Lecture “The Work of an Art Librarian” at the “ART with” Series, Sen-oku Hakukokan Museum Tokyo
On December 6, 2024, KIKKAWA Hideki, Head of the Modern / Contemporary Art Section at the Department of Art Research, Archives and Information Systems, was invited to give a lecture titled “The Work of an Art Librarian at the ART with” series held at Sen-oku Hakukokan Museum Tokyo. The ART with series features experts from various fields related to art, offering insights into their professions for a broad audience of art enthusiasts.
In this lecture, Mr. KIKKAWA presented a wide range of specialized librarian skills based on his career not only at the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) Library, but also at the Art Library of the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo and the Art Library of the National Art Center, Tokyo. In particular, he discussed the enjoyment of supporting researchers and curators in their studies and creating frameworks that enhance the value of library collections through cataloging and compiling bibliographies on artists.
TOBUNKEN engages in collaborative efforts among experts from various fields to preserve cultural properties for future generations. Librarians well versed in art materials also play a crucial role in supporting these efforts, considering the future of cultural properties and continuing to safeguard them. This lecture provided an opportunity not only to introduce their work, but also for Mr. KIKKAWA to reflect once again on its significance. He has expressed that nothing would be more gratifying to him than for art enthusiasts, professionals from other fields, or students who attended the lecture to have found the role of an art librarian appealing and had deepened their interest in the preservation of cultural properties.