Through the Conservator’s Lens: Developing a User-Centered Classification Scheme for an Art Conservation Library

Abstract

Discovering that a traditional classification scheme was not working for a departmental branch library, Seattle Art Museum research library staff embarked on a multi-year project to create a special-subject classification system with a special class scheme. Three key areas—user-specific taxonomy, cataloging and classification expertise of the library staff, and the department’s particular information-seeking behaviors—were key in the development of a successful scheme. This article describes the process by which the new classification scheme was developed, discusses its challenges and successes, and emphasizes how the library staff and departmental branch users are committed to the scheme’s continuous review and expansion.