Art and design libraries provide support for research, instruction and study through a multitude of resources, collections and spaces. Ranging from department-based collections to a corpus of materials located within main campus libraries, art and design librarianship varies by institution, and its mission and constituents. Librarians are responsible not only for identifying, selecting and gathering the most pertinent resources, but also for providing access to these materials and enabling discovery through enhanced records, catalogues, digital interfaces and, more often, direct instruction.

Supporting academic curricula through library collections involves understanding the scope and extent of an institution's programme, specific areas of emphasis or specializations of faculty, as well as the needs of constituents in accessing and using materials. By understanding the intended audience and the full scope of the academic curricula, art and design librarians can draw across collections while also developing unique and special resources that are critical for student and faculty development. The notion of the 21st-century collection is boundless and complex; materials extend from the physical and contextual to the digital and visual.

Four categories of art and design libraries and collections are profiled to provide a closer examination of the range of libraries in which curricula support for art and design students and researchers can be met. This chapter describes the diversity of potential opportunities for art and design librarianship in higher education. The four categories are art and design school libraries, academic branch libraries, academic department-based libraries and main academic libraries supporting art and design curricula. Each profile provides basic information on size, hours, circulation and staffing, as well as facilities, access and collections.