The Clark houses one of the most distinguished art research libraries in the country, with over 300,000 volumes in more than 130 languages. From its opening in 1962 the library has grown and changed over the years to accommodate teaching spaces, visual resources, new programs and initiatives, and a never-ending array of new technologies (in addition, of course, to its growing collection of books), always striving to meet the needs of our valued students, scholars, staff, researchers, and visitors.
The library’s special collections enhance both library and museum holdings. Highlights include the founding collection of Robert Sterling Clark's rare books, the history of photomechanical reproduction, early illustrated printed books, decorative arts and sample books, twentieth- and twenty-first century artists’ books, and archival collections.
special collections book of the month
Julius S. Held Collection
“The genera insectorum of Linnæus exemplified in various specimens of English insects drawn from nature” is a lavishly illustrated volume, with text in both English and French (the former aligned to the left of the pages and the latter to the right). Its purpose is to illustrate local British invertebrates (with a few exceptions, such as a foreign scorpion) under their classifications by Linnaeus (1758) in his tenth edition of ‘Systema Naturae'. Invertebrates are animals that lack a backbone, and arthropods (insects, spiders, and crustaceans) comprise the largest of the four groups of invertebrates.
No details of the biography or circumstances of James Barbut appear ever to have been published or preserved, so the author’s life and work remain a mystery. The original drawings were purchased by the Natural History Museum in London in 2000.
FOLLOW THE LIBRARY
Serving the general public as well as visiting scholars and local students and faculty, the Clark library welcomes all visitors to use its reference and research services and to enjoy its collections. An extensive array of electronic resources and reference materials support scholarly research in the field of Art History. Library staff are dedicated to assisting all users to access the library’s wide-ranging and diverse collections.
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New Acquisitions Book of the Week
Featuring both established and emerging Native American artists from Michigan and beyond, Contemporary Anishinaabe Art celebrates the art of the Great Lakes region’s original people. Artists include sculptors Edmonia Lewis (Ojibwe) and Jason Quigno (Saginaw Chippewa), black ash and fiber artist Kelly Church (Potawatomi/Odawa, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Nation), and multimedia artists George Morrison (Chippewa, Grand Potage Band) and Jim Denomie (Chippewa, Lac Courte Oreilles Band). Beautifully photographed, the baskets, beadwork, ceramics, clothing, film, graphic art, jewelry, painting, photography, sculpture, woodwork, and works in birchbark demonstrate the breadth of Anishinaabe artistic practice. Essays by curator Denene De Quintal and Matthew L. M. Fletcher, Christopher T. Green, Shawnya Harris, and Kendra Greendeer delve into how contemporary Anishinaabe art resonates with the present while paying homage to enduring artistic traditions and consider how these artists have responded to changes affecting their communities, from climate change to cultural shifts.
LIBRARY HOURS
PUBLIC HOURS
The library is open without appointment.
Monday - Friday, 9 am to 5 pm
All are welcome to email the library with reference/research questions.
HOLIDAYS
The library is closed to the public on the following holidays:
New Year's Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Presidents' Day
Memorial Day
Juneteenth
Independence Day
Labor Day
Indigenous Peoples Day
Thanksgiving (2 days)
Christmas (2 days)
EXTENDED HOURS
Extended hours are available to holders of a Clark badge or a Reader's Card. Reader's cards are given by application. Cards may not be appropriate for all applicants but we will always do our best to meet your research needs.
Mon-Thurs 8 am to 11 pm
Friday 8 am to 6 pm
Saturday 9 am to 6 pm
Sunday 9 am to 11 pm
HOLIDAYS
With the exception of Christmas Day and New Year's Day the library is open during holidays to anyone eligible for extended hours.