The records comprise interviews that were conducted by the Getty Art History Information Program (AHIP) and Brown University's Institute for Research in Information and Scholarship (IRIS) in 1986 and 1988. The interviews consist of discussions with experts and researchers in the history of art and architecture. The interviews focus on research concerns and practices in an effort to determine what types of automated tools and networked resources would enhance scholarly work in the field of art history. Materials include sound recordings and transcripts.

During the 1980s and 1990s the Art History Information Program (AHIP) pioneered research on the informational needs of art historians and was the driving force behind several collaborative projects concerning art-related texts and images that provided unprecedented automation of, digitization of, and access to these types of materials. AHIP was a program developed and overseen by the J. Paul Getty Trust, a cultural and philanthropic organization serving both general audiences and specialized professionals. The Trust is a not-for-profit institution, educational in purpose and character, that focuses on the visual arts in all of their dimensions. As of 2009 the Trust supports and oversees four programs: the J. Paul Getty Museum; the Getty Foundation; the Getty Conservation Institute; and the Getty Research Institute, which, among other things, continues the work begun by AHIP.

2.8 linear feet (4 boxes)

Contact Rights and Reproductions at the Getty Research Institute for copyright information and permission to publish.

With the exception of materials that have been marked restricted or confidential, the records described in accession 1986.IA.43 are available for use by qualified researchers. The original audiocassettes are restricted. Transcripts are digitized and accessible online. Where transcripts are not available, the production of use copies is required before access can be granted. This may add a delay to research requests.