bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Archaeology resources in Libraries: are they accessible?
Authors: Adelman Jean Shaw , Markson Eileen
Published: July 2016

The literature of archaeology reflects the development of archaeology as a discipline, from the curiosity of wealthy amateurs to serious enquiry utilising scientific method and techniques and drawing on other disciplines in its efforts to interpret objects as evidence of their times. Archaeology libraries thus contain rare (often large and fragile) early works, specialised and highly detailed studies, works not obviously related to archaeology, and texts in several languages; such libraries are most usually associated with academic institutions, of which the University of Pennsylvania Museum and Bryn Mawr College offer contrasting (though neighbouring) examples. Both libraries - the University Museum more so than Bryn Mawr College - serve a larger public beyond the institution’s own community, at least to a limited extent. Archaeology libraries can nourish the widespread and growing public interest in ancient civilisations in spite of the rarefied and valuable nature of their collections, by participating in library networks, and by encouraging the publication or reprinting of books for the non-specialist.
SCOAD: its inception and aims
Authors: Gardner Julian
Published: July 2016

In response, to initiatives from the Association of Art Historians and from ARLIS/UK & Eire, the British Library Working Party on the Provision of Materials for the Study of Art was established. Its Report (1983) proposed the setting-up of a permanent consultative body. This body, the Standing Committee on Art Documentation (SCOAD), was set up in 1985, to survey, and consider the co-ordination of, the provision of art library collections and services in the United Kingdom and in particular, by the British Library, the National Art Library, and other specialist libraries with notable contributions to make to a national service.
Picture libraries: a survey of the present situation and a look into the future
Authors: Coulson Anthony J.
Published: July 2016

Picture libraries have been developed to serve a wide range of public and private enthusiasms and needs. Collections of several kinds have evolved to serve different archival, commercial, teaching and private functions. Recent developments include advances in conservation and exploitation, the publication of directories, and the formation of associations of picture libraries. Technological advance may help provide opportunities for greater cooperation and more effective use of existing resources.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts Library and Research Center
Authors: Wasserman Krystyna
Published: July 2016

The National Museum of Women in the Arts was established in Washington in 1981 to make known the achievements of women in the visual arts. Its Library and Research Center plays a central part in the Museum’s essentially educative role, providing information on art by women primarily by means of one of the largest specialised collections of materials on women’s art. This includes extensive archival files and a number of special collections. Ongoing projects include the compilation of a database on women artists, an inventory of works of art by women in private and public collections, and an index to women artists documented in group exhibition catalogues. The activities of the Library and Research Center demonstrate how this and other art libraries can counteract the neglect of women in the arts.
Mexicoarte: a new means of obtaining information about the art of Mexico
Authors: Blásquez Elsa Barberena
Published: July 2016

Work is proceeding on the compilation of a database on Mexican art, comprising references to bibliographic and visual resources, and artist’s biographies, and representing the history of art in Mexico from the beginnings of Prehispanic civilisation to the present day. UNESCO’s Common Communication Format (CCF) has been adopted, as also has CDS/ISIS software. A thesaurus is in the process of being developed; terms are being drawn in many cases from existing indexes and other sources. MEXICOARTE has been initiated by the Art Section of the Mexican Library Association (AMBAC) in association with the National University (the host institution) and the Nation Institute of Fine Arts.
Strengths and weaknesses in the international library exchange programme at the Art Gallery of New South Wales
Authors: Schmocker Susan
Published: July 2016

Since the 1970’s the international Exchange Programme at the Art Gallery of New South Wales has become more demanding. Consequently attention has been focussed on the strengths and weaknesses of various aspects of the programme. While some, though not all, of these weaknesses may be capable of being overcome, they are in any case outweighed by the benefits of exchange.
An English art librarian in Paris: a report and diary
Authors: Varley Gillian
Published: July 2016

Following Nicole Picot’s visit to England, the subject of the report printed above, Gillian Varley from the National Art Library of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London spent two weeks at the Bibliothèque Publique d’Information at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, during the summer of 1988. She also visited a number of other art libraries in Paris. The text of her report is followed by extracts from her diary of her trip.
Reise nach Madrid: Bericht
Authors: Musidlak-Schlott Gabriele
Published: July 2016

In March 1988 the author travelled to Madrid to visit Spanish art libraries, museums, and bookdealers. The trip was funded by the Deutsche Forschungs-gemeinschaft. This report stresses the value of personal visits and of direct contact in fostering working relationships.
‘Grau, Teurer Freund, 1st alle Theorie…’: the acquisition of exhibition catalogues
Authors: Lersch Thomas
Published: July 2016

