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Research outside the mainstream

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

Edith L. Crowe*
Affiliation:
Robert D. Clark Library, San Jose State University, San Jose, California, USA
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Abstract

Needlework with a political theme is an example of the kind of art ‘outside the mainstream’ which tends to be documented inadequately or not at all. Information is likely to be unpublished, ephemeral, or not indexed. In supposedly free societies, this can be the result of a cultural conspiracy which allows, while ‘ignoring, condemning, or belittling’, the creative activities of women and of racial, ethnic, or class minorities. Librarians should ensure that library collections do not merely reflect the ‘mainstream’, in spite of the problems of collecting non-mainstream material and of making it accessible. In addition, librarians should be prepared to argue the case for acquiring such material, and should be active in promoting it. Librarians are in a unique position to help redefine art and culture.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Art Libraries Society 1988

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