抄録
In March 1996, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (NMMA) invited Dr. Thomas Lersch, Head of Collection Development and Acquisitions, Library, Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte (ZI) in Munich, Germany. During his stay, he gave a lecture at the NMMA titled "Documentation at the Zentralinstitut fiir Kunstgeschichte and the Role of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Kunstbibliotheken in the German Library Community". Beginning with a briefing on the history and the organization of ZI, Dr. Lersch minutely elaborated on the collection development and documentation at ZI's library, particularly on the compilation and use of the subject catalogue. He further explained the closely organized Arbeitsgemeinschaft of German art libraries as an organization not merely for cooperative acquisition and interlibrary loan, in this sense different from the Art Libraries Societies in the Western countries or the JADS.
Today, when art libraries in Japan are in acute need of a systematic methodology for creating subject catalogues, and of a cooperative organization based on an established collection-development policy, Dr. Lersch's lecture is of special significance. We are profoundly grateful for his generous efforts to prepare a well-organized text grounded on his extensive learning and experience.
In addition, Dr. Lersch reported the present status of his country after the Berlin Wall was dismantled, as well as activities of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Kunst-und Museumsbibliotheken (AKMB), a great contribution to the future exchange between German and Japanese art documentation specialists.
