The Many Looks of Artists' Books!

        Throughout an art library’s vastly unique and varied collection, there are bound to be books on many topics, from styles and artists to materials and time periods. There is a type of book, however, that in an art library is unique from all its other information counterparts: artists’ books. An artist’s book is not a book about an artist, but is actually a work of art designed by an artist that takes the form or appearance of a book. While these works of art can closely resemble the typical book at first, as seen in Legendary, Lexical,

Legendary, Lexical, Loquacious Love by Eve Rhymer - 
"an alphabetical re-ordering of the text in a romance novel."(1)

Loquacious Love by Eve Rhymer(1), they can also be made out of any type of material, in many different shapes, sizes and colors, in expressions of many different styles or artistic techniques, and can focus solely on images, words, or a melding of both. Artists’ books are thus tricky to define (though many have tried), because the term encompasses a huge array of artistic creations. They are defined in Descriptive Cataloguing of Artists’ Books published by ARLIS/UK & Ireland as “A book or book-like object in which an artist has had a major input beyond illustration or authorship: where the final appearance of the book owes much to an artist’s interference/participation: where the book is the manifestation of the artist’s creativity: where the book is a work of art in itself.” (2) While broad, this definition seemed to me to be the best in terms of indicating what an artist’s book is without eliminating a potentially valid manifestation (though for every one definition I found, there was always a slightly different one lurking around the corner).

        Ultimately, when it comes to understanding artists’ books, one of my favorite responses was from Angela Lorenz, an artist’s book creator (whose website includes an introduction to artists’ books as well as a great showcase of her current work). She says that the simplest way to “explain artist's books is by elimination, that is, by stating what they are not: They are not children's books. They are not sketch books. They are not diaries. They are not blank books. They are not exhibition catalogs. They are not reproductions of a body of an artist's work. They are not art books (a common misnomer).” (3) While many librarians, artists, and art historians seem to be in agreement with this statement of what an artist’s book is not, when it comes to what they are, “a universal definition remains elusive, and attempts to find one are still contentious”.(2)

        Overall, Artists’ books of any kind can typically be associated with one of two particular veins related to their creation: 

Filmboekje', artists' book by Beppe Kessler (6)

1. Production pieces, which gained popularity in the 60’s and 70’s as a way to revolt against the belief that art could only exist in sanctioned spaces (galleries or museums). These are done without much expense and are easy to access.
OR
2. Unique, often rare works that are made out of anything from plastic to wood and can be more sculptural pieces.

Both veins contain a multitude of different works within them, and works from both veins are valuable to an art library’s collection for many reasons. On an obvious level, keeping artists’ books within a library means that you have on hand a physical and valuable piece of art, representative of an artist, an artistic period of time, or style/movement (unlike full-scale paintings or “David”-like sculptures, which fit lousy on the shelves). In that sense, they are “natural candidates for exhibit and public display as ways to promote and publicize the library.”(2) However, you also have at your disposal a way to engage patrons or users that cannot be facilitated by most other types of art. An artist’s

'Map ed Veveiis', artist's book, by Genevieve Seille (6) 

book is often made with the intention of being touched (you have to turn the pages or lift flaps to see the content fully), and can be used in an academic or public setting to encourage those looking for information to explore beyond the typical sources that come to mind. When it comes to the purchasing and development of a supportive art collection, at least in an academic setting, faculty request artists’ books because of the learning opportunities they can afford students, as “artists’ books often recall different eras in the history (and pre-history) of the book, (and so) they can be used to make rare books and historical collections more user-friendly while making their own origins more intelligible…”(4) Though it should be noted that, like every other item in the library, the purchase of an artist’s book from either an individual or a bookseller is based on many factors, such as “cost, the artist (reputation/location/affiliation/gender/ethnicity), aesthetic value, craftsmanship, (and) other libraries’ holdings.”(4)


        Though the nature of artists’ books makes them a valuable addition to art libraries, that very nature also makes them one of the more difficult formats to include in a collection. The need for personal interaction, as well as physical limitations in terms of shelf space or storage, makes collecting, cataloging, and utilizing artists’ books a unique challenge. As works of art, they are created as an artist’s expression and should be displayed in order to be enjoyed and admired. As books, they exist as a sample of an artist’s talents, and should be properly cataloged and integrated into a collection. Their duality as both art and book means they “straddle the space between the world of art museums or galleries and that of library special collections.”(5) Thus, theories on developing and facilitating access to them are… conflicted.


