One of a number of events which marked the reopening of the José Maria Lafragua Library, an important 19th century Mexican public library, was a dialogue between a librarian, Elsa Barberena, and an art historian, Marco Diaz. José Maria Lafragua was a historian, politician, writer, and supporter of the arts in the city of Puebla; the dialogue deals not only with his Library, but also with other libraries founded with the intention of disseminating European culture in the ‘New Spain’, the collections of which contain many rare and fine books. Access to books and the experience of handling them has tended to be a privilege of the few in spite of Lafragua’s purpose in founding a public library; the reopening of his Library, which belongs to the Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, is a signal contribution to implementation of the principle that books are for all.

The Library of the Victoria and Albert Museum originated in the mid-19th century as the library of a School of Design, and adopted the title ‘The National Art Library’ later in the century following publication of the Universal Catalogue of Books on Art. Decades of steady growth and of low usage ended in the late 1960s, when sudden growth of art publishing, and of interest in art history, generated demands the Library was not equipped to meet. The Library possesses one of the world’s outstanding collections of art publications but is still funded, staffed, and administered as if its role was merely that of a Department of the Museum. Currently all aspects of the Library’s procedures and policies are under review; government funding is to be sought for a programme of computerisation, and it is hoped to redefine the Library’s role in national and international contexts and to re-establish it as the ‘heart and core’ of art library provision in the U.K., as an active participant in cooperative schemes and projects, and as a training centre for art librarianship, or in other words, as an active and truly national art library.

Computer technology, particularly in the area of data bases and networking systems, enables arts librarians to overcome some of the problems engendered by isolation and great distances. The Australia Council Library aims to provide greatly increased access to its large collection of press clippings on the arts in Australia through its data base, ARTSDOC. The artists’ file, a 22,500 record, A-Z sequence of press clippings covering the past decade, forms the basis of ARTSDOC. It is anticipated that input from 1986 onward will include all press clippings culled by the Library, whether they are artists’ clippings or more broadly subject based.

Painting, true painting, is an act of revelation. Therefore it is contradictory to learning. The creative act cannot come forth without an unlearning. It is a process from within to without, contrary to reading. However, there cannot be an unlearning without previous learning. The accumulation of knowledge can be compared, if not to fuel, which it is also, at least to a guiding system: the practising artist cannot know how his work relates to historical time without this knowledge of all art and its dilemmas.

The peintre-savant such as emerged in the seventeenth century, incarnated by Poussin, Rubens, and most probably Velazquez, could not possibly have come into existence without the library - the list of Velazquez’ books in that respect is telling: it included all the books a seventeenth century humanist would have wished, but the bulk of it was about art theory. But strangely enough, art history was neglected by most leading modernist artists. Kandinsky preferred the occult “sciences” to the study of art-theory and would have been surprised to discover that Lomazzo formulated some of the ideas which he, Kandinsky, considered new and revolutionary. Mondrian would have been shocked to discover that Quatremère de Quincy and ultra-idealism preceded his own ideas. Klee would have been exhilarated with Arcimboldo’s clavicello cromatico by which he equated sound and colour.

Now, after the close of the modernist era, it seems as if we are left with a devastated land: the disconnection between eye and hand for the painter is followed by the one between feeling and judgement for the viewer. The decadence of art-training is followed by a growing confusion between cultural history and art history, which is the history of exceptions. But besides the devastation we have also inherited a graver sense of the limitations, which the peintres-savants of the past couldn’t have had: they still could believe in eternity. For us, eternity is lost.

A number of public libraries in Denmark have acquired original prints or other works of art since the Danish Library Act of 1964, but only some lend pictures to individuals. Special art departments, bringing together literature, pictures, and other material, have been created in a few major libraries. Art exhibitions are an important activity undertaken by libraries as part of their role of making art accessible to the public. (Originally published in Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly, v. 18 n.4 1985).

