“Subject knowledge and expertise, along with a broad understanding of a range of resources, remain a vital part of any information service.” So writes series editor, Simon Ford, in his preface to Information Sources in Art, Art History and Design. Drawing on the expertise of information professionals in specialist subject areas, this series of Guides to Information Sources draws together major resources and recent practice to provide a practical handbook to a given subject area. Many information professionals may need to manage several subject areas and, with the explosion of resources available on the Internet, the need for guides to resources becomes increasingly urgent.
Creative industries are now recognised as important to national economies and, with the expansion of higher education, there is a continuing growth in demand for information on art, art history and design. This publication will aid librarians facing these pressures.
Chapters are divided into broad topics, starting with general reference sources and then on to resources held in public, academic and museum and gallery libraries and archive collections. Heather Rowland provides an excellent account of the history and development of art provision within the public library sector, and draws attention to the local archive collections held in these collections, some of which are now documented on the Internet. Public libraries also play a key role in supporting emerging artists through the provision of business and educational information.
Subsequent chapters look at different types of information held in art libraries, such as art books, periodicals, auction catalogues and visual resources. Sections provide detailed coverage of resources and current professional issues, such as the development of digital imaging in the chapter on visual resources.
Two further chapters are devoted to newer subjects, which have recently been given more attention: namely, multicultural and women’s art and design. The final three chapters touch on broad professional issues relating to the management and development of collections; for example, collection development, cataloguing and classification, and conservation and preservation. These chapters provide summaries of all relevant professional concerns and are likely to be especially useful to new librarians and those seeking review of these areas.
All chapters include full bibliographies and there is a useful list of organisations in the Appendix. This is an exemplary publication, covering the best in professional practice and relevant information sources, and will help information professionals to continue to improve their service and review professional practices.
