Grant Period: March 2011–December 2012

Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation through the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) initiative Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives, this project supports the creation of online finding aids for three large collections of architectural records at the Getty Research Institute: the Franklin D. Israel Papers, the Ray Kappe Papers and the William Krisel Papers. The Kappe and Krisel archives document the modernist goal of creating housing that is well-designed yet affordable and reflect the development of modern, open-plan residential architecture in the second half of the 20th century, especially in Southern California. The archive of the postmodern architect Frank Israel marks the next stage of architectural development, demonstrating Israel's role as a key link between the modernist generation of California architects and the work of current practitioners.

This project uses an experimental finding aid template created by the Getty Research Library to process archives in a new way. Traditional finding aids for architectural records are arranged by record type or medium, such as design sketches, photographs, or client meeting records. By contrast, this new method arranges records by individual architectural design project.

This innovative approach is expected to save researchers valuable time and influence the way in which other institutions process architectural archives. To ensure that the new template meets the needs of researchers, project staff will collaborate with an advisory committee of architectural historians.