The acquisition of exhibition catalogues is in many cases problematic, involving the expenditure of much staff time in addition to the cost of the catalogue itself. This is especially so when catalogues have to be ordered individually, whether from museum or bookseller; standing orders, including wide-ranging standing order arrangements negotiated with specialist suppliers, offer a partial solution; libraries attached to museums and galleries can also acquire catalogues by exchange. In the Federal Republic of Germany, exhibition catalogues are acquired by the seven major art libraries constituting the AKB as an integral element of their cooperative acquisitions programme, but documentation of contemporary art is not acquired comprehensively.
British Architectural Biography 1834-1914: a British Architectural Library database project
Authors: Franklin Jonathan
Published: July 2016

Amongst the treasures of the British Architectural Library are the RIBA Nomination Papers which have been completed by all prospective members of the Royal Institute of British Architects since its foundation in 1834 and which now form part of the RIBA Archive. These papers are currently the basis for an innovative database project entitled British Architectural Biography 1834-1914, which is being funded over three years by the Getty Grant Program of the J. Paul Getty Trust.
The exhibition catalog as source of artists’ primary documents
Authors: Robertson Jack
Published: July 2016

Exhibition catalogs and related ‘ephemera’ frequently include statements by artists which can be regarded as primary documents. Artists’ statements which are included in catalogs of group exhibitions tend to be relatively difficult to access and so are easily overlooked, while statements included in ephemeral publications associated with group exhibitions are virtually irretrievable even when such material is retained by libraries. Some help is available from published bibliographies and online databases; more thorough cataloging procedures are also available.
Problems in Kitaj, mostly iconographic
Authors: Kitaj R. B. , Cieskowski Krzysztof Z.
Published: July 2016

Books have featured as subject matter in R. B. Kitaj’s art and are a constant inspiration to Kitaj the artist. Inevitably, his work has sometimes been described as ‘bookish’, and has attracted written commentaries. In recent years Kitaj has started writing about some of his pictures in a series of ‘Prefaces’, some of which are to be published as a book; the ‘Prefaces’ are, however, explorations rather than explanations.
Preservation of the cultural patrimony
Authors: Swartzburg Susan Garretson
Published: July 2016

Since the 19th century, a developing awareness of cultural patrimony has been accompanied by advances in conservation, by the growth of a body of literature on conservation, and by the establishment of bodies, including agencies at the international level, dedicated to conservation. But not everything can be preserved: choices have to be made of what most merits preservation. Art librarians are involved, both as conservers of the documentary heritage (which contributes to the ethos in which decisions are made) and, sometimes, as members of teams responsible for the preservation of artefacts and buildings. There is a need for specialists of all kinds who are involved in the preservation of the cultural patrimony to work closely together, to discuss priorities, and to ensure that nothing escapes attention.
Arthur Segal: picture lending and an artist’s life
Authors: Dietze Horst
Published: July 2016

For much of his life the Rumanian-born artist Arthur Segal championed the cause of picture lending for the benefit of the public and as a means of helping artists to earn a living. In Germany in the mid-1920s, Segal put forward his plans for lending institutions for works of art, akin to lending libraries for books. Widespread support was not forthcoming, and an experimental scheme organised by an artists’ association in Berlin ceased in 1927. Segal could give only qualified support to an alternative concept of hire purchase. Arthur Segal settled in England in 1936; some years after his death, his ideas contributed to the devising of an art loan scheme, launched by the London Borough of Holborn public library, which featured the work of local artists. Segal deserves to be remembered; his life and achievements have been celebrated by exhibitions in Berlin and Cologne, and the following article has been translated into English so that his ideas and endeavours can be more widely appreciated.
The ‘Bibliography of the History of Art’ and the Nordic Countries
Authors: Sailing Emma
Published: July 2016

Building on the precedent established by the Kunstakademiets Bibliotek and RILA, Nordic countries are for a trial period of three years contributing bibliographic records to the BHA, via the latter’s Scandinavian editor in the U.S.A. Several institutions are involved; the selection and preparation of records for the BHA can usually be done in conjunction with work already undertaken by the institutions concerned, in some cases for national bibliographies. Records include abstracts, which should ideally be provided or approved by the authors. Only a selection of material can be cited in the BHA; it is important that its international role should be complemented by national bibliographies. Although Nordic libraries can subscribe to the BHA in its printed form, online access is inhibited by financial considerations; a CD-ROM version would be most welcome. It is hoped that this three year experiment in co-operation will be judged a success, and that funding to enable it to continue will be forthcoming; a crucial test of any form of international co-operation is whether respect for national traditions outweighs any desire for excessive standardisation.
Information needs of architectural practices
Authors: Chidlow Joyce
Published: July 2016

Libraria is a small business which provides a visiting library service to architectural practices. Although practices vary, their information needs are similar, and are met from the several categories employed by Libraria to organise information materials: technical literature, trade literature, samples, consultants and contractors, company information, fine art and reference, maps, journals, and in-house material. Information from these categories must be available as required to support successive stages in the building design process from inception to completion. Library services in the construction industry have to provide the right information at the right time, without being a drain on the resources of practices which can only survive as profitable businesses; the librarian must be seen to be an ever-helpful source of practical information.
[no title]
Authors: Kitt Sandra
Published: July 2016

