There are different kinds of libraries on the
visual arts - art school libraries, divisions
in college and university libraries, divisions within a public library, gallery
libraries, museum libraries, and others. In
this article, I will focus on the Stout Library of the Indianapolis Museum of Art and its development in the last decade. It is a good example of the development of
museum libraries in general

Kolmstetter, Ursula

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Changes and Issues in an Art Museum Library

Indiana Libraries, Vol. 26, Number 2 3CHANGES AND ISSUES IN ANART MUSEUM LIBRARYby Ursula Kolmstetterhere are different kinds of libraries on thevisual arts - art school libraries, divisionsin college and university libraries, divi-sions within a public library, gallerylibraries, museum libraries, and others. Inthis article, I will focus on the Stout Library of theIndianapolis Museum of Art and its development in thelast decade. It is a good example of the development ofmuseum libraries in general.INTRODUCTIONAs an art museum facility, the library of the India-napolis Museum of Art focuses on the encyclopedic artcollection of the IMA while providing general informa-tion about art and art history, from ancient to contem-porary. The library supports the research needs of themuseum with regard to potential acquisitions, upcom-ing exhibitions, and the interpretation, conservation,and publication of works of art from the museumcollection. In addition, the library serves students,appraisers, researchers, collectors, docents, and thegeneral public who do research on the museumcollection and in the visual arts in general.The library collects, organizes, and preservesmaterials in traditional as well as electronic formats.The library holds over 100,000 items and is continuallygrowing: books, exhibition catalogs and museumpublications; magazines and periodicals (more than485 titles); auction catalogs from around the worldgoing back to the 1800s; bulletins and annual reportsfrom art museums worldwide; artists’ files; onlinedatabases and resources, and much more.Actively engaged in collecting, the library addsmore than 1,800 book titles each year through pur-chases, gifts, and exchanges. The library subscribes tomore than 230 art magazines and periodicals fromaround the world including Ars Orientalis,Connaissance des Arts, Print Quarterly, Textile History,and Weltkunst. The library’s subscriptions to the majorauction catalogs of Sotheby’s and Christie’s are impor-tant sources of information on what is happening in theart market and on future sales. Many more catalogsfrom smaller auction houses and galleries are alsomaintained. More than 1,300 catalogs are added eachyear. As the only regional library offering access tocurrent auction house catalogs, the library is an idealreference source for appraisers and collectors of fineand decorative arts.Extensive information files are maintained and areavailable on individual artists. They contain pamphlets,information on gallery openings, and newspaperclippings on more than 29,000 visual artists worldwide,including more than 3,800 Indiana artists.The library also subscribes to several online data-bases such as the Art Index, the Grove Dictionary of Art,several auction databases, and others. Visiting the “ArtReference Library” link on the IMA’s website, users canfind under “Internet Resources” numerous useful linkson the visual arts from “Art Dictionaries” to “Careers inthe Visual Arts” to “Timelines in Art History” which thelibrary continually “collects” and updates. NEW SPACE PLANNINGThe museum with its different entities includingthe library was built in 1970. By 1995 the library startedto run out of space to house the continually growingcollection. Some compact shelving units were added inthe reading room. Five years later, as the museumstarted to plan a major addition, it became obvious thatthe library also needed a larger space. Because theStout Library is often used by the community andresearchers, we wanted to plan and design the librarywith the growing collection in mind as well as withenough space for reference and a quiet research area.Of course, the new space also had to be approved bythe ADA.We invited a library space consultant to help withan overall library plan. It is very important to have aclear understanding of the needs of a museum libraryand its users. For example, museum libraries often havea small staff. Therefore, every public space has to be asvisible as possible for the protection of the collection.Since the future space was reduced by one third ofwhat we asked for, we decided to house the entirecollection in space saving compact shelving units inIndiana Libraries, Vol. 26, Number 24order not to limit the space to the many library users.The public area is now wrapped around the compactshelving area on three sides with offices adjacent to thepublic area. The entire north side is opened by largewindows allowing a beautiful