Although most art museums possess a library of some kind, these facilities are often hidden from the public and seldom discussed in library schools despite the important role they play as substantial research venues. Co-published with the Art Libraries Society of North America, Art Museum Libraries and Librarianship serves as an introduction to the field of art museum librarianship and its diverse settings. Editor Joan Benedetti has compiled contributions from practicing art museum librarians to present sixteen chapters that address the topics of leadership, reader services, automation, security, cataloging, space planning, collection development, visual resources, ephemera, special collections, archives, fundraising, public relations, volunteers and interns, professional development, and solo librarianship. Each chapter consists of several essays that deal with the distinct environment of art museum libraries: from the largest research collections that serve many curatorial departments and multiple administrative layers to the smallest solo librarian venues whose unsung staff work in relative isolation. The book concludes with a collection of brief institutional profiles, which include statistical and descriptive information on fifteen diverse art museum libraries in the U.S., Canada, and Europe; appendixes that describe academic programs offering dual degrees in librarianship and art, list international professional associations for art museum librarians, and provide sample policies and procedures in use today in art museum libraries; a bibliography; and an index. Art Museum Libraries and Librarianship, the first publication of its kind, is illustrated with over 90 black and white images of art museums, their libraries, and items from their collections.
About the Author: Joan M. Benedetti was a Librarian-Cataloger at the L.A. County Museum of Art Research Library until she retired in 2002. Before that, she was the Museum Librarian (a solo position) at the Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM) for 21 years, also serving as Director of CAFAM's Center for the Study of Art and Culture, 1989-1994. She has been an active member of the Art Libraries Society of North America. Michael Brand has been director of the J. Paul Getty Museum since December 2005, after having served as director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond since 2000. Ann B. Abid was the head librarian at the Cleveland Museum of Art from 1985 until her retirement in 2004. Before that she worked for 22 years at the St. Louis Art Museum. She has been an active member of ARLIS/NA, serving as president in 1988.