The More Things Change: The Collaborative Art Library

Abstract

The academic library's art collection has a history of fluidity and flux. Teaching and learning materials that support visual art education can range from traditional formats like image collections and monographs to the curious, the rare, and sometimes the downright unusual. Art library professionals must plan for the future of the academic library collection with intention and sensitivity to the learning styles of their students while adhering to the environmental realities of their governing institutions. One constant is clear, which is that art students are not content to be mere consumers of information and images; they are creators. It is this creative habit of mind that brings them to the study of art in the first place, and it is what will turn them into the makers of the future art library, if we listen to their voices. Though collections will vary in depth and breadth between institutions, the enduring truth is that libraries will need to listen to student input and build lasting partnerships.