Cooperative collection development and resource sharing among art libraries: past and present

Abstract

An appreciation of the diversity of art library users and their information I needs, and of the literature of art, is a necessary prerequisite to consideration I of the objectives of cooperative collection development and resource sharing I among art libraries. The idea of cooperation gathered momentum after World I War 1, after it had become clear that no art library could ever be I comprehensive, and was put into practice after the Second World War, at I local and national levels. Local cooperative schemes were implemented at I Vienna and in Ohio State (ARLO); the Farmington Plan was by contrast an I example of a national programme. In the Federal Republic of Germany the I libraries belonging to the AKB operate a cooperative acquisitions scheme and I receive extra funding to allow them to specialise in particular subject areas in I addition to their normal acquisitions. The Fine Arts Library of Harvard I University participates in the Research Libraries Group Art and Architecture I Program. The concept of assigning different subjects and collection I responsibilities to different libraries in order to achieve comprehensive I coverage makes a lot of sense especially if in academic institutions links can be I developed between the library’s specialisation and the institution’s academic programme.