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Media Centre of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal: a research and documentation centre for contemporary art

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

Sylvie Alix*
Affiliation:
Media Centre, Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, 185 Ste-Catherine Ouest, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H2X 3X5
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Abstract

The Media Centre of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal is a typical museum library in terms of collections, activities and services. Despite the experience gained during its 42 years, the Media Centre still faces many challenges, such as expanding its service and conservation areas, and carrying out a complete revamp of its web site in a knowledge portal. However its biggest challenge is ensuring that it continues, every day, to be at the cutting edge of contemporary art.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Art Libraries Society 2009

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References

1. The Musée d’art contemporain was founded by the Government of Quebec in 1964 as a department of the Ministère des Affaires culturelles. In 1983 the government changed its status: the Museum became an autonomous body with a board of directors (http://www.macm.org/en/informations/historique.html). At the same time the official name of the institution was changed to the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal.Google Scholar
2. The MACM’s mission is to promote and preserve contemporary Quebec art as well as Canadian and international contemporary art, through exhibitions and numerous other cultural activities. Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, http://www.macm.org/en/informations/historique.html.Google Scholar
3. Isabelle Montplaisir, Head Librarian, worked at the museum from 1971 to 1987. Johanne Lefebvre, the documentation technician, arrived to give a helping hand in September 1983. She was responsible for acquisitions until 1988. Michelle Gauthier took over in summer 1987 and worked as Head Librarian until January 2007.Google Scholar
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