The librarians of two important theatre libraries in the Russian Federation – the Russian State Art Library and the St. Petersburg State Theatre Library – here outline the histories of their institutions and give an idea of the coverage and use of their collections. They discuss how they are tackling the problems of preserving their unique material, much of it iconographic, and the principles by which they select contemporary acquisitions. They also consider the challenges and benefits posed by digital material.

Changes in the format, design and content of museum and art gallery exhibition catalogues can be traced to the visibility and popularity of these souvenirs for the block-buster exhibitions of the 1970s. The increased museum revenue from these book sales and the need, perceived by the publishers recruited to museum staff from a trade background, to address the interests of a more diverse audience are identified as the two main instigators of these changes. The resulting exhibition catalogues play down the scholarly apparatus, offer more images particularly to enhance the reader’s contextual understanding and, in some cases, ameliorate the academic register of the writing. The uses made of exhibition books by institutions, their associated sponsors and museum visitors is commented on.

The Archive and Library’s move to Carlton House Terrace, the areas of material held by the Archive, and its organisation are described. The role and scope of the Library complements that of the Archive. The Archive and Library are research tools for both staff and other researchers. The move has presented the opportunity to re-organise the Library so that it is more accessible. Through several publishing ventures information in the Archive has become more widely available.

The ABBA (Asociación de Bibliotecarios y Bibliotecas de Arquitectura, Construcción y Urbanismo) brings together about 50 librarians and 40 libraries of quite different types. There are university libraries, government libraries, and the libraries of associations of architects; there are large libraries with extensive resources, and small libraries with very small budgets. The only thing they have in common is their speciality (architecture, building and town and country planning) and the kind of user they serve (architects and architecture students.

Besides being visually interesting ephemera has a vital role to play in the teaching of the history of design and printing; indeed, many aspects cannot be taught without reference to it. Nor can the subject be covered in isolation, for the development of ephemeral printing is part of the greater whole within which are subsumed the history of book design and typefaces and broader cultural and historical concepts.

Why do significant parts of our art libraries collections remain undiscovered and unused? Seemingly invisible to students and staff, the university archive strong room creates a barrier, preventing our students and researchers from accessing and browsing materials, as they would with our open shelf collections. What happens when archive materials are freed from their confines, brought out into the studio and explored and used by arts students? Better still, what happens when librarian, archivist and academic collaborate to make this happen, enabling increased awareness of these resources and facilitating information literacy skills learning? Conclude this with an artistic response to this method of teaching and learning and you have the Animation Archive Day at the University for the Creative Arts. The day formed part of a longer term initiative put together by the archivist and librarian to raise awareness among students and staff of the opportunities to utilize archives in their subject specific creative arts learning and education. The project recognizes the importance of allowing students to steer and interact creatively with archive use in a library context.

The V&A Museum possesses the largest collection of Indian art outside the Indian sub-continent, dating from the acquisition of items from the Great Exhibition and of collections acquired by the Honourable East India Company. The Nehru Gallery of Indian Art, which opened in 1990, enabled a great deal of this material to be displayed. The Indian Collection is served by its own small research library, the records of which are currently being incorporated in the catalogue of the National Art Library at the Museum, while the National Art Library itself provides scholarly material on Indian art, especially the fine and decorative arts, in the major European languages. Some sources for obtaining new publications from India are noted.

The Australian National Botanic Gardens plays an important role in the study and promotion of Australia's diverse range of unique plants through its living collection, scientific research activities and also through the art collection held in the institution's Library and Archives. Australia's history of formal botanical illustration began with the early voyages of discovery with its popularity then declining until the modern day revival in botanical art. The Australian National Botanic Gardens Library and Archives art collection holds works from the Endeavour voyage through to the more contemporary artists of Celia Rosser, Collin Woolcock, Gillian Scott and Aboriginal artists including Teresa Purla McKeeman as well as photographs and outdoor installations.

