“And That Is the Basis of ARLIS/NA”: Enduring Values across the Fifty-Year History of the Art Libraries Society of North America

Abstract

Since its founding in 1972, the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) has helped art information professionals develop, promote, and improve library and information resources and services. For the society’s fiftieth anniversary, a group of members who previously served on the Strategic Directions Committee reflect on the society’s initiatives—past and present—that highlight the values of collectivity, inclusion, and transparency. The authors make recommendations as possible ways for ARLIS/NA to continue building on its history over the next fifty years, particularly that of documentation, so that members can better draw on the society’s history.