and serene view to themuseum gardens. An art study room was added forstudents who wish to work in groups. Space for futureexhibitions was added as well. Although the museumwill be wireless in the future, the entire library stillneeded to have computer outlets as well as publiccomputers. A glassed-in room for (color) copier andprinter is located across from the reference desk. Thismakes the operation of copying quiet, yet the personstaffing the reference desk is able to observe and assistusers if necessary. The space was completed at thebeginning of 2004, and the library was the first depart-ment of the museum to move into its new location.COMPUTERIZATIONTo computerize the collection and make it availableto a broad audience was another goal. The StoutReference collection is a niche library with holdings notfound elsewhere in the region with significant value tothe local community. However, many residents werenot even aware of the museum library’s existence.Computerizing a library collection is a large under-taking that, without outside funding, would be almostimpossible. Because of collaboration with MarionCounty Public Library (IMCPL), in 2000 the IMA Libraryreceived a very generous grant from the IndianapolisFoundation. IMCPL and the IMA library created aconsortium and integrated the collection of the IMA’slibrary into the IMCPL online catalogue, thus offeringaccess to a large collection of visual arts material. WithIMCPL’s distribution power, the holdings of the Stoutcollection are made available to a large audience,locally, nationally, and internationally. Since “we wentpublic”, the IMA library had many more visitors comingto the library for reference and research. Simulta-neously, interlibrary loan requests also increasedsubstantially. Because the library staff is small, we wereforced to limit interlibrary loans to other museums andresearch libraries.OUTREACHWhereas museum libraries in the past were moreinternally oriented, it has become necessary for mu-seum libraries in general to become more community-oriented if development through funding is desired.The IMA Library was one of the first museum librariesto reach out and become widely accessible to thecommunity by offering extensive opening hours andoffering a variety of workshops to the public on collect-ing and researching art and artists. When, in May 2005,the museum reopened after extensive construction,special opening events were held. Several open houseswere held and regional librarians as well as college anduniversity art instructors and their students wereinvited to view the new library. In this way they weremade aware that after construction, the library and itsextensive resources were available again.It is also important for a museum library to bevisible within the institution. Library staff offer sessionsto museum staff and docents (trained volunteers whogive tours on the collection) on how to search data-bases, and offer bibliographic instruction accompaniedwith hand-outs. Also, the library sometimes receivesmaterials that are already in the collection throughexchanges and donations. To raise money to augmentthe collection and for more visibility, these items aresold regularly in the library. On occasion, we offer sales(50% off), giving museum staff members the first pick.This program has become very popular.Hosting interns in the library on a regular basis isanother way to reach out to the community. IUBloomington/Indianapolis offers a MLS (Master ofLibrary Science) program across the state. The IMAlibrary is particularly interesting for students with anadditional Art History/Fine Arts background who wouldlike to do an internship.EXHIBITIONSThe latest outreach program that we started is anexhibition of artists’ books created by local students ofthe Herron art school. The exhibition was designed byanother group of Herron students taking courses inmuseum exhibit design. Sending specially designedinvitations to museum patrons who are particularlyinterested in prints and drawings made the openingreception a success. Students invited friends andrelatives to see their work on display in a museumsetting. It is of particular interest to the IndianapolisMuseum of Art to create more connections with theHerron School since the Museum separated from theArt School in 1970 after a long association. Moreexhibitions are being planned.MISSION STATEMENTBecause mission statements are a good roadmap tofollow, we created the following statement as a guideseveral years ago, and continue to follow it:The mission of the Stout Library is to collect,organize, and preserve material pertinent to themuseum’s collections, and to provide services inresponse to the information needs of the museum staffas well as the public at the highest level attainablewithin the means of the Library.http://www.ima-art.org

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Changes and Issues in an Art Museum Library

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