SCAD Atlanta is home to the ACA Library, which has extensive research resources and an impressive collection of artists’ books. Not only can the library offer students help with research and study skills, but it also offers fun events and workshops. The mission of the library, as stated by the library page on the SCAD website, is to “support and promote the academic goals of the university: to prepare students for professional careers, emphasize learning through individual attention and uphold a positively oriented university environment.”
The library gives students access to thousands of books, print resources, e-journals, e-books and digital photographs. The immense supply of academic resources, however, is not the only draw of the library. A multitude of artists’ books live at the library. The ACA Library of SCAD website defines artists’ books as, “ … works of art that experiment with the potential of the book”. The books at the library are unique and have different shapes and designs, and there are works from over 1,000 artists in the collection.
The ACA Library was actually inherited from The Atlanta College of Art, and along with it the beginnings of today’s artists’ book collection. With the diligent work of the dedicated library staff, the artists’ book collection keeps growing. The head librarian, Teresa Burk, explained that, “We’ve been collecting [artists’ books] since 2005, and we’ve been working to raise [the collection’s] visibility and use it as a teaching tool.” Burk also said, “The library does a lot of library instruction, with faculty and student interaction with the books so students can learn book concepts like narrative [and] design…the moment you look through a book can be very personal”. Currently, The Trois Gallery is hosting a collection of photo artists’ books that will be on display through October. The display is in honor of Atlanta Celebrates Photography. There will also be a photo show in October at The Trois Gallery.
Along with the artists’ books, the library runs workshops throughout the quarter. Some of the workshops have to do with research skills, such as a workshop on Friday, Oct. 9 from 2–3 p.m. that will help students with where to start writing an art history paper. Others are geared to be more fun and social. One such workshop, called Paws in the Library, is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10 from 1–3 p.m. The library will have a therapy pet session with dogs. Students are welcome to de-stress and pet the animals, giving them the chance to relax from their busy schedules.
In addition to workshops, the library can assist students with research help. Burk said, “We’re here to support students, save them time and show them the best resources … [we show them] high-quality resources both online and in print”. There is also an inter-library loan system in which students can request books from the Jen Library of Savannah if the ACA Library does not have them available.
The ACA Library is always there to offer help to students in a variety of ways. To find the library’s hours and contact information, please visit the library’s website. The ACA Library also has an Instagram page and a blog.
