Artists’ Books and the Problem of Digital Preservation

Abstract:Artists’ books have become a popular genre for many institutions collecting art objects and unique books. The attempt to preserve the physical artists’ books often competes with the desire to extend user access to these highly tactile works. Partial digitization of artists’ books has allowed many institutions to cultivate an online presence for these collections, increasing access without compromising the physical integrity of the objects. However, creation of digital surrogates for artists’ books often sacrifices the authenticity and access to the intellectual content of the work. The challenge of digital preservation for artists’ books demonstrates the shortcomings of digital reformatting for works that may be intellectual and artistic.