complex collections (Dinneen & Krtalić, 2020; Society of American Archivists, 2013).…”