• The full text of a broad and expanding range of Berg journals and books in this area (with approximately 100 ebooks available at launch), plus a regularly updated dictionary of key terms and designers 
• A regularly updated abstracting and indexing (A&I) database - covering journal articles, industry literature, books and images - enabling users to locate relevant content with ease through a comprehensive taxonomy, and to gain access to the full text via OpenURLs wherever possible
• 200 ‘position papers’ (1.7 million words) covering the state of the art in fashion research across all fields - from curation to business
• An image bank with thumbnails (indexed in the A&I) that link through to enhanced content – likely in be in partnership with major museums
• Specially-created materials through which key museums can be visited ‘virtually’ – for example videos of curators introducing major exhibitions and collections with links to exhibits

In addition to academic work from a diverse range of social science and humanities perspectives, there is a considerable body of research on the industry and technical sides, plus literature devoted to specific areas such as designers, illustration, forecasting, journalism, photography, design techniques and careers.

Currently there is no single point of reference for academic researchers and students in a wide range of disciplines devoted to this important and fast-moving area of study, and finding relevant information can prove a considerable challenge.

The need for an online resource in this area has been borne out by a recent survey of UK higher and further education institutions undertaken by JISC Collections:

• 84% of respondents said that fashion and dress is a subject area that needs a comprehensive online resource
• 84% of respondents felt the Berg Fashion Library would be useful within their institution
• 68% of respondents said that their institutions would be likely to subscribe to the Berg Fashion Library, and other respondents said that it was possible that their institutions would subscribe

The new Berg Fashion Library will facilitate learning (both on-site and distance) and research by offering breadth and depth of content, and also by supplying an invaluable index of relevant publications.

The aim is that the Berg Fashion Library is as comprehensive and international in coverage as possible, with the taxonomy serving to structure the resource.

Berg content will be accessible and fully cross-searchable within the resource, and links to non-Berg content will be available via OpenURLs wherever possible.

Advance comments have been very positive – for example:

“In this age of reliance on search engines for research, the Berg taxonomy offers a refreshingly direct means of accessing the increasingly diverse range of literature on clothing and dress. This tool will aid individuals with general, specialized, and visual study needs.”
Paula A. Baxter, Curator, Art & Architecture Collection, The New York Public Library

“This is a really worthwhile project. It will be useful for students at many levels of costume/dress/fashion studies. It is not intimidating and has the potential to expand and is flexible which is invaluable for a resource like this.”
Valerie Cumming, Chairman, The Costume Society, and formerly Deputy Director and Chief Curator, Museum of London

Berg – the leading international publisher of books and journals in the area of world dress and fashion

Established in 1982, Berg is an award-winning independent publisher, internationally renowned for publishing a comprehensive range of high quality, interdisciplinary books and journals on dress and fashion worldwide.

Berg is the publisher of the pioneering journal Fashion Theory, as well as the award-winning Textile: The Journal of Cloth & Culture (ALPSP ‘Best New Journal’, 2005). In 2009, Berg will launch a new journal, Fashion Practice: The Journal of Design, Creative Process and the Fashion Industry.

Since 1997, Berg has published over a wide range of books on world dress and fashion, including over 45 titles in the acclaimed Dress, Body and Culture series.

Berg also has an active forward publishing programme in this area.

A partnership approach

Berg is keen to work in partnership with librarians – as well as with academics - during the development of the Berg Fashion Library, and we are currently recruiting members for our Librarian Advisory Panel.

This is a great opportunity to be involved in all aspects of this unique and much needed interdisciplinary online resource, and to provide feedback on a wide variety of topics – everything from content and interface design to beta-testing and pricing models.

We have been delighted by the response from librarians so far, and are pleased to welcome the following members to the BFL Librarian Advisory Panel. However, as the Berg Fashion Library is a truly global resource, we would be delighted to welcome additional members from Europe, Asia and Australasia in particular.

Linda Absher, Portland University, USA
Richard Bleiler, University of Connecticut, USA
Kristy L. Davis, Mander and Mitchenson Theatre Collection, UK
Lin Downes, Kingston University, UK
John Dupuis, York University, Canada
Jon Fletcher, Yeovil College, UK
Chris Fowler, Oxford Brookes University, UK
Julia Gelfand, University of California, Irvine, USA
Anne-Marie Hayes, Coventry University, UK
Carmen Hendershott, New School University, USA
Catherine Mary Johns, Royal College of Art, UK
Janet O’Keefe, Flint Public Library, USA
Pat Poppy, Bournemouth University, UK
Gwen Scott, RMIT University Library
Alice Steiner, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Martha Walker, Cornell University
Sarah Barbara Watstein, UCLA, USA
N.J. Wolfe, Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York
Georgia Wyver, University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, UK
April Yasamee, Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK

What does being a member of the Advisory Panel involve?

We know that librarians are already very busy, so our intention is to enable members of our Advisory Panel to provide feedback with the minimum amount of time and effort at all times.

We would welcome advice and input from members via email and questionnaires on various aspects of the project including interface design and proposed functionality, the taxonomy, content and development priorities, FAQs, and pricing and business models.

We also intend to arrange some brainstorming meetings at conferences we will be attending internationally, and at our offices in Oxford.

Would you like to get involved?

We would be delighted if you are interested in getting involved in the development of the Berg Fashion Library as a member of our Librarian Advisory Panel.

Simply email Kathryn Earle (Managing Director of Berg Publishers) at kearle@bergpublishers.com to find out more.