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So many of you have already expressed the reasons for the passion that librarians have who collect and teach with artists' books and I concur whole-heartedly with you all.  Like Mo, I've been collecting, teaching, and exhibiting artists' books for about 20 years and I never tire of studying them, showing, reading, even performing them.  At an art and design school library they are extraordinary teaching tools that explore the design process and are relevant for many disciplines of study. At RISD we have a Museum of Art connected with the school and they too collect a few artists' books, but our missions are very clearly different.  They collect Livres d'Artistes (works of literature illustrated with original prints by famous artists, published by a third party who orchestrates the whole production), whereas the library collects artists' books (the artist is often the author and usually does all of the fabricating from conception to production).  We've been collecting artists' books since the mid 1960's and have over 1400 of them, all quite varied.  As someone has already mentioned, libraries are about access to collections and in a library setting students/patrons can touch and interact with our artists' books.  Although the RISD museum is extraordinary in its educational accessibility for students, in the museum setting, there are a few more hoops to go through to see these materials and in some cases touching is not allowed.  The more students see these books, the more they expand the field through their own innovations and experiments.

Because artists' books have become such an interesting medium for artists, I've noticed over the years that more and more instructors are assigning book projects, even if they have no experience making one themselves.  They see the value of the learning process for students because it incorporates 2 and 3 dimensional design and is also a time-based medium.  Making a book involves the creation of a concept or narrative sequence which is then integrated with materials, printmaking or image making processes, text considerations, and form or structure.  The decisions an artist or designer must make in book-making or any other creative problem-solving situation are much the same, though the medium may differ if they are designing a new toaster or making a film.

As a librarian I have felt for years that my mission was to promote the artist book collection as an integral part of the curriculum.  With my knowledge of the collection and experience as an artist and book maker, I've been blessed to be able to apply those skills not only with class visits but also in consultations with students on their individual book projects.  This is true in other libraries with similar collections.  The librarian is as much of a resource as the collection itself.  Because of the accessibility of our collections and because of the close connection that we have established with faculty as a teaching resource, it would not make sense to remove them from the library.  Librarians are assuming greater teaching roles in their institutions, and working with artists' books is just another facet of that, not unlike our library instruction programs.

With exhibitions and accompanying catalogs, we are also promoting awareness of the medium to the broader community.  We attract visitors from other local and regional institutions and organizations, even elementary and high schools, to see our books. There is nothing like seeing eyes light up and hearing a group "aahhh", regardless of the age.  It's true, these books are magical.  I've found too that reading aloud touches a place in people's hearts that reminds them of being read to as a child...and we are all hungry for that.  

Someone also mentioned that in this field there is increasing scholarly writing and study being undertaken.  Three years ago the College Book Art Association (http://www.collegebookart.org) was founded to "support and promote academic book arts education by fostering the development of its practice, teaching, scholarship, and criticism."  It is a growing group of book artists, book arts educators, students and librarians.  Librarians are seen as significant contributors to this mission and are recognized for the role they play in the field of book arts education and scholarship.  Yes, we do support the artists by adding their books to our collections. However, librarians often have a perspective on the field that artists and educators do not because of our experience seeing and teaching with so many varied artists' books.  In some cases librarians have even served as mentors to developing book artists.  

I guess what I'm trying to say in this long ramble, is that libraries are an ideal place for artists' books.  To separate a librarian from her/his collection would be like sending your children to a foster home.  Yes, they might be well cared for, but who else knows your children like you do?  How can we not be passionate about our collections when we have seen with our own eyes what a life-changing resource they are?

Laurie

Laurie Whitehill Chong
Special Collections Librarian
Curator of Artists' Books
Fleet Library at RISD
2 College Street
Providence, RI  02903
401-709-5927
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On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 1:44 PM, Joan Benedetti <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Amen, Moira!  How lovely to hear from activist librarians like Ray Anne and to hear from Alison--and Anne Morris!--so nice to know you're still lurking on ARLIS-L with others of us "retired" (re-energized, re-furbished, re-vitalized) librarians.  Hurray for book artists and the art librarians that support them!  --Joan
----- Original Message -----
From: [log in to unmask]" href="mailto:[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">Moira Steven
To: [log in to unmask]" href="mailto:[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">[log in to unmask]
Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 9:56 AM
Subject: Re: [ARLIS-L] Question Concerning Librarians and Artists Books

What a fabulous question to contemplate on a Friday morning!  Forgive me if I wax poetical, but to me artist books are indeed magical.

They stretch the definitions of book and art and how those two intersect to create some entirely new dimension.

They are touchable art, made for the viewer to hold and look at in an intimate one-on-one relationship that cannot, I believe, be duplicated with (almost) any other art form. 

They are sensual and sensory, with the feel of the paper or materials, the smell of the ink and (sometimes) of the contents, the opportunity to see how a book is made, bound, sewn, folded, constructed, printed, colored - all of which add so many dimensions to the work that do no occur with other art objects.

They are junctures of technology, technique, ideas and aesthetics in a (usually) portable, (usually) recognizable, (usually) comprehensible form, but their form and structure can be anything.

They are holistic works, with the form working with (or sometimes against) the content, requiring the .reader/viewer to participate in the creation of meaning and in trying to understand the decisions the artist(s) made when constructing the object.

They are, in my opinion, the perfect work of art!

Best to all,
Moira
______________________________________
Moira Steven, Library Director
Joanne Waxman Library @ Maine College of Art
522 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
207-775-5153 (general)/207-699-5090 (direct line)/207-775-5087 (fax)

"We shouldn't teach great books; we should teach a love of reading." - B.F. Skinner

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On Thu, Nov 18, 2010 at 9:56 AM, Jenny Beard <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Art Librarians,

I've been thinking about the relationship between librarians and artists books. The benefit to artists books is obvious: librarians have fostered the medium from the beginning by purchasing, preserving, offering critical perspective, and acting as defenders of the medium.

What is less discussed is how librarians and libraries benefit from their relationship with artists books. Of course there is pleasure in collecting as well as fulfilling the mission to preserve the cultural objects of our time. But is there a passion for artists books that, I think, borders the mysterious.

How can I better understand the personal and passionate interest of so many art librarians and curators in artists books?
For instance, how would a librarian be effected if their institution's collection of artists books was absorbed by another department or perhaps, sold off? The large collections of artists books seem to be in art libraries,and often in art museum libraries. Why not in art museum curatorial departments? How does the presence of artists book in library collection effect the morale of librarians?
What do artists books signify to librarians?

I'm wondering if anyone has any notions or personal anecdotes about why artists books are so very valuable to the profession of librarianship?

I would be very grateful for your comments, observations or references to interesting articles.

Jenny Beard
Graduate Assistant, Image Cataloger
Pratt SILS
MLIS Candidate, 2011

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Mail submissions to [log in to unmask] For information about joining ARLIS/NA see: http://www.arlisna.org/join.html Send administrative matters (file requests, subscription requests, etc) to [log in to unmask] ARLIS-L Archives and subscription maintenance: http://lsv.arlisna.org Questions may be addressed to list owner (Judy Dyki) at: [log in to unmask]
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