My view of the world has always been private and intimate. My interpretation of what I see, therefore, has always been in very small formats. One friend has called them “Postage Stamp” images. The limited space I give myself to work is a challenge in making a huge concept, like space or flight, small.
Byelorussian art literature collections
Authors: Kipel Zora
Published: July 2016

In spite of the absence of specialised art libraries, some significant collections of publications on Byelorussian art exist in the State Library, and in some other libraries in Minsk. Other collections of material on Byelorussian art can be found outside Byelorussia, in England (in the Francisk Skaryna Byelorussian Library in London), and in several libraries in the USA.
Libraries of Byelorussia and aesthetic education
Authors: Kiryukhina Ljudmila
Published: July 2016

Before becoming an independent state, the Republic of Byelorussia had initiated an extensive programme of aesthetic education which complemented activities elsewhere in the former USSR while stimulating a revival of interest in Byelorussian cultural traditions. Libraries, led by the National Library (now the State Library) at Minsk, contribute to this programme through the provision of publications, by organising or hosting activities, and by working closely with schools. Particular efforts are being made, in association with Melodiya, to improve acquisition of gramophone records. The acquisition of books benefits from a developing programme of international exchange.
The automated catalog of the Joan Flasch artists’ book collection at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Authors: Hillbruner Fred A.
Published: July 2016

The Flaxman Library at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago started collecting, or rather, receiving artists’ books more than fifteen years ago. Access by author and title having proved inadequate, an automated catalog has been used to access the collection through a range of descriptors (including physical characteristics) since 1988. A prototype of a revised version of this automated system, version 3, is in the process of being developed. Of particular significance, this version, written using FoxPro2 software, will include a file of images of the artists’ books.
Collection development and the organisation of art materials at the Cultural Center of the Philippines
Authors: Peralejo Elizabeth R.
Published: July 2016

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is responsible for the Filipino cultural heritage; its Library, initiated in 1969, serves as a national repository of material on art and the humanities, and is available to the public for reference. The collections have developed in part thanks to gifts, of publications and of funds; materials are acquired by purchase, through exchange agreements, and because other CCP departments deposit their publications in the Library. The Library is now short of both space and staff. Printed materials are classified using an expanded version of LC; non-print materials are organised by format and access number, a system which is increasingly unsatisfactory. Reference and bibliographic services include the Library’s own catalogue, and a Union cataloge on Philippine Culture produced by the Library. Future plans include automation and the creation of a database devoted to Filipino art and culture.
Following the textile trail: acquisition of South and Southeast Asian art books from an Australian perspective
Authors: Shaw Margaret
Published: July 2016

Australia has traditionally adopted a Eurocentric outlook which has begun to be modified in the last decade by reappraisal of the country’s location in the Asia-Pacific region. The Australian National Gallery has only recently developed its collections of the textiles of South and Southeastern Asia and of related research materials, yet it already accommodates the world’s leading public collection of Indian textiles exported to Southeast Asia. Acquisition of both contemporary and antiquarian library materials has been complicated by the range of languages and cultures involved, the history of the textile trade, colonial publishing, and the problems encountered in dealing with a varying degree of organisation in local publishing and distribution. Nonetheless, with patience, as a result of travelling, by means of networking, and with the help of distributors, it has proved possible to build a worthwhile collection without depending too exclusively on Western publications.
De l’Indochine a l’Afghanistan: des arts etrangers dans les bibliotheques Parisiennes
Authors: Macouin Francis
Published: July 2016

French interest in India and neighbouring regions dates back to the 17th century. Oriental studies developed as a distinct discipline through the 19th century, stimulated in France by French colonial activities in Indochina, and culminating at the end of the century in the emergence of Oriental art and archaeology as a subject in its own right. The Commission Archéologique de l’Indochine was established in 1898, and became the Ecole Francaise d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO) in 1901 with responsibility for listing and protecting antiquities in the French colonies; its library in Paris constitutes a major resource. France’s relationship with Afghanistan facilitated French archaeological activities in that country until 1975; archaeological finds enabled the Musée Guimet to extend its scope and to become a museum of Asiatic art, and its library became and remains the major library in Paris so far as Asian art is concerned. The library of the Ecole du Louvre supports courses on Asian art, while the Bibliothèque Nationale and such libraries as the Bibliothèque Forney also contain valuable collections. Photographic collections in some of these institutions have not been so well looked after as books, and their condition is a matter of concern. Unpublished archival materials are also held in some of the same institutions. The resources of a number of smaller, specialised institutes are currently being brought together in a new building under the name ‘Institute d’Asie du Collège de France’, while some other collections are being linked with the library of the EFEO to create a ‘Bibliothèque d’Asie’. Meanwhile it remains to be seen whether the new Bibliothèque Nationale des Arts will include the arts of Asia within its scope. No library in France has responsibility for modern Indian art. (An English translation follows the text in French).
Resources for the conservation of Southeast Asian art
Authors: Swartzburg Susan G.
Published: July 2016

