In 1990 the Turkish Plastic Arts Archive was established in the at Bilkent University Art Library. The archive was founded both to make the work of modern Turkish artists more accessible and to provide a lasting document of their activities. Toward that end, the Turkish Plastic Arts Archive is a collection of the ephemera of the Turkish art scene, specifically the plastic arts. It is open to the public.
The Archive benefits from its location in the Bilkent University Art Library, where a rich collection of art books and art reference materials provide background for the researcher. The Archive complements the Art Library's collection by providing access to a continually updated repository of primary materials related to the modern Turkish plastic arts, including articles from daily papers and journals, gallery brochures, invitations to openings, posters, reproductions, bulletins, and calendars.
The staff thoroughly examine a variety of newspapers and journals, indexing all relevant articles following a set of specific selection criteria. Newspapers are currently indexed back to 1988. Journals have been indexed beginning with the year 1935. Newspaper articles are clipped and stored in the archive. Newspaper articles pertaining to a single artist can be found in the artist's file, while articles relating to the Turkish plastic arts in general are included in the newspaper file. At the end of 2006 there were files for more than 3.300 artists.
An art historian and librarians select items for inclusion in the archive and catalog items using Library of Congress Subject Headings in English. The catalog for the Turkish Plastic Arts Archive which is searchable on the Web and via the local library OPAC, provides access by keyword, artist, author, title, corporate name, conference name and subject. At the end of 2006 more than 45.000 items had been catalogued.
Archival documents may only be photocopied by archives staff. There is a charge per page. Users on campus should ask for the relevant form at the Reference Desk in the Art Library. Non Bilkent users may use their own institution's Inter-Library Loan Services to request photocopies.
