[Liebe Listenmitglieder, mit dieser Anfrage moechten wir Sie
ermuntern, CD ROMS, die von speziellem Interesse fuer Kunst- und
KulturhistorikerInnen sind, fuer die Liste zu rezensieren. Bitte
wenden Sie sich mit Vorschlägen an die Redaktion.

Dear listmembers with this query we would like to initiate the
reviewing of CD ROMS of special interest for scholars of arthistory
and cultural studies. For suggestions, please address the editorial
board. I.M.]

Having produced a multimedia, interactive CD-ROM on a kind of
conveyance arts in Bangladesh--the paintings and other decorations on
the three wheel cycle rickshas--I seek to know from list members
their views on the degree of interest among art historians and
scholars, or lack of it, in CD-ROMs as educational resources in the
EU.

I would also like to get an idea of the degree to which
publishers/distributors in art fields have an interest in CD-ROMs--
are they being produced and distributed
Are they valued or rejected
in art education fields

I have tried using the internet for answers but have have had little
success.

I do know that in the USA, of which I'm a resident and citizen,
academics in art disciplines tend to dislike this digital medium for
a variety of reasons--no need to list all of them here. However, it
seems to me that a large part of this rejection is because of pure
conservatism--not only about visual features, but also about
marketing. Books--no matter how weighty and awkward to use, how
expensive to produce, and how costly at the bookseller--are still de
rigeur. I recently checked the required list for an Asian art
history course at a local university bookstore, and among the
modestly priced items were a used book on Asian Art priced at $83.00.
One can be sure that very few undergraduates at this university could
afford such prices. Science and tech students are more likely to pay
exorbitant textbook prices in their fields because the jobs which
they will eventually secure will permit them to borrow to replay
their educational costs. Not so in art fields!

I would appreciate any views or information in regard to these
queries.

Joanna Kirkpatrick
Bennington College, USA; emerita

Depsite the fact that in digital media DVD-ROMs are now available, CD-
Roms an be run on a DVD driver. So the technology in that respect is
not an issue.