THE RINGLING ART LIBRARY

The Ringling Art Library is one of the largest and most comprehensive art research libraries in the southeastern United States. The library contains approximately 70,000 volumes on the subjects of art, art conservation, art history, architecture, fashion, and theater. It features a collection of rare books, dating from the sixteenth century to the present, as well as the personal library of John Ringling.

The Ringling Art Library offers a variety of services to a range of audiences, including museum staff and volunteers, college students and faculty, and the general public. During the 2019–2020 fiscal year, library staff spent much of their time answering reference questions and supporting research. Collection development was another major focus, as 596 new books were added to the library’s holdings. These books relate to and help contextualize the museum’s collections.

Library staff provided instruction on the use of the library and its resources to college students and museum docents. In partnership with The Ringling’s Education department, library staff also developed a new program designed to introduce high school students to the basics of library-based research. Orientation was offered to students working on assignments relating to the museum’s art collection.

Library staff have been working with colleagues in the Archives to organize the circus history books housed in both locations. Staff from both departments have also been collaborating on a metadata project, with the aim of making archival materials more easily accessible on FSU’s digital repository, DigiNole.

Another important activity of the library is public programming. In 2019–2020, the library hosted nine sessions of its book club, the Literati, in which books are read and discussed that, in some way, relate to the museum’s collections. The library also hosted a popular public lecture on the treasures of the Royal Library at Windsor Castle, presented by Oliver Everett, the former Royal Librarian to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom.