The Italian art libraries association, BiArte, first came together at the 3rd European Conference of the IFLA Section of Art Libraries at Florence in 1988, and was officially launched at Prato the following year. Through participation in book fairs and other activities, BiArte is actively seeking to develop relationships between art libraries, publishers, and the providers of bibliographies and databases.

My employment as a slide curator followed a fascination with the slide lectures given by my studio instructors that revealed what interested and inspired them. Working daily with a slide collection is rewarding in providing resources for those teaching and studying the history of art. It provides me in turn with an overview of how art changes and repeats itself both in content and style, as governments rise, fall and merge, and religious beliefs and social conditions change.

The Library of the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow contains over 50,000 books on Russian and foreign art. The collections date back to the gift, in 1899, of the library of P. M. Tretyakov. From 1918, the Library and the Gallery received the benefit of State support; the Library gained books from private collections and as a result of the closure of other museums, and it continued to receive donations. From 1931, copies of Russian publications on art were received on legal deposit, and many publications are additionally acquired in exchange for copies of the Gallery’s own publications. As well as books, the Library contains collections of manuscripts, of press-cuttings, and of exhibition invitation cards and posters. The Library maintains several card indexes, on Soviet art and the participation of Soviet artists in exhibitions, and of journal articles, illustrations, illustrators, and exhibition catalogues. The Library has itself published several reference books.

In comparison with architectural books, books on design have a relatively recent history, although not as recent as might be thought since many of today’s design books had antecedents in the 1930s. The publishing of design books in the 1930s followed the emergence of design as a profession; the rapid expansion of design publishing in the last two decades has been stimulated by the design boom of the 1980s, by the rise of design history as an academic discipline, and by new varieties of and issues in design such as computer graphics, design education, and “green” design. Publications from this period include some major new bibliographies and reference works, but also a good deal of transient material which will nonetheless possess some documentary or curiosity value in time to come. Writings about design by designers themselves are still in short supply.

The former Lenin State Library in Moscow, now the Russian State Library, holds extensive collections of graphic and photographic materials, Russian and foreign, dating from the 15th century to the present day. These include a collection of some 434,000 posters, of which film and political posters form the largest subsections; a smaller number of pre-Revolutionary posters is of special interest. The collection of engravings totals some 93,000 items, and includes both works of European masters and Russian popular prints. There are also collections of postcards, “albums”, and manuscripts.

Due to a number of factors, including lower educational standards and the pressures on publishers and booksellers to maximise profits by exploiting the mass market, the climate for publishing serious art books has become less favourable in recent years especially so far as commercial publishers are concerned. Art books are being published in greater numbers than ever before; many are of a popular and/or general nature; many too are produced specifically for the remainder market; yet these include some worthwhile books which are reaching a wide audience. The revolution in printing technology since the 1960s has facilitated large-scale mass production, but at the same time offers benefits to publishing of all kinds. While university presses are able to perform a crucial role in publishing scholarly works, there remains a need for commercial publishers to continue to publish quality art books which are accessible to the public.

Several years after becoming a professional librarian in 1972, I became involved in mail art. This international network of cooperating artists has expanded my vision of both the world and my profession. Over the years, I have taken it upon myself to document various activities in mail art, which would have remained unexamined without the involvement of someone who was both an active participant in the medium and the possessor of professional research skills. In so doing, I have been able to integrate two important facets of my life.

My work as a reference librarian puts food on the table, without which – the table, that is – my art would be beneath notice.

The Theatre Library in Moscow, attached to the theatre school of the Maly Theatre, was founded in 1922. It contains books on theatre and the performing arts, magazines, newspaper clippings, theatre programmes, and graphic items. The scope of the collections embraces both Russian pre-Revolutionary and Soviet post-Revolutionary theatre and drama. Illustrative materials (not confined to theatrical subjects) include some 40,000 engravings, and many postcards. The Library compiles albums of visual source material for specific productions. Video recordings have been collected since 1988. Library services include the maintenance of several card indexes, the publication of specialised indexes, the provision of a small reading room, an enquiry service, assistance to users and the organisation of exhibitions.

Canadian publishing was inhibited from the beginning by Canada’s colonial origins and dependence on Great Britain and the USA. Few art books were published until quite recently; the relatively small, scattered population, the flooding of the market with British, American and (in Quebec) French books, and limited (at best) or non-existent sales outside Canada continue to be constraining factors. The necessity to include both English and French texts adds to the cost of book production in Canada. The publication of art books, and of exhibition catalogues, depends on the availability of government grants. Publications on the art of the North American Indian and Inuit peoples are an exception, attracting widespread interest and leading in some instances to co-publishing initiatives. In addition to the larger publishing houses, a number of small presses produce occasional art books, thanks to grants and in a few cases with the added benefit of sales abroad achieved through international networking. A government programme of support for Canadian publishing, launched in 1986, is continuing.

Art publishing in Britain flourished in the earlier part of the 20th century, thanks in no small part to the enterprise of European émigrés. However, a majority of art books published now are of a commercial and popular nature, neglecting many aspects of art and British art of this century in particular. Do the conservatism of British taste, or the ready availability of books in libraries, contribute to this situation?

The National Art Library’s coverage of Russian and Soviet art is extensive if uneven, comprising some 20,000 titles. These include approximately 100 serials from the former USSR, a small number of manuscripts, some significant livres d’artistes, illustrated and illustrated childrens’ books, and many exhibition catalogues. The important Larionov/Gontcharova collection was begun when the Museum purchased certain items from an exhibition it organised itself in 1926; many more items (including part of the artists’ library) were acquired in 1961, and yet more have been added since. The Library’s collections of printed ephemera include work by El Lissitsky and Rodchenko. The collections in the Library, which are being developed partly through exchange, are complemented by examples of Russian fine and decorative arts in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum - the home of the National Art Library.

I think it is necessary for librarians, artists and computer-niks to cooperate with each other to develop art documentation in Japan. As I am involved with the three fields; library science, fine arts and computer science, I would like to foster the growth of art documentation.

My view of the world has always been private and intimate. My interpretation of what I see, therefore, has always been in very small formats. One friend has called them “Postage Stamp” images. The limited space I give myself to work is a challenge in making a huge concept, like space or flight, small.

Changes taking place in Italian publishing include the decline of old family firms and the amalgamating of publishing in a relatively few, large companies with interests in other fields of activity. Art publishing is largely monopolised by a small number of big publishing groups based in Milan, although some smaller firms produce art publications, generally of local interest, elsewhere, and a number of medium-sized family or specialised businesses remain active in this field. Another, perhaps unique, feature of Italian art publishing is the production of art books financed by banks and used by them for promotional purposes. Initially hard to get hold of, these publications — sometimes in the form of a second, public, edition – are becoming more available, and are now the subject of a bibliography.

The City of Westminster Libraries provide library services in a unique area of central London which includes a number of art galleries and most of London’s theatres. Users of the Library, among them many with professional or other interests in the arts, are served by collections which include a wide range of material on Russian art.