        The first of two problems most prominent with artists’ books is that an art library with an artists’ books collection must consider actual space available. Just because most artists’ books are smaller than David’s full 14 feet does not mean they flawlessly fit on standard library stacks. As Annie Herlocker says, “Artists’ books come in a wide range of oversized, undersized, and oddly-sized formats, which can pose a serious threat to their security and safety (as well as that of neighboring books) if the formats are not taken into consideration when housing them. The idea of a collection of objects so starkly different in shape and content, made from often precious and fragile materials yet produced with the intent of being handled

Poemetrie, Dieter Roth (7)

repeatedly, and stored within a facility with the capacity for organized retrieval and preservation, seems like a complex equation.”(5) Trying to come up with a solution for that equation has pushed many libraries to split between “two primary schools of thought. One remains truer to the founding democratic tenor of the artists’ book genre: keep the collection accessible (albeit shelved in restricted stacks and housed in protective enclosures) and use it. The other is closer to traditional special collections treatment where keeping the materials hidden protects them and only rarely do they see the light of display.”(2) As all good librarians know, the best way to be an advocate for your library, your collection, and your users is to ignore requests and silent away books! But while denying patrons access to such collections does keep the materials “protected”, it also goes against the theory behind artist’s books that has been developing since their rise to popularity. 

        The second problem artists’ books present is less an issue of physical access to material, and more an issue of proper catalog access to material. Because artists’ books can be made of so many different materials, cover so many different themes or conceptual ideas, and can exist as single, unique entities, cataloging them is a much more intensive task than copy cataloging from OCLC, and there is no set standard for exactly how it should be done. By using MARC records and classifying artists’ books by the same standards as conventional books, most catalogers become rule benders in order to establish an accurate description that provides useful points of access.(4) Especially when “such characteristics as the type of binding used, the press, or the method of printing” can be as important in locating an artist’s book in the catalog as who created it and why.(2)

        In the end, artists’ books are an incredible format to have access to, mainly because they bring a perspective to an art library collection that might be missing otherwise. In truth, I had absolutely no clue about them until I started research for this blog post. To imagine having access to such materials now is at once exciting and unsettling for me, because while I would be able to look at the results of an artist’s hard work, hold it in my hands and witness everything they had produced, the complications of maintaining such a collection and making sure that it was properly cared for and cataloged would be daunting. Through the articles I read I was able to see that it can be done, and effectively so, but it is not as straight forward as making sure a non-fiction text gets a call number, or that you properly spelled the last name of a popular author.

Resources

1.  "Artist's Book." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist's_book>.

2.  Kulp, Louise1, louise.kulp@fandm.edu. "Artists' Books In Libraries: A Review Of The Literature." Art Documentation: Bulletin Of The Art Libraries Society Of North America 24.1 (2005): 5-10. Library & Information Science Source. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.

3.  Lorenz, Angela. " What Is an Artist's Book." Angelalorenzartistsbooks.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. <http://www.angelalorenzartistsbooks.com/whatis.htm>.

4.  Vieth, Lynne S.1, lsvieth@comcast.net. "The Artist's Book Challenges Academic Convention." Art Documentation: Bulletin Of The Art Libraries Society Of North America 25.1 (2006): 14-19. Library & Information Science Source. Web. 25 Sept. 2013

5.  Herlocker, Annie1, aeherlocker@gmail.com. "Shelving Methods And Questions Of Storage And Access In Artists' Book Collections." Art Documentation: Bulletin Of The Art Libraries Society Of North America 31.1 (2012): 67-76. Library & Information Science Source. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.

6.  "Artists' Books." Victoria and Albert Museum, Online Museum, Web Team, Webmaster@vam.ac.uk. The Victoria and Albert Museum, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. <http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/books-artists/>.

7.  "Artists' Books." Artists' Books (Getty Research Institute). Getty Research Institute, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. <http://www.getty.edu/research/special_collections/highlights/artists_books/index.html>.