The Japan Art Documentation Society (JADS) was founded in April. Inspired by developments both within Japan and abroad, and by the IFLA Section of Art Libraries, JADS has set out to embrace the common interests of library and museum professionals as represented by an integrated concept of “art documentation”. Essentially, the Society represents a collective response to the challenge and potential of the computer - to the benefits it can bring to, and the methodologies it requires of, the organising of art objects, art images, and art information. (The Society’s “prospectus”, from its first Newsletter, is appended).

Since its formation in October 1983, ARLIS Norge, a society of Norwegian art libraries and librarians, has provided a professional focus for art librarians within Norway while at the same time maintaining a high level of participation in international activities. A directory of Norwegian art libraries has recently been published. (An English version of an article first published in ARLIS-nytt, 1988 no.4 p.3-8)

During the last three years, following the 2nd European Conference of the IFLA Section of Art Libraries at Amsterdam in 1986, art librarians in Madrid have been meeting together to discuss common problems and co-operative projects. At the very first meeting it was agreed to compile a directory of art libraries in Madrid as a first priority; a preliminary listing was produced in 1987, and a fuller version, scheduled for publication in July 1989, was in preparation at the time of writing. Also at the first meeting, the need for a union list of periodicals was identified; a provisional list, of current titles, was completed in June 1987, and was converted to computer-readable form by the Biblioteca y Centro de Documentación of the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia; holdings of non-current periodicals will now be incorporated as well. It is also hoped to devise a co-operative acquisitions scheme to ensure the best possible provision of Spanish art periodicals without putting too great a burden on any one library. During 1989, a series of visits is taking place as the best way of familiarising art librarians with the collections and services of the different art libraries.

The information-gathering activities of art historians have been studied from three different perspectives: in terms of the books they use; through their own accounts of their working processes; and by informal, systematic observation, written up as ‘user studies’, by art librarians. While observation implies objectivity, a distance between observer and observed, in practice art librarians are very much involved with the art historian in the work of art history and in the development of its methodologies.

The Australian National Gallery Library has used RLIN since January 1985. It is used primarily as an online bibliographic database, to trace publications on particular artists and as a means of verifying references supplied by library users. It is also used, but less frequently, to verify bibliographic details of items to be acquired for the Library; other more occasional use is made of RLIN as a source of catalogue records, to identify locations of items the loan of which is to be sought from overseas, to verify name headings, and as a source of information used in stock selection. Of the special files, Scipio has proved most useful as a source of information on sales catalogues. RLIN does not present insuperable problems to the remote user, although an offline print facility and extended access hours would both be helpful.

From a cultural point of view as well as politically and geographically, Hungary is very much part of Eastern Europe; although the “Iron Curtain” appears less formidable than hitherto, opportunities for people to encounter works of art are relatively few. In these circumstances, public libraries have a vital role to play in organising art exhibitions; their exhibition activities have been surveyed, and could in future be coordinated, by the National Széchényi Library. With some notable exceptions, the scope of exhibitions has tended to be unadventurous, focussing especially on the graphic and book arts because of their obvious relevance in a library environment. There is a particular need for exhibitions for children which would encourage uninhibited experiences of works of art and design.