The Collecting Practices for Art Exhibition Catalogs at Academic Libraries in the United States and Canada

Abstract

Reporting on the results of a survey conducted in spring 2017, the author offers insight into the contemporary trends and challenges of collecting US, Canadian, and European print and digital art exhibition catalogs by academic art librarians in the United States and Canada. Findings demonstrate that for academic institutions with programs in art history, fine arts, or design, exhibition catalogs are a collection priority. Due to the variety of publishers of art exhibition catalogs, specialized knowledge to identify and acquire these resources is required.