James Cuno, Art Institute president, featured speaker atALCTS 2009 President’s Program
Contact: Charles Wilt
Executive Director, ALCTS
312-280-5030
cwilt@ala.org
NEWS
For Immediate Release
March 6, 2009
CHICAGO-The Association for Library Collections & Technical Services will present James Cuno, president and director of the Art Institute of Chicago, as the featured speaker for the 2009 ALCTS President’s Program at the ALA Annual Meeting in Chicago. The President’s Program, which begins at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, July 13., is once again generously sponsored by Elsevier.
Dr. Cuno’s recent publication, “Who Owns Antiquity? Museums and the Battle over Our Ancient Heritage”, published by Princeton University Press, is the subject of his presentation. This is an issue not just for museums, but for any cultural or educational institution that owns or holds ancient and not-so-ancient collections. A follow-up book edited by Dr. Cuno, “Whose Culture? The Promise of Museums and the Debate over Antiquities,” was released last week by Princeton University Press.
On having Dr. Cuno as ALCTS’ featured speaker, ALCTS president M. Dina Giambi said, “Dr. Cuno has posed many thought provoking questions in his books, articles, and blogs, such as ‘Where do the great treasures of ancient art belong?’ The 2009 ALCTS President’s Program will give the library community the opportunity for more insight on this topic from a well respected museum director. ALCTS is especially pleased to present Dr. Cuno as the impressive new Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago is set to open in May 2009.”
Dr. Cuno previously held posts at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, the Harvard University Art Museum, the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth and the Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts at the University of California, Los Angeles. He holds a doctorate in the history of art and architecture from Harvard University. He has served as trustee and president of the Association of Art Museum Directors and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He also oversees the completion of the new wing of the Art Institute designed by Renzo Piano.
He has written widely on museums and cultural policy. His books include "Whose Muse?: Art Museums and the Public's Trust," also published by Princeton University Press.
The Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) is the national association for information providers who work in collections and technical services, such as acquisitions, cataloging, collection development, preservation and continuing resources in digital and print formats.
ALCTS is a division of the American Library Association.
