A reproduction gives a very imperfect account of a work of art. The distortions of a photograph, while less obvious than those of an engraving, are still serious. According to some authorities the dangers of using reproductive photographs include the spoiling of the aesthetic eye and the too easy assumption that a copy can stand in for the original. While reproductions are indispensable they need to be employed critically: for example a good black-and-white photograph may sometimes be preferable to the meretricious colour slide.

There is a wide range of publications available from the British Government which may be of interest to art librarians, and this article provides an outline, and a guide to the many sources for tracing and obtaining them. It goes on to indicate recent changes in the patterns of official publishing, and likely future developments in the eighties.

The background and range of art libraries in the GDR are outlined, and a brief description of the holdings of major libraries given. Important bibliographic publications produced by libraries are noted, and an account of the activities of the organisation uniting art librarians in the GDR is provided. This paper was presented to the Art Libraries Section at the IFLA Conference, Leipzig, August 1981.

A typical morning in a typical art college library is described. Ways in which art students use libraries, and the materials they require, are summarised. The fact that art students can get by without using libraries is noted in discussion of advantages and disadvantages of decentralised art libraries and of the centralisation of art library resources in libraries of wider scope. This paper was delivered to the course on ‘The Literature of Art and Architecture’, organised by ARLIS with the Library Association, in London on 6th December 1979.