The handbook of art and design librarianship

摘要

What is particular about art and design librarianship? As the editors assert, these are 'some of the most beautiful collections and imaginative patrons on the planet' (ⅹⅹ). They have a user profile whose interests make the activity of connecting them with resources and knowledge 'the kind of process that makes art librarianship interesting', as Clive Philpott makes clear in his foreword (ⅹⅶ). There's the obvious point that the study of both the history and the practice of art and design relies heavily on image technologies Kohl, cited by Molly Schoen (53). And in fact Rachel Ivy Clarke draws specific parallels between the business of librarians and of designers, looking at librarianship through a design lens rather than as a social science discipline, on the basis of the distinction that science is about what is while design is about what could (or should) be, arguing for the place of design thinking in the work of design librarians.