There is a desperate and urgent need to conserve works of art and documentary materials in Southeast Asia, where the rigours of the climate and the effects of war and political unrest have ravaged the cultural heritage. An initiative launched by Cornell University in Cambodia, with the intention of preserving documentary materials and training Cambodian librarians in conservation techniques, may result in the development of a badly-needed regional centre which would complement the National Archives of the Philippines, and the Regional Conservation Centres established by IFLA on the Pacific rim, in Australia and Japan. Information and expertise are available from UNESCO, ICOMOS, ICCROM, ICOM, the Getty Conservation Institute, IIC, IADA, IPC, IFLA, ICA, and other international and US organisations.
Art libraries in a city: present and possible cooperation in leeds
Authors: Coombes Rebecca
Published: July 2016

In addition to an art library which is part of the public library service, the city of Leeds, in the north of England, is the home of two universities and an art college, and of the Henry Moore Centre for the Study of Sculpture, in each of which significant art library collections can be found. Each library has cooperative links, if only of a limited nature, with one of the other five, but cooperation involving all five libraries is lacking. As a first step, regular meetings are suggested; other possible developments might include an information booklet, a periodicals union list, a Conspectus review of collections, and a cooperative acquisitions policy.
An Ohio librarian makes a ‘find’
Authors: Cronquist Carol
Published: July 2016

In the course of researching the life and work of a 19th century British artist, Henry Courtney Selous, several London museums and libraries were visited during 1993. The Royal Academy and the National Portrait Gallery yielded some information, but at the Guildhall Library the author’s attention was drawn to a diary held at the National Art Library which on perusal seemed undoubtedly to have been compiled by Selous. The Library has subsequently revised the diary’s catalogue entry to incorporate this attribution.
A national art information strategy for canada
Authors: Foley Bob
Published: July 2016

Libraries cannot any longer align themselves with their institutions’ priorities because public institutions in Canada are undergoing a fundamental restructuring, the outcome of which is unclear. Federal and provincial governments are transferring responsibilities to the municipal level, putting cultural funding in direct competition with schools, hospitals, social and emergency services. Multi-culturalism will alter the mandate, collections, programming and staffing of cultural institutions. Art librarians, lacking the ability to communicate with decision-makers, need a strategy to allow them to embrace new values and technology or they will be swept aside in the rapid change already evidenced daily which marginalizes the library and calls into question time-honoured traditions such as free access to information.
The status of bibliography & indexing for Canadian art and architecture
Authors: Williamson Mary F.
Published: July 2016

In 1974 the list of bibliographic works on the literature of Canadian art and architecture totalled 14 items, some in typescript. Since then there has been a surge of bibliographical activity including the creation of databases. Canadian art librarians are urged to lobby publishers to develop more precise index terminology and to improve indexing coverage of Canadian art periodical literature. Librarians should use the computer technology now in place to prepare exhibition histories, exhibition catalogue lists and indexes, while retaining their traditional respect for content, for bibliographic standards, and for the experience and specialized knowledge of qualified bibliographers and indexers.
Education and continuing training for art librarianship: A North American Perspective
Authors: Robertson Jack
Published: July 2016

There are 58 universities in the US and Canada which offer graduate degrees in library and information science. At 33 of these, students can take elective courses in subject areas such as art history, but only eight of them provide a special course focussing on art librarianship. There are, however, numerous courses and work study oportunities which allow a student to prepare for jobs in this field. An annual survey conducted by ARLIS/NA reveals some interesting facts regarding educational opportunities, and these facts illustrate a tendency towards intermixing generalist and specialist aspects of professional education. The College of Library and Information Services, University of Maryland, offers a course in ‘Literature and Research in the Arts’, enabling library science students to explore the ‘bibliography’ of art (including electronic sources) as one element in a broader program of study.
Education for art librarianship in the United Kingdom
Authors: Tucker Louise
Published: July 2016

Although in the past it has been possible for students of librarianship in Britain to select some specialist options pertaining to art librarianship, this is no longer the case: training for librarianship is generalist in its scope. Intending art librarians have in some cases chosen to study for an arts degree and then to undertake postgraduate training in librarianship, while more recently the proliferation of modular studies has multiplied opportunities for combining different subjects. Art librarianship is learned by working in an art library; in addition, ARLIS/ UK & Ireland provides short courses, workshops, and study visits, as well as an annual conference. Proposals for a national Visual Arts Library and Information Plan (VALIP) may lead to further development of a strategy for the training of art librarians.
Education for art and culture librarianship in Canada
Authors: Williamson Mary F.
Published: July 2016

