Curatorial Reflections on Print Rooms and Libraries

Abstract

The general relationship between libraries and museums is simply too broad a subject for me to wrestle with, although I am very glad that Gerald Beasley in his article in this issue has done such an excellent job of it. I intend, therefore, to focus on something more immediately relevant to my position, namely the relationship between libraries and museum collections of prints, or print rooms. That relationship, as you might expect, is a very close one. Whatever else libraries may collect—from musical instruments to eyeglasses to stuffed animals to other artifacts—and whatever else print rooms may have . . .