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The Worcester Art Museum Library




Hours & Information  

Labor Day to Memorial Day
Wednesday-Friday, 11am-5pm
Saturday, 10am-5pm
Memorial Day to Labor Day
Wednesday-Friday, 11am-5pm

Phone: 508.799.4406, x3070
E-mail at library@worcesterart.org

Free with Museum admission



History

The Worcester Art Museum Library, founded in 1909, is a bibliographic resource dedicated to the history of art reflecting the collection strengths of the Museum. The Library is managed in association with the College of the Holy Cross, a collaboration that began in 2001.


The Library is located on the second floor of the Museum. The reading room is the original Sculpture Gallery in the Museum's 1898 building and houses frequently used monographs and art publications.

Using the Library

The Library serves the staff of the Museum, and also extends its resources and services to the community, including teachers, students, faculty, collectors, museum docents, scholars, and the general public. For Worcester area college students the Museum is a stop on the Consortium's shuttle service.

A photocopier is available ($.15 per page black and white, $.50 per page color) and a printer is attached to our public access computer terminals.

Online Catalog

The Library's online catalog provides access to most of the holdings of the Worcester Art Museum Library and the libraries of the College of the Holy Cross, as well as a database of 1700 images from the Museum's permanent collection.

Holdings

The Library's bibliographic collection encompasses all periods and media of art, with an emphasis on European, American, and Asian art. The collection includes:

The collection is non-circulating.





Friends of the Library

The Friends of the Library group was started in 2002 to support and enhance the Library's activities and collections. Its purposes are: to provide and attract new financial support to enrich the basic collections and activities of the Library; to provide and attract special collections, rare books, and manuscripts; to sponsor special projects or programs; to provide a thorough understanding of the Library and its role in the Museum's future; and to serve as a medium through which persons may advance their own intellectual pursuits and share their enthusiasm for books and art.

The group meets four times a year and enjoys behind-the-scenes programs and special speakers. The group sponsors the triennial art book sale which is the Library's major fund raiser.

New Friends of the Library members are always welcome! If interested, please email library@worcesterart.org or click the links below.

Membership Levels

Friends of the Library Book Club

The Friends of the Library also sponsors a unique book club that meets five times per year to discuss books related to art, with specific themes related to the Worcester Art Museum. The book club usually has a guest speaker and includes a trip to the galleries.

All book club meetings start at 5pm in the Museum Library.

All other meetings are brown bag lunches and start at noon in the Museum Library.

Friends of the Library Event Calender

2012

January 17, 2012
Friends of the Library Meeting; Carol Knowles (Librarian at Bancroft School) will discuss the role of e-book readers in the school.

February 16, 2012
Book Club Discussion of Lost Diaries of Frans Hals by Michael Kernan.
Guest will be Dr. James A. Welu, WAM's Director Emeritus and expert on 17th C. Dutch painting.

April 19, 2012
Book Club Discussion of An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin.

Sunday, March 4, 2012, 2:00 PM-3:00 PM
Open to the public.
Rembrandt paintings are among the most frequently stolen works of art in the world. Anthony M. Amore, head of security at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and author of Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists, discusses his research into more than 80 thefts of Rembrandt's work. Amore offers a behind-the-scenes look at the world of museum security and discusses the 1972 Worcester Art Heist and other Massachusetts art thefts, including the 1990 theft from the Gardner, which ArtNews calls the "greatest unsolved art theft in history." Book signing follows; books available for purchase in the Museum Store.

March 20, 2012
Friends of the Library Meeting.

May 17, 2012
Book Club Discussion of Claude & Camille by Stephanie Cowell.
Guest will be Nancy Burns, WAM Curatorial Assistant, and an expert on 19th C. French art.

 

Donations

The Library welcomes both monetary donations and books that could be included in the Library's holdings. The Library accepts books that are in good condition and art related. You may also help the Library by donating a book from our wish list.

Bridges to Art

Bridges to Art is a privately-funded, collaborative project between the College of the Holy Cross and the Worcester Art Museum. Digital and library information technologies are being employed to deliver art images and educational resources to a wider audience on the Internet. An exciting model of museum-library cooperation, Bridges to Art stimulates and enriches teaching, learning, and research.

Library Brochure

Download the Library Brochure for more information on the library.