Visual resources professionals need to develop a clear set of goals, be flexible, and look to serve old and new clientele. Consider what was essential in the old systems, what's new and necessary, and communicate constantly. Visual resources collections must be integrated into a complex new environment. Merrill Smith, from Rotch Library at MIT, took the librarian's point of view, with the advantage of having spent ten years in a visual resources collection. She sees this as an exciting time, with the challenge of setting standards for visual resources collections and databases.
Publicity is important to let faculty know what's available.
Martha Mahard, Visual Resources Librarian, Fine Arts Library, Harvard College, Fogg Museum, observed that, like the world's oldest profession, visual resources professionals have become so specialized that they are identified with their media. Users are looking for information that's media-blind and need a system that responds to that need. Book librarians have figured a lot of this out. Visual Resources curators should develop and use collection development policies. At the Fine Arts Library, staff are working on developing one policy for both the book library and the slide collections.