The Abstract: Exhibition, reading room and metaphor

In 2015, the Research Office for Art, Design and Architecture at Monash University began looking for an innovative way to promote journals to academic staff. In particular, the Office aimed to increase publications in journals appearing on the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) list; scholarly, peer reviewed journals, publishing original research. In collaboration with the library, an exhibition entitled The Abstract was developed. The Abstract was both an architectural installation and a reading room in which visitors engaged with journals from art, design and architecture. As an exhibition, it explored the intersection of traditional and non-traditional realms of creative research. As a reading room, it exposed the breadth of academic journals which students and staff can aspire to publish in, and draw from in their research and practice. As an activity in Art Librarianship, the exhibition presented a range of challenges representative of the issues currently facing the industry. How do we manage the visual promotion of journals that only exist in online formats? In what ways does the Australian Higher Education climate influence the collection and curation of our libraries? In addition to enjoying the immersive experience of the reading room, visitors were offered the opportunity to access a series of lunchtime seminars and ongoing expert advice from librarians, learning skills advisers and academic colleagues. This presentation will outline how the project developed through a collaboration between library and faculty staff and students, and how it evolved into an innovative, inspiring experience for all involved.