Art libraries in Denmark mostly fall into one of two categories: art departments’ in public libraries, and research libraries attached to colleges, universities, and museums. Librarians in research libraries are in many cases scholars in their own right, while library staff at the Kunstakademiets Bibliotek are responsible for the Bibliografi over dansk kunst (sadly not published since 1981) and for Danish contributions to the BHA. The Royal Library and some art libraries hold collections of visual resources and of archival materials; in addition, there is an autonomous national archive of Danish artists, Weilbachs arkiv. An art librarians’ section of Bibliotekarforbundet (the Union of Danish Librarians), Kunstfaggruppen, was initiated by art librarians in public libraries, but is open to other art librarians too; Danish art librarians also work together within ARLIS/Norden. Professional training in Denmark is largely confined to general librarianship; art librarians in public libraries tend to be trained librarians with a personal enthusiasm for art, whereas librarians in research libraries are in some cases graduates but are not necessarily trained librarians. While the public library system took advantage of standardization, automation, and networking, the research libraries could not so readily embrace change, but two recent initiatives are beginning to bring libraries of all kinds together — DanBib, the Danish online union catalogue, formed in 1995 by merging the two separate databases for public and research libraries which both originated in the 1980s, and Kulturnet Danmark, a government-sponsored scheme involving the Internet.

The 1964 Danish Public Libraries Act empowered public libraries to lend materials other than books. Subsequently a number of libraries took advantage of this to initiate loan collections of original works of art, posters, and slides, alongside and as an extension of the provision of art books and journals. In addition, art departments in public libraries began to organise exhibitions of contemporary art. In some cases, including Gladsaxe, Lyngby, and Gentofte in Greater Copenhagen, distinct art libraries were created. Artists whose work is represented in libraries can benefit from payments dispensed through the Public Lending Right scheme. Librarians responsible for art departments in public libraries formed a group within the Danish Librarians’ Union, in the 1970s. The activities of art departments have suffered during the difficult economic climate of the last decade or so, but membership of Kunstfaggruppen is now growing again.

ARLIS/Norden was founded in 1986 to bring together art libraries and art librarians of all kinds in the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The association has maintained close links with the IFLA Section of Art Libraries, and it hosted the Section’s meetings at Stockholm in 1989. ARLIS/Norden has received guests from other countries, while Nordic colleagues have participated in events in other countries. Its own annual meetings are the key events in ARLIS/Norden’s own programme.

Whatever their format, reproductions provide illusory experiences of art, but may count as ‘authentic’ if adequate to their purpose and the technical possibilities and expectations of their time. A reproduction seizes the original at one moment in its history, a fact that should be made clear in its captioning. Engraved and other graphic reproductions, being hand-made, were always subjective and idealising. The camera brought greater objectivity, but even modern colour photographs interpret and mislead. The digital image offers still greater potential for exact realisation of, and access to, works of art, but its ease of manipulation increases the risk of falsification. Reproductions also have a psychological existence as mental constructs. Art and its institutions depend on them, and allow them to create their own authenticity.

Catalogues of 18th century private and municipal collections are the precursors of museum catalogues. But museum catalogues proper date from the establishment of the Musée du Louvre and the publication of its first catalogue in 1793. In this catalogue can be found the essential features of the museum catalogue: a printed list of objects in the collection, in systematic order, and including descriptions which facilitate identification of the objects by the public. From the Louvre catalogue of 1793 a continuing line of development leads to the present day, although different catalogues have adopted different methods of organising their entries, in some cases echoing the arrangement of the collections within the museum building. Two centuries of publishing, and recent developments in editing art historical texts, suggest that there is a serious and growing need for a bibliography of museum catalogues. A few such bibliographies already exist, devoted to single institutions (such as the Louvre) or cities (Berlin, Munich), but there is no comprehensive bibliography comparable to Frits Lugt’s unique listing of auction catalogues. A start should be made on this enormous task.