A Content Analysis of Collection Development Policies in American Art Museum Libraries

Abstract

This study examines the structure and content of collection development policies from twenty-five American art museum libraries. The compilation of the data set, iterative development of principal components, and systematic comparison across policies, generates salient statistical information without being evaluative. Results suggest that the specialized nature of art museum libraries guides their collection development policies and that increasing access to policies can benefit both direct stakeholders and the professional community at large. Acknowledging that the data collection and assessment took place prior to the coronavirus pandemic and the United States’ most recent reckoning with racial justice, professionals at the selected institutions were invited to share policy adjustments, new initiatives, and updated practices. The article concludes with a summary of these responses, considering if and how the collecting practices and/or policies of art museum libraries changed as a result of the events of 2020.