James Blake (Sotheby's Institute of Art)

Sotheby’s Institute of Art has a unique in-house book classification scheme. This is a work-in-progress report on the major update to the scheme that is currently taking place. The talk will touch on some of the issues librarians have considered: whether to make an update or move to a standard scheme such as Dewey; how to incorporate changes in both the discipline of art history and in contemporary forms of art; balancing the current needs of the Institute’s curriculum with future-proofing and how to consult with faculty and students in the design of the update.

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James Blake has been assistant librarian at Sotheby’s Institute of Art since 2012 and has published on classification theory: ‘Some issues in the classification of zoology’, Knowledge Organization 38(6), 2011.