Dear Colleagues in Art Museums,

            A dream is coming true here in Santa Barbara!  Both our Director & Chief Curator are interested in committing money to beefing up our library collection, and have asked me for a realistic budget estimate to begin the process of acquiring books, especially monographs, including catalogs raisonné, to support information on artists held in our museum collection. (Until now our budget has been miniscule—a $300-400 dollars).  Building an improved collection of this kind will take place over years, of course, but I’d like to get started with some significant purchases over the next 3 + years which would make a good start.

 

            Would any of you librarians in medium size art museums (total operating expenses in the $4 to 7 million range) be willing to share with me some of your budget information? IT WOULD BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL, of course.* I realize that the Association of Art Museum Directors prepares a statistical survey each year, but the budget data given is only “total library budget”. What I’d love to have is your:

·         Total museum budget (example: Approx. $6 million).

·         Total library budget.

·         Percentage or amount for book acquisitions.

 

            We hold 50,000 volumes, but many are redundant.  This move will allow the collection to be morphed into more relevance and importance.

 

*I would be happy to post the results (no museums/libraries identified) if there is an interest in such information.

 

May you all receive an equivalent boost to your morale in the coming year!

With thanks,  

 

Heather Brodhead

Librarian

Constance & George Fearing Library

Santa Barbara Museum of Art                www.sbma.net

1130 State Street

Santa Barbara, CA 93101

(805) 884-6451

 

Library is open to the public Tues., Wed, Thu. 1-5 PM;

  Librarian's hours 10-noon; 1-5:30 on those days.