Are You Serials?!

Left: Don't Take Pictures 3 (Fall 2014). Lexington, VA, and Brooklyn, NY: The Kiernan Gallery, 2013–. Right: The Exhibitionist: Journal on Exhibition Making 10 (October 2014). Berlin: Archive Books, 2010–.

«When deciding on new titles to acquire, books are easy; each is a discrete and complete package. Should we have this book in the library? Yes? Great: order it, add it to the collection, barcode and label it, and then shelve it so people can begin requesting it. That's it, you're done. Journals (also known as serials, periodicals, continuing resources, and/or monographic series) complicate all of these processes, since they are intended to be published indefinitely and in multiple parts.»

Left: Works That Work 3 (2014). Den Haag: Typotheque, 2013–. Right: CoCAin Review of Contemporary Art Centres and Museums 5 (March 2014). Toruń, Poland: Centre of Contemporary Art "Znaki Czasu," 2012–.

Inevitably, when deciding to subscribe to a particular title, more questions are raised than for selecting books to purchase. Is the title available in electronic format, and is that online version hosted on a trusted and stable platform? If so, do we want a print copy as well? If we discovered the journal after the first issue, do we want to acquire the back issues? Should we purchase directly from the publisher, or use a subscription service? Should we keep current issues on our Periodicals Room display shelves before binding, or should individual issues be processed immediately when they are received? Has the content and tone changed over time, and in a positive or a negative way? Is there enough content related to artistic practice and the Museum's collection, and is this content compelling?

Left: Dog Food 3 (Summer 2014). New York: publisher unknown, 2012–. Right: Kizu Magazine 1 (2013). New York: Alison Kizu-Blair, 2013–.

One of the challenges of being an encyclopedic library is catching interesting and potentially important publications before they disappear. Dog Food is an independent Turkish magazine printed in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Kizu Magazine is produced locally in Brooklyn and focuses on female artists working in the borough. I stumbled across a lone copy of the first issue in the excellent New York City bookstore McNally Jackson, and checking other libraries' holdings in WorldCat led me to believe that no one else appeared to have it, which made the decision to purchase an easy one.

Left: ArtDesk 3. Oklahoma City, OK: Kirkpatrick Foundation, 2013–. Right: WAX: a Magazine for Urban Surfers 4 (Winter 2014). New York: WAX Magazine, 2012–.

Visually appealing covers like these help to convince us that we should subscribe—or, at least, consider the title for subscription.

Left: Bidoun (Spring 2013). Brooklyn, NY: Bidoun, Inc., 2004–. Right: Art Ukraine: vash putivnyk do myste︠t︡sʹkykh vershyn 6-2 = no.37–39 (2013/2014). Kyïv : TOV "Art-︠I︠Ukreĭn," 2007–.

We make a concerted effort to expand coverage of formerly underserved regions or subject specialties. Bidoun is published locally in Brooklyn, but covers arts and culture from the Middle East. Art Ukraine was discovered by our Special Collections Librarian Jared Ash, who also works on developing our Russian and Slavic collections.

Left: Elephant: The Art & Visual Culture Magazine 21 (Winter 2015). Amsterdam: Frame Publishers, 2009–. Right: Turps [Banana]: Painting Magazine 13 (2014). London: Turps Banana, 2005–.

Another way I discover titles is when stray issues make their way to the library and my desk. A catchy title like Turps Banana doesn't hurt, either.

If you know of any interesting and relevant journals or magazines (or serials, periodicals, continuing resources, and monographic series), please suggest them to us! We're always looking to expand and improve our collection.