The ongoing economic recession together with redirection of dwindling educational resources towards the sciences, with less and less for culture, appears to some Canadian art librarians to be marginalizing art library collections and art librarianship. In any case, the current cultural climate invites a broader definition of ‘art’ that encompasses multiculturalism. Another source of concern is the increasing emphasis in our library schools on training information generalists, although the schools are simply addressing workplace preoccupations with technical and administrative skills. It can be more satisfying to teach art librarianship to practising librarians than to students of librarianship with differing backgrounds, expectations and motivation. In Canada, there is a need for art library associations to be instruments of positive change, by offering courses and workshops, and especially by taking advantage of teleconferencing methods to extend educational programs to librarians and students across the country.
British art librarianship today and tomorrow
Authors: der Wateren Jan van
Published: July 2016

The National Art Library (NAL) has moved from its former isolation, through the developments of the last decade, to its present position as a focus for and active player in the art library and information community of the UK. The NAL has worked with ARLIS on some of the major co-operative ventures currently preoccupying the art library field. However, there is still a need for further clarification of, and support for, subject specialist services in the national arena, not least the relationship with the British Library. The potential of the proposed Library Commission and Visual Arts Library and Information Plan is still to be realised. Art librarians must work with their users in formulating a more radical and visionary view of their objectives, as they face the challenges of the future.

This article is a revised version of a paper delivered to the 25th Anniversary Conference of ARLIS/UK & Ireland, London, 7th-10th April 1994.
ARLIS Committees and Working Parties
Authors: Smith Gaye
Published: July 2016

From its earliest days ARLIS has carried out its work through committees and working parties: the Education Committee (which has organised conferences and courses since 1972), two standards working parties (which have produced guidelines on standards for art libraries), the Cataloguing and Classification Committee (which ‘was preceded by working parties on the Dewey Decimal Classification system and on the Anglo American Cataloguing Rules) and the Visual Resources Committee. A diagram shows the relationship of committees and working parties to Council. (The ARLIS committees concerned with the national coordination of art library resources, and with international matters, are discussed elsewhere in this issue of the Journal.)
Book museums or virtual libraries
Authors: Phillpot Clive
Published: July 2016

Although its replacement has not yet been fully developed, the traditional book is likely to be largely superseded in the foreseeable future by electronic publishing. Libraries will become book museums; with librarians as curators; many other librarians will find themselves dealing with unlimited and unpackaged information rather than with pre-packaged artefacts, in a role which will include facilitating and championing public access to information. The electronic ‘virtual library’ will encompass visual as well as verbal information; it will subsume art libraries except insofar as art libraries will become museums, but both the ‘virtual library’ and art libraries will continue to require the skills and vision of art librarians. Finally, in the short term, and perhaps indefinitely, the ‘virtual library’ and the ‘book library’ may not diverge to the extent of parting company altogether: the latter may continue to function as one gateway providing access to the latter.
Three acronyms, two opportunities, one millenium: ruminations on the present and future states of art Librarianship in Britain, occasioned by the 25th birthday of ARLIS/UK & Ireland
Authors: Phillpot Clive
Published: July 2016

ARLIS/UK & Ireland can be proud of the achievements of its first 25 years, but might benefit both from re-examining its objectives and by broadening its constituency. The fact that the National Art Library (NAL) is now fulfilling a role commensurate with that title is welcome indeed, but art libraries should be wary of depending too much on the leadership of a national library. The Visual Arts Library and Information Plan (VALIP) offers a not-to-be-missed opportunity for ARLIS and the NAL together to ensure the continuing development of art librarianship in Britain into the foreseeable future; the absence of a national bibliographic database, however, must be a handicap to future progress, while the state of art provision in public libraries is a matter of concern. ARLIS is working too exclusively for specialists; as it approaches the year 2000 its biggest challenge may be the needs of people at large. (The text of a paper presented at the ARLIS/UK & Ireland Members’ Day at the Tate Gallery, London, on the 8th November 1994).
The Association for the Visual Arts in Ireland (AVAIL)
Authors: Kirwan Elizabeth
Published: July 2016