Copyright legislation in the UK changed significantly in 2014, and this article provides an overview to some of the most relevant changes to the exceptions1 in copyright law that can be used by archivists and librarians. Subscribers to ALJ will have read Tim Padfield's excellent introduction to UK copyright law for art librarians in 2012, much of which is still relevant and will not be repeated here. Given the varied nature of art library and archive collections in the UK, and the complex nature of the law in this area, it is intended that the following general guidance to the 2014 legislative changes will highlight areas for further study: such basic guidance should not be used to inform internal policy or decision-making. The article also includes a list of sources for more detailed information on the law, in the references section.

In 2014 the RKD launched RKD Explore, a new interface for searching the collection databases. This state-of-the-art search engine provides a multitude of search possibilities. And although most of the art-historical information is still in analogue form in The Hague, RKD Explore lets users really explore the richness of the ever-growing digital content of the databases.

As project manager of the Art Discovery Group Catalogue project, and on behalf of the artlibraries.net committee, Geert-Jan Koot explains the development of the Art Discovery Group Catalogue. This discovery service powered by WorldCat is a new, separate project developed by the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) in Europe for art libraries, which became officially available on May 1st 2014. The project has been accepted within the international Future of Art Bibliography (FAB) initiative of the Getty Research Institute as its bibliographic component. The fact that the system is being developed in Europe provides an excellent equilibrium between Europe and America within the project. Following the invitation to participate, over 80 libraries have so far expressed interest, of which 60 have joined the catalogue. This project is a major step in one of the FAB goals of making art bibliographical information available worldwide through collaboration.

At the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Master of Fine Arts (MFA) students are often not aware of the library and its resources. As a way to address this gap, Flaxman Librarians have organized studio visits, in which librarians visit students’ studios to hear about their work and offer library resources to support it. Using the ACRL Framework and SAIC's core values as a guide, we are able to assess and address students' current methods/modes of research, as well as their artistic practice. In addition, we are able to forge new relationships with these students throughout their program and increase outreach to a program not targeted for traditional information literacy.

This article explores issues of developing individual and collective professional identities within art librarianship, with an emphasis on art librarians’ relationship to art and art-making. By having more honest conversations around what art does, what artists do and how they function in society, we can challenge deeply held assumptions about art librarianship; in particular, that our work is somehow removed from the political and social contexts in which we perform it. Through critical interventions within our profession we can develop a better understanding and definition of our relationship to art and artists in order to situate ourselves within current art practices. We can then build impactful relationships and social justice-oriented solidarity with creative practitioners and artists who are actively challenging structural oppression and promoting social justice through their work.

What is ephemera? How do we catalogue it? Every library’s ephemera collection differs greatly from others in its content and cataloguing needs. Does one dictate the other? Is there a right way and a wrong way? Or just a way that is right for the library and material in hand? A look at how these things were approached at the Wellcome Library gives an example of how a successfully ordered collection can be created out of the initial chaos with just a little forethought and a lot of hard work.

From the moment Gutenberg's Bible was set to print, books have played a role in shaping society. The enduring legacy of the book as a powerful vehicle for social transformation is just as significant today as it was over five hundred years ago. Contemporary artists’ books can serve as powerful catalysts within the classroom and in the community to foster conversations that address social justice issues and to generate dialog that can lead to greater understanding. This article will focus on how one liberal arts college library has promoted artists’ books in conversations to explore cultural competency and to encourage understanding.

The Art of Costume Design: The Work of Dunya Ramicova is an on-going project by the University of California, Merced Library to digitize, preserve, and promote the work of costume designer and UC Merced Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Dunya Ramicova. This article talks about the collection itself and the various projects undertaken in support of its preservation and promotion.

If I'm being honest I still feel as though I am a bit of an imposter in the world of art librarianship. I often feel as though I have a very conservative, corporate and conformist approach to librarianship within the art library environments in which I work. I also often feel naïve when it comes to discussing and affirming ‘what makes art librarianship different?’ Acknowledging such naivety, I will also openly admit that until last year I had not heard of ‘critical librarianship’ as a concept, let alone ‘critical (art) librarianship’, which is how I was introduced to it at a day-long conference held by colleagues from the University of the Arts London in 2018 at Chelsea College of Arts.