About the Collection
The KyCAD Library's print collection is developed to support KyCAD's subject-led curriculum and to foster student and faculty intellectual curiosity and rich exploration. The small but unique collection comprises a wide range of subjects and materials. While we hold hundreds of volumes that represent the subjects of art history, contemporary art, art theory and art education, we also maintain a collection of artist, exhibition and museum catalogs for browsing. Students can also find core academic texts in the Library's collection, including foundational materials to support humanities and general education research.
The bulk of the Library collection is housed in the Mansion Library, with oversized volumes (Folio collection) in the Annex. A small, non-circulating ready-reference collection is also available in the 849 Studio Reference Room.
Students are encouraged to come and browse, to search our Catalog and to check out materials. The loan period for books is six weeks, with one renewal possible.
The Al and Mary Shands Collection
In 2023, the KyCAD Library received a remarkably generous donation: George and Stephanie Barrett bestowed upon KyCAD a collection of books formerly belonging to Louisville contemporary art collectors and philanthropists, Rev. Al and Mary Shands. The Al and Mary Shands Collection features contemporary exhibition catalogs, artist biographies, volumes highlighting museum collections, and valuable theoretical discussions of art that greatly enhance what we are able to offer to the KyCAD community. The Al and Mary Shands collection make up over 500 volumes added to our Catalog, and hundreds of lesser-known artist, exhibition, and auction catalogs that are available for student browsing.
About our Online Resources
The bulk of the KyCAD Library's resources are offered digitally. Through the Library, the KyCAD community has access to dozens of high-quality databases that house hundreds of thousands of resources: academic journals, magazines and newspapers, eBooks, reference materials, theses and dissertations, and multimedia resources, including high-quality art images.
Many of our online offerings are made possible by KyCAD's membership in the Kentucky Virtual Library (KYVL) consortium. Through KYVL, we are able to offer seamless access to important resources that span subject matter and material type.
By virtue of being enrolled at KyCAD, all students also have full access to the Louisville Free Public Library's resources (LFPL), regardless of county of residence. LFPL offers a wide range of databases and an extensive print collection for all researchers.
Explore all of our searchable online databases through our Databases A-Z page.