AVAIL came into being as a means of connecting more or less isolated professionals working with visual arts collections, ARLIS/UK & Eire (as it then was) having failed to meet the needs of colleagues in Ireland. The idea of an association for Ireland was hatched at a conference organised by ARLIS/UK with the IFLA Section of Art Libraries in April, 1992; AVAIL was subsequently inaugurated the following October. AVAIL is inter-national, in that it represents the whole island of Ireland; it also represents the broad spectrum of visual arts information management, not just librarianship. As one of its first tasks AVAIL is preparing a directory of visual arts information providers in Ireland. AVAIL’S very existence has apparently persuaded the Department of Library and Information Studies at University College Dublin to incorporate some specialist art training as an option in their programme of education for librarianship, and AVAIL – perhaps in cooperation with ARLIS/UK & Ireland – plans to meet the training needs of its members. AVAIL has adopted as its aims not only to provide a cooperative network for the provision and exchange of visual arts information, but also to ensure preservation and conservation of all Irish visual arts materials. AVAIL is working closely with ARLIS/UK & Ireland, and a joint conference of the two bodies is to take place in Dublin and Belfast in 1995. (This article is a revised version of a paper presented at the 25th Anniversary Conference of ARLIS/UK & Ireland, London 7th-10th April 1994).
Libraries working together: a Scottish perspective
Authors: Matheson Ann
Published: July 2016

Cooperation between libraries is time-consuming, but is both ‘worthwhile and essential. Scottish research libraries commenced active cooperation in 1977: the Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries now has 15 active members. More recently, libraries in Scotland have been encouraged to work together following the creation of the Scottish Library and Information Council. The National Library has a key role to play, but in partnership with other libraries rather than invariably taking the lead. Cooperation between Scottish art libraries can be traced back to the 1950s and to the development, under the auspices of the National Library, of a union catalogue of art books in Edinburgh. This project is being extended and it will eventually become a national database. The group of libraries responsible for the project has taken on a wider role and an expanded membership as the Scottish Visual Arts Group, one of several subject groups under the umbrella of the Scottish Confederation of University & Research Libraries. The Group will work closely with the Scottish Library and Information Council, and with ARLIS/UK & Ireland in the wider framework of the United Kingdom. (This article is the revised text of a paper presented to the ARLIS/UK & Ireland 25th Anniversary Conference in London, 7th-10th April 1994).
Ten years of ARLIS Norge
Authors: Rabben Anne Lise
Published: July 2016

ARLIS Norge was conceived at the IFLA Conference at Munich in August, 1983, and held its first annual meeting in Oslo on 25th January 1984. Its membership includes all art librarians and art libraries in Norway. Meetings are held regularly, and courses and study visits are also organised from time to time. The newsletter ARLIS Nytt is published four times a year. ARLIS Norge participates in ARLIS Norden and in the IFLA Section of Art Libraries, and actively fosters international relations. During the last five years, ARLIS Norge has established a bibliographic database on Norwegian art history, KUNSTBIB. Current and future concerns include art resources in public libraries, education for art librarianship, and the need for a Norwegian thesaurus of art terms. (This is an English translation of an article which was published in Norwegian in ARLIS Nytt 1993 no. 3/4 p. 1-4).
Relative values: the words about ‘non-western’ art
Authors: Coombes Rebecca
Published: July 2016

A survey of holdings of non-Western art in British, and some North American, art libraries has by and large confirmed that it is poorly represented, and that contemporary non-Western art is especially neglected. Libraries’ freedom to acquire material in this broad area may be restricted or defined by curricula, the interests of clients, and the availability of material, yet libraries which allow themselves to be thus constrained present a distorted and impoverished view of world art. Library classification schemes tend to favour Western art, with non-Western art sometimes being relegated to ‘crafts’ or ‘anthropology’, while subject descriptors sometimes employ inappropriate terminology.
Focusing on plurality and internationalism: a new resource in the field of contemporary visual arts: The Library and Archive of the Institute of International Visual Arts
Authors: Barbarino Paola
Published: July 2016

The library and archive at the Institute of International Visual Arts (inIVA) in London aims to redress the existing lack of resources in the UK relating to contemporary visual arts and artists from a plurality of cultures and cultural backgrounds. Opened in June 1995, the library hopes to become a centre for study, exchange, and promotion of artists working in the UK and abroad. The library will be fully automated by the end of 1995 and hopefully the catalogue will be accessible remotely on the Internet by 1996.
The Johannesburg Art Gallery Library: Looking to the Future
Authors: Neethling Lynnda
Published: July 2016

The Johannesburg Art Gallery opened in 1915. A collection of books intended for the Gallery, but housed elsewhere pending the completion of the building, became the separate Michaelis Art Library; the Gallery gradually formed its own library, for the use of the curators. In 1986 the Gallery Library was accommodated in a new wing. Selection for the Library has reflected the Gallery’s diverse collecting activities. Latterly, the Library has worked closely with the Gallery’s education department, and as a result its resources have been made available to the wider community. In 1994 the Library was given a major art slide collection by the Rand Afrikaans University; in the same year, it received funding for the computerisation of its catalogue, which will be accessible through SABINET. Work is in progress on an index of South African art.
The South African Cultural History Museum Library
Authors: Greyling Annemarie
Published: July 2016

