Visually oriented collections are a defining characteristic of art and design libraries. From sumptuous print books to rich digital images, publications with unusual formats and three-dimensional objects, art librarians need to work with specialized vendors and follow non-traditional procedures for acquisition, cataloguing, promotion and preservation of these collections. Librarians can also use creative methods to integrate these materials into the curriculum for research and inspiration. Authors in this section explore the changing nature of visual resources collections – from analogue to digital – and the impact on staff and facilities; best practices for the development of new digital collections; the use of archives and special collections to help spark students’ imaginations; the creation and management of artists’ book collections and the countless ways they may be used to inspire and inform art and design students; the rapidly changing publishing landscape for exhibition catalogues, collection catalogues, catalogues raisonnés, sales catalogues and art ephemera; and recommendations for acquiring, organizing and promoting materials collections to support programmes in art, design and architecture.