About

ARCLIB is an independent professional group for librarians working within architecture and related disciplines. Our focus is on sharing expertise and collaboratively advancing best practices in architectural librarianship.

It aims to:

  • provide a forum for the exchange of experience, the development of ideas and the dissemination for information pertinent to the practice of architectural librarianship and related disciplines. 
  • act as a pressure group with respect to information providers within the commercial, professional and educational communities.
  • promote awareness of libraries as information sources within architectural education and training.
  • support the activities of, and co-operate with, organisations wherever situated having similar objectives.

Events

ARCLIB regularly organises events such as:

  • ARCLIB Conference, an annual residential event comprising talks, workshops, and visits.
  • An annual Spring Visit to an exhibition, architectural library, or other location of professional interest.
  • Further professional development opportunities such as webinars and TeachMeets.

ARCLIB events are free or discounted for members.

You can find a list of previous activities on the Past Events page. Details of new events are released via the ARCLIB JISCMail List.

History

Formed by Sylvia Harris, Karen Latimer, Ian Mayfield, and Catherine Tranmer, ARCLIB emerged from the need for a dedicated support network for architecture librarians in the UK. A first meeting took place in Oxford in 1988, and was attended by librarians from seventeen architectural schools. Following two further events, the inaugural committee meeting was held in November 1990, where the name ARCLIB was officially adopted.

A simple drawing of an open book beneath a classical arch.
The original ARCLIB logo.

The original ARCLIB logo was designed in 1994 by Alexandru Minoiu, a Romanian student from the school at La Villette, Paris undertaking an Erasmus year at Oxford Brookes University.

The ARCLIB Bulletin was established in June 1993 and continues to publish articles written by and of interest to members. All issues of the Bulletin are available through the archive.