Beyond the Exhibition: The Crucial Role of the Art Library

As outlined in Article 24 of Québec’s National Museums Act, the MAC is mandated “to make known, promote, and preserve contemporary Québec art and to ensure a place for international contemporary art through acquisitions, exhibitions, and other cultural activities.”¹ A museum’s primary mission is articulated around its collection of artefacts and artworks, which are used to create exhibitions that draw in visitors from around the world. These exhibitions require many hours of in-depth research to discover new insights and areas of expertise. A world-class museum deserves a world-class library in which curators and museum staff can conduct their research and visitors can learn more about the museum’s collections and the role of art in society.

Founded just a year after the MAC’s opening in 1964², the Médiathèque is one of the most important libraries specializing in contemporary art in Canada³. The library hosts a rich and diverse collection, with 40,335 exhibition catalogues and monographs, 732 artist books, 815 rare catalogues, 1,133 video recordings, 205 audio recordings, 884 periodicals, 8,762 artist files, and 1,135 event files⁴. It constitutes an invaluable resource for understanding and appreciating contemporary art and the history of the museum. Unfortunately, since 2014, it has been mostly inaccessible to visitors; it is open only to graduate students and art professionals and the general public is no longer allowed in⁵. The last year it was open to the public, the Médiathèque had a substantial number of visitors: 29,943⁶. After access restrictions were implemented in 2014, it sustained a significant drop: an average of 94 researchers and 184 information requests per year⁷. Lifting these restrictions would allow visitors to have a better conception of the breadth and depth of the MAC’s collection, since studies have shown that approximately⁵ percent of a museum’s collections are on view at any given time⁸.

An archive is a unique collection of documents, and the archives of artists and art practices kept in museum libraries are not duplicated in academic or public libraries. For example, the MAC holds the archival fonds of the painter Paul-Émile Borduas, which contains 4.9 metres of documents, including 890 images, letters, and manuscripts. Such materials provide a deeper understanding of the evolution of artists’ practices and insight into their creative process. Archival fonds encompass a variety of documents, including press clippings, exhibition pamphlets, and visual documentation of artworks. They also give insight into the art networks at a given time. This documentation is essential for students and curators, but also fosters curiosity among the public at large.

A museum library is not only for academic researchers. It can also spotlight its holdings by offering displays aimed at casual visitors. The Library and Archives of the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) exhibition Jean Paul Riopelle (1923–2002) coincided with the Gallery’s show Riopelle: Crossroads in Time, providing insight into Riopelle’s practice with a presentation of rare catalogues, photographs, posters, and prints⁹. Library collections can become a vibrant resource for exploring diverse perspectives and thematic interpretations. Guest curation and research residencies, such as the Scholars in Residence program at the Museum of Modern Art¹⁰ and the NGC General Idea Fellowship¹¹, can provide opportunities to activate the library’s collection and transform the archives. Furthermore, library materials can be loaned out to other museums to extend audience reach and maximize exposure of the collections. Concurrently, the library’s role in housing institutional records aligns with the museum’s broader mission of preservation and education, establishing it as a central hub for creativity, scholarship, and collaboration.

As more research resources are moving from print to online, libraries are increasingly managing access to digital tools, including online catalogues and digitized archives. This expansion enables remote research and opens access to these valuable resources to a wider audience. Once the collections are available online, they become the foundation for programming, empowering curators, educators, and library professionals to work together to develop content, within the museum and for the broader community. Priorities for digitization can align with upcoming exhibitions and programming.

At the Thomas J. Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York¹², each digitally curated collection is accompanied by a description giving an overview of its content, which users can then browse in the museum’s digital repository. This approach illustrates that making documents available online is only the beginning. The library’s collection serves as fertile ground for curatorial collaboration, fostering a dynamic and engaging environment.

Art libraries serve as community hubs for art enthusiasts by offering lectures, workshops, and other public programs centred on art. These activities can play a central role in art research, actively engaging the local community and promoting a deeper connection to the museum and its offerings.

Exchanges of ideas stimulated by the library’s collection can be disseminated through the museum’s online and print publications. By expanding its outreach, this type of programming amplifies the accessibility of collections by cultivating a dynamic context for perpetual learning and debate. The art library becomes more than a knowledge repository and contributes to research by actively participating in art discourse.

The museum library needs to go beyond its typical users – students and researchers – and develop activities for a variety of demographics. For example, the Canadian Centre for Architecture hosts story-time sessions once a month, with content tied to the current exhibition. These are popular with families and facilitate the growth of new publics for the entire institution¹³.

Establishing a museum library demonstrates a commitment to discovery, exploration, education, and research. The library should occupy a space that is not only visible but also fully accessible. It needs to be a welcoming environment, enticing visitors to immerse themselves in its resources after their exhibition experience. The design and architecture of the library should facilitate a variety of ways of engaging with the collection.

The ideal museum library encompasses multiple types of spaces. There should be casual areas where people can engage in discussion, take selfies, and read more about current programming. Instructional spaces are essential for group activities and individual study rooms for focused research. The library should also include specially adapted spaces for working with archives and handling non-standard and large-format documents. Additionally, computer workstations are crucial for accessing both the catalogue and digital collections. These spaces ensure a comprehensive and versatile environment. The recently renovated Gottesman Research Library and Learning Center at the American Museum of Natural History in New York exemplifies all of these types of spaces¹⁴.

The library requires at least one professional librarian¹⁵. In Québec, to practise as a librarian, one must hold a master’s degree in information science from an institution accredited by the American Library Association. This degree is offered by two universities in the province: École de bibliothéconomie et des sciences de l’information (Université de Montréal) and the School of Information Studies (McGill University). Librarians take on a range of responsibilities, such as overseeing collection management activities, developing the collection, ensuring its conservation, and providing public services. They foster visual, artistic, and even global literacy, contributing significantly to society.

In conclusion, museum libraries must continue to address visual literacy, education, and the changing needs of society, focusing on inclusivity and accessibility for a wide range of users, not just academic researchers¹⁶. Even with technology changing how researchers access resources, these libraries remain a dynamic community space that fosters curiosity, discovery, research, learning, and creation.

By providing access to knowledge and a platform for the discovery and in-depth study of art, the library inside the museum is established as an essential support in fulfilling the institution’s mission, actively contributing to the valorization and preservation of art heritage. Museum libraries in Québec, such as the Médiathèque at the MAC, not only serve as a valuable point of access for the study and research of contemporary art in the province but also contribute to the public’s understanding of artists and their role in shaping Québec society¹⁷.

The french translation of this article is also published in the 274 issue of Vie des arts – Printemps 2024 and can be consulted here.