Guide to the J. Paul Getty Trust Publications Records, 1975-1999

Finding aid prepared by Sue Luftschein


Descriptive Summary

Title: Records
Date (inclusive): 1975-1999
Number: IA20005
Creator/Collector: J. Paul Getty Museum. Publications
Physical Description: 1.88 linear feet (5 boxes)
Repository:
The Getty Research Institute
Institutional Records and Archives
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, California, 90049-1688
(310) 440-7390
archives@getty.edu
Abstract: These records were generated by the J. Paul Getty Trust Publications offices and departments and its related Editorial Committee during the course of day-to-day operations. The records comprise correspondence, memoranda, publishing proposals, budget information (including information from the J. Paul Getty Museum bookstore and the Getty Education Institute), and legal documents, 1975-1999. The bulk of the material contains meeting minutes and agendas; many of these meetings were the occasion to discuss publishing proposals. The records also include documentation on the Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, and miscellaneous files regarding publishing activities of the Museum.
Request Materials: 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.
Language: Collection material is in English

Administrative History

The J. Paul Getty 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. The J. Paul Getty Trust and Getty programs serve a varied audience from two locations: the Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Getty Villa near Malibu, California.
The origins of the J. Paul Getty Trust date to 1953, when J. Paul Getty established the J. Paul Getty Museum as a California charitable trust to house his growing art collections. Mr. Getty died in 1976 and bequeathed the majority of his estate to the museum trust. In 1981 the trust began a year of exploration to determine where it would focus its resources and energies in order to make the greatest possible contribution to the field of art and art history as a whole. Out of this resolve grew an expanded commitment to the arts in the general areas of scholarship, conservation, and education. This took the shape of new Getty programs including the Center for the History of Arts and Humanities, Art History Information Institute, Conservation Institute, and Center for Education in the Arts as well as smaller programs such as the Museum Management Institute and the Program for Art on Film. In 1983 the estate funds became available to the museum trust, the trust's name was officially changed from the J. Paul Getty Museum to the J. Paul Getty Trust, and the museum became an operating program under the trust, retaining the name the J. Paul Getty Museum.
The Publications office / department was originally established as part of the Museum and is frequently referred to as "Getty Publications." With the founding of the Trust in 1983, the Publications department became responsible for the publications produced by the J. Paul Getty Trust and its operating programs. Since then Publications has undergone considerable restructuring. Over the years the administration of the Publications department has shifted back and forth several times between the Museum and the Trust, and at times there have been separate publications departments within various Getty programs.
In recent years Publications' primary focus has been the editing, design, production, and marketing of exhibition catalogs and books for the J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Conservation Institute, and Getty Research Institute, including books on art, photography, art history, and children’s literature. Historically Publications has also produced a wider variety of materials, including Trust reports and ephemera such as event invitations, newsletters, informational brochures, site and gallery maps, and other visitor handouts.

Administrative Information

Restrictions on Access

The records in accession 2004.IA.01, subject to review for permanently closed information, are open to qualified researchers. Requests for access will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
The following types of 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.

Publication Rights

Preferred Citation

[Cite the item and series (as appropriate)], Records, 1975-1999, Getty Trust Publications, J. Paul Getty Trust. Institutional Archives, Getty Research Institute, Research Library, Finding Aid no. IA20005.

Acquisition Information

The records in this finding aid originated in accession no. 2004.IA.01.

Processing History

A preliminary inventory of the records was done prior to 2004 by Institutional Archives part-time staff. In 2005, Sue Luftschein rehoused the records encoded this finding aid based, in part, on the original inventory.

Scope and Content of Collection

The records include correspondence, memoranda, meeting agenda and minutes, book proposals, spreadsheets, royalty statements, contracts, letters of agreement, reports, press releases, and production logs, dating 1975-1999, of the Getty Publications Office at the J. Paul Getty Trust. The meeting minutes and agendas seem to be complete from the period 1988 to 1998, and contain a great detail on the process of bringing a proposal to publication. The agendas of meetings of the office's Editorial Committee include full book project development proposals and recommendations.
The records also include information about the continued publication of the Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, specifically the transition from print version to CD-ROM version, and the role of the publisher G.K. Hall in that transition. Included in this series are original, and amended contracts between G.K. Hall, Getty Trust Publications, and Columbia University, the author of the Avery Index.
Also included are miscellaneous files regarding special events in which the Publications Office was involved, and records of royalty payments and correspondence to Norman Neuerburg, author of From Herculaneum to Malibu.

