Art libraries are different from other libraries; they require of art librarians a broad knowledge of art, with a more detailed knowledge of any aspects of the subject in which the particular library has a special interest. This kind of knowledge cannot be acquired entirely from books, but must also be gained from direct encounters with works of art, and by immersing oneself in different places and cultures. Art librarians must also be prepared to learn about art librarianship from colleagues at home and abroad, and about the needs of library users from the users themselves. Yet on occasion the demands of users, as well as the meddling of administrators, must be resisted. Art librarians must apply their knowledge not only to the selection of books, but also to the provision and organisation of visual resources, and to assessing both the value and the limitations of databases. [An English version of this paper appeared in ARLIS NORDEN INFO 1992 no. 2/3; the French text is published here for the first time, and is followed by a new English translation].

Postmodernism has stimulated a ‘new art history’, which challenged, and then displaced, the highly selective canon of the ‘Old Masters’ and ‘Modern art’ with a broader approach, recognising a wider range of art and interested in investigating both the contexts of art, and the nature of art history itself. The new art history is represented on the shelves of art libraries, but a ‘new art librarianship’ must do more than passively reflect this cultural shift. A new art librarianship will expect of art librarians that they should be aware of the ways in which art libraries legitimise certain books and artworks, thus reinforcing the hegemony of the dominant culture, and that they should be prepared to use the power of art libraries knowingly and productively. Instead of imposing order through inflexible classification schemes, the new art librarianship will embrace the ‘disorder’ of a vast complex of knowledge seen from multiple viewpoints, accommodated by hypertext, for example. It is possible that electronic networking will eventually liberate information from the custody of libraries; the new art librarianship will not resist this, but will in parallel with such developments re-value art books, and books as art, as historical artefacts, reviving a more museum-like function from the history of librarianship, while continuing to serve as a manifest symbol of the wealth of human knowledge.

Electronic mail makes it possible to exchange ideas and texts, and to seek answers to problems or to reference queries, immediately and easily. BITNET, a network for e-mail communication between academic bodies, originated in the USA in 1981 and now links 49 countries. Within BITNET, a mail distribution service, LISTSERV, facilitates specialised networking including ARLIS-L, a network for art librarians initiated by ARLIS/NA and hosted by the University of Kentucky. ARLIS-L was launched in 1990 and currently connects some 650 subscribers in 14 countries, not all of whom are members of ARLIS/NA. Anyone with a modem, a phone line, a personal computer and an e-mail address can access ARLIS-L; for those affiliated with academic institutions, access to e-mail networks is likely to be already catered for and free of charge. Existing subscribers are very enthusiastic about the ARLIS-L service. [A complementary network, VRA-L, is in place for those specifically interested in visual collections. Editor.]

Since its transfer to De Montfort University at Leicester, Britain’s National Art Slide Library, formerly at the Victoria and Albert Museum, has become the catalyst for a new Centre for Image Information. The Centre will provide a clearing house for information, a research centre, and an image bank, and will concern itself with images in all formats with an emphasis on new technology. Whether moving images are to be included will depend on the availability of funding. A major component of the Centre’s initial strategy will be the development of a high resolution database of images capable of being delivered as medium resolution databases, optical discs, slides, or on paper. Although the Centre has been conceived primarily as a national service, institutions in other countries in addition to those in the UK are invited to join as Associates, and the Centre is eager to exchange information across national boundaries.

In addition to an art library which is part of the public library service, the city of Leeds, in the north of England, is the home of two universities and an art college, and of the Henry Moore Centre for the Study of Sculpture, in each of which significant art library collections can be found. Each library has cooperative links, if only of a limited nature, with one of the other five, but cooperation involving all five libraries is lacking. As a first step, regular meetings are suggested; other possible developments might include an information booklet, a periodicals union list, a Conspectus review of collections, and a cooperative acquisitions policy.