Millard Sheets Library

Artists' Books Image Database
In June 2003, the Getty Grant Program provided funds to the Millard Sheets Library to catalog and digitize our entire collection of 2,500 artists' books. As of January 2006, most of the project has been completed and the collection is available thorough to the public through a new digital asset management system and Collections Online website. (The original homegrown experimental database is no longer available.)

Otis Digital Image Database (OtisDID)
Since 2002, the Library's major project was to assist the art historians to move from slides to the use of digital images in the classroom. We adopted the James Madison Digital Image Database software. The OtisDID allows professors to create lectures, digitally project images in the classroom, and then easily make them availableto students as web study guides.

Currently, there are over 29,000 images available, with more added every week. Although the collection focuses on Modernism, images of art, architecture, and design from many cultures and time periods are included. In accordance with fair use guidelines, the images are purchased from vendors, harvested from subscription databases, web databases, CD-ROMS, scanned from slides, and occasionally scanned from books and magazines. This database is only available to current students, faculty, and staff.

Faculty Art Database: This project began in summer 2002. It provides information and access to select images of artwork produced by Otis faculty. Currently, 33 faculty are participating with 451 images available. Faculty are encouraged to contact the VRC if they wish their images added.

Otis History: Past and Present: The Otis Archives are now online with over 1,000 images, including the entire 80 pages of the 1975 historical document, The Otis Story.

Woman's Building Image Archive: In 1997, as part of the Getty Information Institute's "Faces of L.A." Project, more than 1500 images documenting the history of this unique L.A. Arts institution were selected and digitized. They are now available through the Woman's Building site.

Digital imaging projects are primarily under the direction of the Digital Projects and Metadata Librarian, Heather Cleary.