Project Description:

The objective of this project was to investigate a current topic within Art Librarianship and document a solid argument to the chosen subject. For the research paper, I choose to substantiate why artists’ books should be held by art library collections. Specifically, this project began with a examination into the evolution of artists books in order to understand the transformation they have gone through as a medium. Cementing their relevance in today’s contemporary art and book world, established a basis in terms of their value and rich narrative. Subsequently, I examined the role of artists’ books in art libraries which resulted in the following conclusions: Firstly, research reinforced the idea that artists’ books can be valuable as teaching tool due to their diverse subject matter. Secondly, artists’ books can support institutional programming in art libraries which in turn foster community relationships. Lastly, the challenges surrounding the collecting of artists’ books; such as cataloging, funding, or preservation should not limit the use or acquisition of them, that is, if we want to provide an instrument that satisfies the human objectives of the user community.