The South African Museum (cultural history) opened in 1966 as part of the South African Museum; in 1969 it began an independent existence as the South African Cultural History Museum, with a mission to enable the ‘entire community… to enjoy and to learn about our Cape and international heritage’. The library dates back to the opening of the museum, and now comprises some 12,000 books, 900 pamphlets, and 190 current journals on art related topics. Although the library exists primarily to serve the museum staff, it is open to the public and is well used by students.
Australian visual arts: libraries and the new technologies
Authors: Thomson John , Volker Joye
Published: July 2016

Electronic networking has been welcomed in Australia not least because of its potential to help solve problems of distances within Australia and of the isolation of Australia. In the world as a whole, the Internet, and the World Wide Web in particular, is transforming the communication of art information and access to art images. Three Australian Web servers focus on the visual arts: Art Serve, Diva, and AusArts. A number of initiatives intended to provide online bibliographic databases devoted to Australian art were launched in the 1980s. More recently a number of CD-ROMs have been published. As elsewhere, art librarians in Australia need new skills to integrate these products of new technology into the art library, and to transform the latter into a multimedia resource centre.
Aberdeen Art Gallery image database project: A Prototype Low-Cost Art Image Database
Authors: Murdoch John W.
Published: July 2016

As a pilot project, a low-cost image database of selected works in the Aberdeen Art Gallery has been created. The database is available to members of the public in the Gallery’s library. It is hoped that the project can be developed further, with a CD-ROM as a possible outcome.
Les collection de livres d’artistes et d’estampes à La Bibliothèque nationale du québec
Authors: Alix Sylvie
Published: July 2016

The Bibliothèque nationale du Québec (BNQ), a legal deposit library established in 1968, holds an extensive collection of over 900 artists’ books. This special collection also includes illustrated books of French and Québécois origin; modern editions with fine bindings and limited ‘editions de luxe’. As of 1992, legal deposit expanded to include prints. This collection now comprises over 8,000 items. The artists’ books collection includes three major types: the fine limited edition, the book object and the unlimited edition, which reveal a range of work where the book is the site for visual experimentation. The BNQ is privileged to preserve this vital heritage, to promote its study and to make it known in the widest sense.
The Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Kunstbibuotheken (AKB) and its members
Authors: Lersch Thomas
Published: July 2016

Bekanntlich ist die Kulturpolitik in Deutschland, anders als in Frankreich und England, über weite Strecken föderalistisch organisiert. So existiert denn auch in der Bundesrepublik weder eine Nationalbibliothek noch eine nationale bzw. zentrale Kunstbibliothek. In Anbetracht dieser Situation haben sich 1964 die sechs großen (west) deutschen Kunstbibliotheken von überregionaler Bedeutung zu einer Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Kunstbibliotheken (AKB) zusammengeschlossen, die durch enge Kooperation ihrer Mitglieder eine optimale Literaturversorgung und -erschließung sicherstellen soil. Im Rahmen eines von der DFG gefÖrderten Programms, das 1972 angelaufen ist, wurden die Sammelschwerpunkte der teilnehmenden Bibliotheken aufeinander abgestimmt. Durch ihre kooperative Erwerbungspolitik erfüllen die (inzwischen sieben) Mitgliedsbibliotheken der AKB heute in gewisser Hinsicht die Funktion einer dezentralen Nationalbibliothek für Kunstgeschichte.

Unlike France and the United Kingdom, the organization of cultural affairs in Germany is strongly determined by federalism. So there is no national library, nor is there a particular national art library. In 1964, the six bigger (West) German art libraries of supra-regional importance formed a loose association called Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Kunstbibliotheken (AKB). The purpose of the AKB is to foster co-operation on different levels (acquisition, cataloguing, etc). A co-operative acquisitions programme has been operated by the participating libraries since 1972; it is mainly financed by the German Research Society (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft). Thanks to this co-operation the member institutions of the AKB function in some way as a decentralized national art library.
The situation in the New Lander (except Berlin)
Authors: Schäme Ulrike
Published: July 2016

Bis zum Beginn des Zweiten Weltkrieges hatte man in den wissenschaftlichen Bibliotheken der nunmehr neuen Bundeslanäer, besonders aber in Sachsen, ausgezeichnete Bestände an Kunstliteratur zur Verfügung. Der Krieg brachte mit Zerstörung und Abtransport von Kriegstrophäen schwere Verluste. In den folgenden Jahrzehnten behinderte vor allem Devisenmangel den Anschluß an die internationale wissenschaftliche Literatur. In dieser Zeit konzentrierte die Sächsische Landesbibliothek in Dresden ihre Mittel auf ihr spezielles Sammelgebiet bildende Kunst und ist ein Erwerbungs- und Informationszentrum, besonders für die Universitäten des Landes, gewesen. Seit 1990 fließen aus verschiedenen Quellen Gelder, um neueste Literatur zu erwerben und die störendsten Lücken nach Möglichkeit zu schließen. Gleichzeitig wurden vor allem die Bibliotheken der Universitäten und Kunsthochschulen mit moderner Technik ausgestattet und die Vernetzung in Angriff genommen, hinweg über die verschwundene innerdeutsche Grenze.