The Library of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe dates from the 1950s. Its acquisition policies mirror those of the Gallery itself, which since Independence in 1980 have concentrated on traditional culture and contemporary art in Zimbabwe; the library also includes a collection of books on architecture. Due to insufficient funds and lack of foreign currency, Library acquisitions are heavily dependent on donations. A slide collection includes specially photographed slides of Zimbabwean art. The Library is open to the public and is well used by students but not by local artists who are often content to continue traditions without seeking to innovate or to respond to other works of art. Both Gallery and Library have accepted and are developing an active educational role.

A brief introduction to Norwegian art libraries and an account of the founding and early history of ARLIS/Norge precede an annotated survey of bibliographies which include or are devoted to Norwegian art.

The Bibliographie Bildende Kunst has come out annually since 1973. It records literature of various kinds about painting, graphic art, plastic art, architecture, applied art, book art, design, folk art, artistic photography as well as theory and history of art. The compilation comprises monographs, periodical essays and important contributions from the daily press. Every yearly volume contains an index of authors and an index of subjects. Every five years a cumulated index is published. Since 1973 the Bibliographie Illustrierte Bucher der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik has come out. It lists GDR publications containing artistic illustrations. Every yearly volume is made accessible by means of an index of authors and subject titles. Index cumulations are published every five years. In 1984 a list concerning the location of periodicals and serials about Fine Arts in libraries of the German Democratic Republic was published. It contains titles from the 18th mid-century onward up to the present, including information on the particular ownership of GDR libraries. These publications are obtainable from Sächsische Landesbibliothek Dresden, GDR-8060 Dresden, PSF 467/468.

Picture lending in Norwegian public libraries has recently been revitalised by the creation of the Artoteksentralen, initially a pilot project and now a permanent foundation, which circulates collections of original prints by Norwegian artists to public libraries, hospitals, and prisons. (An updated version of an article originally published in Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly v. 18 n.4 1985).

Since 1950, and increasingly through the 1960s, designers from developed countries tried to help with the design problems of developing societies. They were usually more successful when they lived in the country in question for an extended period and worked closely with local people. During the 1970s developing countries became more independent and able to design for themselves. Little has been written about design in the Third World other than official and conference reports. A seminar in 1975 demonstrated that cooperation between countries, leading to self-help, should replace reliance on ‘international experts’. The most urgent need now is for a breakthrough in alternative energy technology, and this is most likely to come from the Third World.

The most important bibliography for Dutch art is the Bibliography of the Netherlands Institute for Art History (Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie). This bibliography, first published in 1943, is in fact a continuation in another form of H. van Hall, Repertorium voor de geschiedenis der Nederlandsche schilder - en graveerkunst sedert het begin van de 12de eeuw tot het eind van 1932 (Repertory for the history of Dutch painting and engraving since the beginning of the 12th century up till the end of 1932), The Hague 1936 (Vol.2: 1933-1946 appeared in 1949). The last volume published, Vol.16, Part 1: Old Art, comprises the years 1971-1972; Vol.17, Part 1: Old Art, for the years 1973-1974, is in the course of publication. The material for the years after 1974, however, is put on fiches, and can be consulted at the Institute. The last volume published that included material on Dutch 19th-20th century art was Vol. 9 (1957-1958). Material for the years thereafter also can be consulted at the Institute. Address: Prins Willem Alexanderhof 5 (entrance at the fifth floor of the Royal Library), 2595 BE The Hague; tel. 070-471514. Postal address: Post box 90418, 2509 LK The Hague.

In Sweden picture lending is not new but has been most successful in hospitals. Developments in the 1950s and 1960s involving some 70 municipal libraries were followed by withdrawal into the traditional book-centred role of libraries. Future development of artotheques must be based on the principles of quantity and renewal (ensuring ample choice), and of quality (achieved by professional selection of original prints). A campaign to foster art appreciation and visual literacy, paralleling efforts in the field of literacy, would nourish the role of artotheques. (Originally published in the Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly v.18 n.4 1985).

An annotated survey of sources of bibliographical information concerning Israeli art.

Lending of works of art in Finland began in 1971 with the opening of an art lending service in Joensuu library, involving co-operation between artists and librarians. Other artoteks were established in the years immediately following. The time is ripe for reviewing Finland’s experience of art lending, its problems and its successes. (Originally published in the Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly v.18 n.4 1985).