Organization

These records are organized in four series: Series I. Meeting minutes, 1988-1998; Series II. Budget and financial information, 1977-1999; Series III. Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, 1993-1999; Series IV. Miscellaneous files, 1975-1998.

Indexing Terms

Subjects - Names

Getty, J. Paul (Jean Paul), 1892-1976

Subjects - Corporate Bodies

Columbia University
Getty Conservation Institute
J. Paul Getty Museum

Subjects - Topics

Museum publications
Museum stores

Genres and Forms of Material

Agendas (administrative records)
Book proposals
Budgets
Correspondence
Financial records
Legal documents
Letters (correspondence)
Memorandums
Minutes
Notes
Press releases
Reports

Contributors

G.K. Hall & Company
J. Paul Getty Trust
Neuerburg, Norman


 

Series I. Meeting minutes and agendas, 1988-1998

Physical Description: 1.04 linear feet 1.04 linear feet (3 boxes)

Scope and Content Note

Records consist of meeting minutes of the Getty Publications office dating 1988-1991, meeting minutes and agendas of the Editorial Committee dating 1988-1998, and meeting minutes, agendas, meeting notes, and related memoranda of the Publications Department and the Getty Conservation Institutue, dating 1993-1998, of the J. Paul Getty Museum, J. Paul Getty Trust. The Publications minutes (1988-1991) discuss specific publication projects as well as analysis of sales and administrative matters such as topics for meeting agenda, damaged inventory, and budgets. The Editorial Committee records (1988-1998) encompass primarily meeting minutes, but also include two memoranda in regard to the Lanier Graham proposal of an exhibition of Degas prints. The meeting minutes of the Editorial Committee are similar in content to those of Publications, discussing specific publications (often many of the same publications as discussed in the Publications minutes), but the majority of the minutes discuss idea and development proposals submitted to the Committee, including a proposal for the GRI Journal. The Editorial Committee agendas include full book project development proposals and recommendations.

Arrangement

The records are arranged primarily in chronological order.
 

Publications Department meeting minutes:

Box 2004.IA.01-1, Folder 1

1988-1989

Box 2004.IA.01-1, Folder 2

1990

Box 2004.IA.01-1, Folder 3

1991

 

Editorial Committee meeting minutes:

Box 2004.IA.01-1, Folder 4-5

1988-1991, 1993-1994, 1996-1998

Physical Description: [2 files]
Box 2004.IA.01-1, Folder 6

Agenda and minutes, September 2, 1993

Box 2004.IA.01-1, Folder 7

Agenda, October 28, 1993

Box 2004.IA.01-1, Folder 8

Agenda and minutes, December 20, 1993

Box 2004.IA.01-1, Folder 9

Minutes, March 3, 1994

Box 2004.IA.01-1, Folder 10-11

Meeting and agenda, November 29, 1994

Physical Description: [2 files]
Box 2004.IA.01-1, Folder 12

Meeting agenda, December 12, 1995

Box 2004.IA.01-1, Folder 13-14

Meeting agenda, March 13, 1996

Physical Description: [2 files]
Box 2004.IA.01-2, Folder 1

Meeting agenda, June 21, 1996

Box 2004.IA.01-2, Folder 2-3

Meeting agenda, October 24, 1996

Physical Description: [2 files]
Box 2004.IA.01-2, Folder 4-5

Meeting agenda and idea proposals, May 5, 1997

Physical Description: [2 files]
Box 2004.IA.01-2, Folder 6

Exhibition proposal, May 5, 1997

Box 2004.IA.01-2, Folder 7-8

Meeting agenda, October 27, 1998

Physical Description: [2 files]
Box 2004.IA.01-2, Folder 9-11

Meeting agenda, June 19, 1998

Physical Description: [3 files]
Box 2004.IA.01-2, Folder 12-13

GRI Journal memoranda and proposals, 1993, 1997

Physical Description: [2 files]
 

GCI-Publications meeting minutes, agendas, memoranda:

Box 2004.IA.01-3, Folder 1

1993

Box 2004.IA.01-3, Folder 2

1994

Box 2004.IA.01-3, Folder 3

1995

Box 2004.IA.01-3, Folder 4

1996

Box 2004.IA.01-3, Folder 5

1997

Box 2004.IA.01-3, Folder 6

1998

Box 2004.IA.01-3, Folder 7

1999

 

Series II. Budget and financial information, 1977-1999

Physical Description: 0.42 linear feet (1 box)

Scope and Content Note

These records consist of budget and financial information from the Getty Bookstore, the J. Paul Getty Trust publications programs, and the Getty Education Institute, 1977-1994. Included are spreadsheets detailing monthly sales figures, general ledger printouts, capital budget reports, and memoranda.

Arrangement

These records are arranged by department and in general chronological order.
Box 2004.IA.01-3, Folder 8

Getty Education Institute publications budget information, 1998-1999

Box 2004.IA.01-3, Folder 9

Getty Trust write-downs and spreadsheets, 1993-1994

Box 2004.IA.01-3, Folder 10

Getty bookstore general ledger reports, 1981

Box 2004.IA.01-3, Folder 11

Getty bookstore general ledger reports, 1980

Box 2004.IA.01-3, Folder 12

Getty bookstore sales summaries, 1978-1983

 

Getty bookstore sales:

Box 2004.IA.01-3, Folder 13

1977-January 1980

Box 2004.IA.01-3, Folder 14

October 1977-December 1979

Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 1

October 1980-September 1981

Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 2

October 1981-September 1982

Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 3

October 1982-September 1983

Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 4

October 1983-September 1984

Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 5

1985-1986

Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 6

1988

Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 7

Publications operating budget roster, 1984

Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 8

Museum publications budget information, 1987, 1989

Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 9

Museum sales and distribution budget information, 1989

Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 10

Getty bookstore sales and distribution performance, 1989

 

Series III. Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, 1993-1999

Physical Description: 0.21 linear feet (1 box)

Scope and Content Note

These records consist of contracts, legal documents, correspondence, memoranda, and reports relating to the publication of the Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals by G.K. Hall and the transition to publication by Getty Publications, J. Paul Getty Trust, the transition of the Index to CD-ROM format, and the relocation of the Index from the Getty Information Institute to the Getty Research Institute, 1983-1999. Also included are copies of information materials about the CD-ROM version of the Index, a report on usage by Howard Batchelor, information about subscribers and subscriptions, budget and financial information, and the 1998-99 Annual Report.

Arrangement

These records are arranged generally in chronological order.
Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 11-12

Letters of agreement, contracts between G.K. Hall, Trust Publications, Columbia University, 1983-1999

Physical Description: [2 files]
Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 13

Informational materials about the index, 1987-1992

Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 14

Howard Batchelor, Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals: a comparative study of usage and markets, 1996

Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 15

Avery Index financial information, 1998-1999

Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 16

Annual report, 1998-1999

Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 17

Avery Index subscription information, 1999

Box 2004.IA.01-4, Folder 18

Correspondence re: CD-ROM, 1999

 

Series IV. Miscellaneous files, 1975-1998

Physical Description: 0.13 linear feet (1 box)

Scope and Content Note

This series contains miscellaneous files related to Getty Publications including correspondence, memoranda, financial records, royalties statements, production logs, and press releases, dated 1975-1998. Of special note are the records relating to the publication of Norman Neuerburg's From Herculaneum to Malibu, including correspondence between Neuerburg and Stephen Garrett regarding the Getty's continued publication of Neuerburg's work, and Neuerburg and Roberta Stothart in which Neuerburg confesses that he has no wish to continue writing about the Getty; also included is a copy of Neuerburg's article "Painting in the California Missions," originally published in American Art Review, July 1977.

Arrangement

These records are arranged by subject.
Box 2004.IA.01-5, Folder 1

Exhibition department information, ca. 1980

Box 2004.IA.01-5, Folder 2

Norman Neuerburg, correspondence, royalty statements, 1975-1982

Box 2004.IA.01-5, Folder 3

Publication production logs, 1993

Box 2004.IA.01-5, Folder 4

Press releases, exhibitions, 1994

Box 2004.IA.01-5, Folder 5

Getty Publications special events invitation lists and memoranda, 1997-1998