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What does it mean to be a ‘professional’ art librarian?: ‘Existential Versus ‘Ideal’

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

Max Podstolski
Max Podstolski*
Affiliation:
University of Canterbury, Canterbury, New Zealand
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Abstract

While discussion continues regarding the ideal education for art librarians, in reality art librarians belong to a broader profession within which many distinctions are collapsing, and anxiety in response to overload is increasing. The concept of the ‘compleat’ art librarian, possessing extensive knowledge of the arts in their diversity, is probably unrealistic given the range of other skills and of information which librarians need. Although it has been argued that commitment is the one real essential, this idea too can become an unreasonable ideal which many people will fall short of and be excluded by. Instead of ‘total’ commitment, our professionalism might rather be defined by ‘authentic commitment’ which is self-determined, and which embraces a commitment to the wider profession of art librarianship as well as to a particular institution as employer. (This paper has also been published in ARLIS/ANZ News no. 42, 1995/96).

Type
Research Article
Information
Art Libraries Journal , Volume 21 , Issue 2 , 1996 , pp. 4 - 8
Copyright
Copyright © The Art Libraries Society 1996

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