Until the beginning of the Second World War the scholarly libraries of what is nowadays known as the ‘New Länder’ (‘new federal states’), and especially those in Saxonia, had excellent collections of art literature. The war brought severe losses through devastation and transportation of war booty out of the country. In the following decades, lack of foreign currency impeded the acquisition of international academic literature. The Sächsische Landesbibliothek in Dresden concentrated its budget on its focal collection subject, fine arts, and it has ever since been a centre for acquisition and information, in particular for the universities of the country. After German reunification, since 1990, there has been a flow of money from different sources to enable the acquisition of the most recent literature and to complete most of the inconvenient gaps. Simultaneously, libraries, especially those belonging to universities and art academies, have been equipped with modern technology, and have been integrated into a library network which unites the formerly divided nation.
Art libraries in Austria
Authors: Pacher Jeanette
Published: July 2016

Kunstbibliotheken in Österreich können gemäß ihrer jeweiligen institutionellen Verankerung in drei Gruppen unterteilt werden: in Museums- und Universitätsbibliotheken sowie in Bibliotheken, die in anderen Austellungs-institutionen, Galerien und Kunsthallen untergebracht sind. Gerade in jüngster Vergangenheit ist die Zahl der ‘alternativen’ Ausstellungsräume stark gewachsen, die vorwiegend internationale Gegenwartskunst präsentieren und in ihren Bibliotheken und Archiven grundlegende Materialien dazu sammeln. Museums- und Universitätsbibliotheken verfügen hingegen meist über einen umfangreichen Bestand an Basisliteratur zur bildenden Kunst und Kunstgeschichte, aber auch über Literatur zu ihren Sammlungs- und Studien-schwerpunkten. Insgesamt muß festgestellt werden, daß aufgrund der äußerst unterschiedlichen Organisationsstrukturen Fragen von allgemeinem Interesse (etwa eine zentrale Vernetzung aller Daten oder eine generelle Ausbildungs-regelung) nicht koordiniert werden und die Situation daher recht unzufriedenstellend ist. Immerhin ist aber ein Trend in Richtung länger-fristiger Kooperationen im Ansatz zu erkennen. Zu nennen wären in diesem Zusammenhang etwa der Verein zur Förderung der Errichtung einer Fachhochschule für Informationsberufe (FIB) oder die ‘Kunstreferentensitzungen’, bei denen (seit 1949!) Bibliothekarlnnen aktuelle Probleme und Entwicklungen im Bibliotheksbereich diskutieren.

Art libraries in Austria are basically divided into three main groups according to their specific form of institutional organisation: museum libraries, university libraries, and libraries in galleries. The latter are often situated in recently founded institutions and usually put their focus on contemporary art. Museums and university libraries traditionally have rather extensive collections of basic literature on art and art history as well as specialized literature according to the main subject of their collections. It is characteristic of the present stage of development that innovations in the organisation of these libraries (i.e. computer systems for online catalogues, specialized training, etc.) are not being co-ordinated and the results of local improvements are therefore not as rewarding as they could be. Nevertheless, the first steps towards long term cooperation are being taken, and include such initiatives as the Verein zur Förderung der Errichtung einer Fachhochschule für Informationsberufe, FIB (= Association to promote the foundation of an academy for information professions), and the Kunstreferentensitzungen, an assembly of librarians who discuss current trends and problems in library organization.
Design libraries in Germany
Authors: Aszmoneit Helge
Published: July 2016

Design-Bibliotheken in Deutschland definieren sich über ihren in der Regel sehr speziellen Bestand zu Themen im Produkt- und Grafik-Design. Diese Bibliotheken sind häufig in Institutionen angesiedelt, die sich in vielfältiger Weise mit Designthemen auseinandersetzen, wie z.B. Design-Zentren, Hochschulen, Museen oder als Spezialabteilungen in großen Bibliotheken. Die Verteilung der Design-Bibliotheken auf sehr unterschiedliche Einrichtungen bedeutet auch, daß ein durchaus großer Benutzerkreis angesprochen wird.

Design libraries in Germany are characterized by their generally extremely specialized collections dedicated to aspects of product and graphic design. These libraries are frequently located in institutions which concern themselves with a wide range of design-related subject areas, such as design centres, universities, and museums, or else they exist as special collections in large libraries. This distribution of design libraries amongst very different institutions also means that they reach a very wide spectrum of users. Librarians working in design libraries have formed a loose network known as the Initiative der Design-Bibliotheken.