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Art Libraries Section

Brochure

General Information

The Art Libraries Section provides international representation for libraries and organizations concerned with all formats of textual and visual documentation for the visual arts, including fine arts, applied arts, design and architecture. The Section also acts to improve access to information about these subjects for users of independent research libraries; museum libraries; art libraries attached to educational institutions; art departments within national, college, university and public libraries, and within government departments and agencies; libraries in cultural centres and any other collections of art information. The Section is concerned to encourage the creation, study and enjoyment of the visual arts through these libraries and to facilitate the encouragement of activities of national and regional societies of art librarians and visual resources curators. It provides an international forum for the free exchange of information and materials on art and furthers the aims of the Core Activities of IFLA.

IFLA members with art library collections or interests are encouraged to join the Art Libraries Section and to nominate representatives to the ALS Standing Committee.

The Section specifically aims:
  • to provide an international meeting point and forum for discussion by all librarians and visual resource curators working with documentation in the visual arts
  • to promote the free exchange of information on art and art librarianship and the continuing education of art librarians
  • to improve access to information on art, including the development of international standards and bibliographic control.
The Section has its own web pages with current and retrospective information on:
  • Section officers and Standing Committee members
  • Standing Committee Minutes
  • Strategic Plan
  • Newsletters
  • Annual Reports
  • Current projects
  • Publications
  • Brochure (Arabic, Chinese, English - French - German - Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish)

Advantages of IFLA Art Libraries Section membership

Membership gives you the opportunity to:

  1. to take part in an international forum for discussion, co-operation, research and development in the subject
  2. to make a valuable contribution to the profession through an open exchange of ideas
  3. to share your specialized knowledge and expertise with colleagues from around the world
  4. to receive regular updates of information on developments in the art documentation through newsletters, conferences and workshops
  5. to contribute to the Art Libraries Section programme at IFLA's annual World Library and Information Congress (WLIC), and take advantage of a wide ranging programme and meeting of information specialists.

Publications

The Section publishes a Newsletter which is distributed free to Section members. Art Libraries Section papers from the annual World Library and Information Congresses (WLIC) are published on IFLANET (www.ifla.org), and selectively in the IFLA Journal and the Art Libraries Journal.

Publications have included the papers of the European conferences in Geneva (1985), Amsterdam (1986) and Florence (1988) and of the pre-conferences held in Paris (1989), Stockholm (1990), Barcelona (1993), Boston (2001), and Oslo (2005).

Other publications include:

  1. Imageline Scope and Feasibility Report.
    Branka Kosovac on behalf of IFLA's Art Libraries Section, 2004. IFLA Professional Reports 81. ISBN 13978-90-70916-96-7. The full text is also available on ALS website.
  2. The International directory of art libraries. 2nd revised and enlarged edition. K.G. Saur, 1997. ISBN 3-598-21807-9. An invaluable reference tool giving information about art libraries and art librarians throughout the world. The future current provision of the online version with additions is being reviewed.
  3. The Multilingual glossary for art librarians. 2nd revised and enlarged edition. K.G. Saur, 1996. ISBN 3-598-21802-8. This glossary contains 586 English terms with equivalents in Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Swedish.

Membership

The Art Libraries Section can only flourish through its membership. Art libraries and institutions are encouraged to join IFLA and to become members of the Section. Membership in IFLA is open to associations and institutions; affiliation is open to individuals, including Student affiliates. Contact IFLA for information regarding joining and the relevant membership fees. If your parent institution is already a member do ensure that your art library is represented by choosing to join the Art Libraries Section.

Please support us by joining the Art Libraries Section!

For further information about joining IFLA and the Art Libraries Section available online at: http://www.ifla.org/III/members/index.htm
 or contact:

IFLA Headquarters
c/o Membership Manager
P.O. Box 95312
2509 CH The Hague, Netherlands
Fax: +31-70-3834827
E-mail: membership@ifla.org

More information about IFLA at: http://www.ifla.org/III/index.htm

Future Conferences

Forthcoming locations for IFLA Annual Conferences
2008 Québec, Canada
2009 Milan, Italy
2010 Brisbane, Australia