The Twenty-First Century Art Librarian

Book excerpt: Meet the challenge of operating a successful art library! The Twenty-First Century Art Librarian examines the unique challenges and vital administrative issues that are at the forefront of current art librarianship. Librarians working in a variety of settings (art, academics, architecture, visual resources, and museums) address professional change and technological challenges, including inadequate staffing and the need to wear multiple “hats” to cope with day-to-day responsibilities. The book focuses on common practices in the field as well as the individuals who work in art libraries and the collections they maintain. Instead of the standard primer on art librarianship, this book is an insightful look at how art librarians are unique in terms of the clientele they serve, their subject knowledge, and the variety of environments in which they work. The Twenty-First Century Art Librarian examines pressing everyday issues, including operational management, staff recruitment and training, managing collections, public service and patrons, and developing a “personal care plan.” The Twenty-First Century Art Librarian also addresses setting-specific topics, such as: developing staffing standards at all levels working solo in small art museum libraries integrating digitization into visual resource libraries handling special collections in architecture libraries how culture and mission distinguish academic art libraries from their museum counterparts and much more! The Twenty-First Century Art Librarian provides library professionals and academics with a unique look at current trends in art, architecture, and visual resources librarianship.