Art History Collection Development Policy

Fisher Fine Arts Library is the primary research collection for the College of Arts & Sciences' History of Art, Architecture, Fine Arts, and the Department of Visual Studies program. The Department of the History of Art, formed in 1960, offers an undergraduate major and undergraduate courses focused on the following areas and time periods: American; Ancient Near Eastern; Contemporary; Early Christian and Byzantine; East Asian; Egyptian; Greek, Roman and Etruscan; Islamic; Italian Renaissance, Northern Renaissance and Baroque; Medieval; Nineteenth and Twentieth Century; and South Asian. The Graduate Group in the History of Art, which consists of members of the History of Art Department as well as faculty from other Penn departments, and curators and scholars from other Philadelphia institutions, offers courses leading to the master's and doctoral degrees in the fields above. The Group admits about 10 new students each year. The Graduate Group in Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World (AAMW) is an interdisciplinary program of courses leading to the doctoral degree in the ancient cultures surrounding the Mediterranean basin, and the Graduate Group in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies offers courses in East Asian art leading to the master's and doctoral degrees. 

The collection also supports Penn Design's graduate studio programs in Fine Arts which includes a range of media from photography and painting to time-based media and performance art. Research centers or collections affiliated with the Fisher Fine Arts Library also include the Institute of Contemporary Art, Slought Organization, the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Architectural Archives, and the Arthur Ross Gallery.

1. Chronological

Fisher's collection focuses on all chronological periods.

2. Formats

Formats constituting the collections include annuals, monographs, exhibition catalogs, periodicals, databases and other reference resources, multivolume-sets and catalogues raisonné, scholarly series, audio-visual materials, electronic image resources, and videos.

3. Geographical

Fisher's collections are international in scope with emphasis on the North America and western Europe. Recent purchasing efforts are targeting publications from Australia, East Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Russia, Scandinavia, and South Asia. Recently, Fisher has expanded its reach to include publications from Africa and Latin America. 

4. Language

All Western European languages are collected extensively and others selectively.

5. Publication Dates

The Fisher collects current publications as well as 19th- and 20th-century materials extensively, and earlier materials selectively.

Fisher has several foreign and domestic approval plans covering scholarly, trade and technical, museum, and gallery publications. Smaller-scale purchasing arrangements have been established with independent arts presses and distributors.  Rare or special collection materials are procured through antiquarian dealers. Title-by-title purchases through catalogs, book fairs, vendor alerts, and patron requests supplement the larger-scale acquisition practices.  

The following subject areas are not collected: popular treatment of art subjects or media, art education, aesthetics, antiques and collectibles, auction catalogs, and crafts.  The following are collected on a very selective basis: art conservation, numismatics, textiles, arms and armor, and jewelry.  

• Archaeology
• History of Art