Museum Library Division

The Museum Library Division consists of over 500 members and represents 150 museums. The division seeks to identify and promote issues of interest to art librarians working with art collections located primarily in museums, but also art and alternative spaces and galleries.

Mission

The purpose of the Museum Library Division within the Art Libraries Society of North America is to provide a forum for art museum librarians who are members of ARLIS/NA. This forum includes a program and business meeting as part of the annual ARLIS/NA conference, and submitting articles and updates to Society publications.

Issues of art librarianship having special relevance for art museum librarians are singled out for the attention of the group, such as:

control of auction catalogues,
museum archives;
documentation of individual objects; and
docent training

It is the responsibility of the group to study such issues and formulate recommended procedures for dealing with them. The position of the library within the administrative structure of the museum is of concern to the Division, as are standards regarding staffing, collection development, budget, book conservation, processing, etc.

Interaction with, and participation in, related organizations such as the American Association of Museums and the Special Libraries Association are encouraged.