Getty Conservation Institute, Field Projects Division, RecorDIM project records, 1994-2009, undated

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Summary

Title:

RecorDIM project records

Dates:

1994-2009, undated

Creators:

Getty Conservation Institute. Field Projects Division

Abstract:

Records comprise reports, meeting materials and handouts, correspondence and memoranda, budgets, contracts, publication development and design material, images, audiocassettes, and ARIS workshop materials, dating 1994-2009 and undated, created and maintained by the Field Projects Division of the Getty Conservation Institute. The materials concern the development, operation, and results of Field Projects' Recording, Documentation, and Information Management (RecorDIM) Initiative. Some of the planning, publication, and ARIS workshop materials are in digital form, consisting of text, database, PowerPoint, image, website, and CAD files. The majority of the records were authored by project director and Field Projects Head, Francois LeBlanc, and by consultant Robin Letellier. Some of the files were also maintained by Christopher Gray, a senior project specialist in Field Projects, and Rand Eppich, project specialist and manager of the Institute's Digital Lab.

Extent:

5.58 Linear Feet (10 boxes, including 7 audiocassettes) and 19.4 GB (21,614 files)

Language:

Collection material is in English

Preferred citation:

[Cite the item and series (as appropriate)], RecorDIM project records 1994-2009, undated, Getty Conservation Institute. Institutional Records and Archives, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, IA10016.

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifaia10016

Background

Scope and content:

Arrangement

These records are arranged into components in accordance with the GCI Field Projects project management system. Records are arranged in the following categories: Administration, Bibliographies, Component 1 - International Coordination, Component 2 - Publication - Guiding Principles, Component 3 - Publication - Illustrated Examples, Component 4 - Website, Component 5 - Training, Component 6 - Publication - Metric Survey, Component 7 - Monitoring and Evaluation, Manuals and Standards, Reports, and Visuals.

Biographical / historical:

The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), a part of the J. Paul Getty Trust, was initially planned in 1982 and began full operation in 1985. Since its inception, the GCI has engaged in a program of scientific research, educational activities, documentation, and the dissemination of information through publications, conferences, workshops, and public programs that include research opportunities for professionals and public lectures. In addition, the Institute has conducted international field projects in Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Europe. The GCI's endeavors are designed to serve the needs of the conservation profession by undertaking work that tackles broad practical or theoretical questions of significance to the conservation field. The Institute develops and refines tools for conservation and shares its expertise with institutions and organizations worldwide so that its efforts have the greatest possible benefit to the practice of conservation.

As a part of its mission, the GCI undertakes conservation projects in partnership in various parts of the world. For the purpose of bringing together information users and providers in the field of heritage conservation, one of these projects was with the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and the Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and the International Scientific Committee for Documentation of Cultural Heritage (CIPA), a committee of the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS). The project, known as the Recording, Documentation and Information Management (RecorDIM) Initiative, was intended to explore ways for the GCI to contribute in partnership to raise the level of conservation practice through more effective and improved use of recording, documentation, and information management as a strategic component for the conservation of monuments and sites. The Initiative had its genesis in 1995 when, under the guidance of Robin Letellier, CIPA assembled outreach workshops after its general meetings. The workshop groups found that gaps existed between the users and providers of information for built cultural heritage projects. To identify the gaps and to find strategic ways to fill them, the concept of "Bridging the Gap" was introduced by the GCI in 2000. By 2002 this had become the RecorDIM Initiative, which started with a roundtable held at the Getty Center identifying twenty-five gaps between the information users and providers.

The GCI intended, with the help of partners, to focus on the following: the publication of a manual on Principles and Guidelines for the recording, documentation, and information management of built cultural heritage; the publication of a handbook on the same subject; and the creation and support of a web presence. The program was later expanded to include training initiatives, which were carried out through Architectural Records, Inventories, and Information Systems for Conservation (ARIS) courses, initially organized by ICCROM and later co-sponsored by the GCI.

The group of core collaborators included CIPA, English Heritage, Public Works and Government Services Canada, World Monument Fund, ICOMOS, and the GCI. To accomplish the work 20 international task groups were formed to focus on specific needs and five roundtable meetings were held at various international venues. As part of the training component, four ARIS courses were held in Rome from 2005 to 2009 on documentation methodologies and tools, providing training to 59 mid-career professionals from over 46 countries.

The Initiative lasted from 2002 through 2007 and the project was managed by, first, Field Project staff member Christopher Gray and, then, by department head Francois LeBlanc. Robin Letellier was hired as a consultant to coordinate the Initiative at the international level. Rand Eppich, project specialist and manager of the GCI's Digital Lab, was also a member of the project team and led the ARIS courses.

Acquisition information:

Accessions 2007.IA.38, 2018.IA.27, and 2019.IA.20 were transferred by Field Projects, Getty Conservation Institute.

Appraisal information:

Projects of the Conservation Institute's Field Projects Division are considered archival, documenting work and research done on international cultural heritage sites and issues. In accordance with internal Field Projects procedures, the project manager of each field project will select and prepare for transfer to the Institutional Archives the project documentation required to ensure that future researchers and conservators will understand past work done on each site and to provide a foundation for future work.

Processing information:

The records were refoldered, rehoused, and described in this finding aid by Nancy Enneking in October 2007.

Lorain Wang integrated materials from accession 2018.IA.27 and 2019.IA.20, processed the optical discs in the collection, and revised the finding aid in 2018 and 2019. As part of processing the CDs, files were copied off most of the discs and unique identifiers were assigned to each set of digital files. With the exception of those with custom labeling and inserts, the CDs were removed from the collection.

Physical / technical requirements:

Access to digital content in 2007.IA.38, 2018.IA.27, and 2019.IA.20 is only available on-site.

Please note that we may not be able to provide access to all file formats due to lack of required software and/or system specifications. For more information, contact Library Reference at the Getty Research Institute.

Physical location:

To access physical materials at the Getty, go to the library catalog record for this collection and click "Request an Item." Click here for general library access policy. See the Administrative Information section of this finding aid for access restrictions specific to the records described below. Please note, some of the records may be stored off site; advanced notice is required for access to these materials.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:: Historic sites -- Conservation and restoration -- Data processing
Information technology -- Management
Information storage and retrieval systems -- Architecture
Photogrammetry in architecture
Knowledge management
Monuments -- Recording
Drafts (documents)
Correspondence
Reports
Digital images
Budgets
Electronic documents

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:: Nancy Enneking
Date Encoded:: This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2019-11-13 09:28:54 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

With the exception of materials that have been marked restricted or confidential, the records described in accession 2007.IA.38, 2018.IA.27, and 2019.IA.20 are available for use by qualified researchers. Please note: selected restricted materials must be removed from boxes prior to access by researchers.

The following records are permanently closed: records containing personal information, records that compromise security or operations, legal communications, legal work product, and records related to donors. The J. Paul Getty Trust reserves the right to restrict access to any records held by the Institutional Archives.

Access to digital content in the collection is only available on Getty networked computers and in the Special Collections Reading Room.

Terms of access:

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

Access copies of audiocassettes must be created prior to use. To request access, fill out the reference form with the audiocassettes and finding aid number IA10016. Please note reformatting may take up to eight weeks.