The Art and Music Departament has existed since 2021, when the Art Publications Division, which had existed since 1982, and the Music Publications Division, which had existed since 1965, merged.
The Art and Music Department collects, preserves and manages specialised publications of art and music literature, audio and video recordings, sheet music and other types of documents. The specialists of the department organise physical and virtual exhibitions of art and publications, create and conduct educational activities for various age groups, organise cultural events, implement cultural projects, and create the electronic directory “Kaunas Artists”.
Since 2005, library is a member of the International Association of Libraries, Museums, Archives and Documentation Centres of the Performing Arts ( SIBMAS ). Kaunas County Public Library is the only Lithuanian member of SIBMAS. Since 1954, SIBMAS has been an international network of cultural heritage of the performing arts, connecting individuals and institutions in 35 countries documenting circus, dance, cinema, opera, theatre and puppetry. SIBMAS promotes practical and theoretical research on the documentation of the performing arts, facilitates networking among its members and shares resources on their specific collections and on the performing arts in general.
Art Publications Collection and Reading Room Information:
K. Donelaičio St. 8, 1st floor, room 108.
Tel. +370 37 32 42 43
Email: menas@azuolynobiblioteka.lt
Opening hours:
I–V 10.00–18.00
VI 10.00–17.00
June-August Saturdays closed.
The Art and Music Department’s Art Publications Reading Room houses the largest collection of art publications in the Kaunas region, comprising more than 120,000 documents, including publications in Lithuanian language published since 1919 and in foreign languages since 1851. Art documents in Lithuanian language published before 1918 and documents in foreign languages published before 1850 are stored at the Kaunas County Public Library’s Documentary Heritage Research and Dissemination Centre. The art documentary collection is constantly being replenished with new books and periodicals, which reveal the prevailing art trends in Lithuania and the world. The aim is to make the content of the Art Documents Fund relevant and useful for art lovers, students, teachers, art historians and specialists in other fields.
The Art Publications Reading Room offers a wide range of publications: books, albums, scientific monographs, magazines, serials, sheet visual publications (reproductions, posters, postcards, photographs), original bookplates (we have around 2,000 copies), CDs, DVDs, videotapes, programmes of performances, and other documents.
In 2013, the art collection was enriched by the manuscripts of the director Gytis Padegimas, consisting of various documents reflecting his work in Lithuania and abroad, as well as materials from his social and pedagogical activities (play manuscripts, libretti, press cuttings, recordings of his performances, programmes, posters, set and costume sketches, models, musical scores, photographs and other documents). Some of the iconographic material (collections of photographs by photographers Juozas Bindokas, Mindaugas Kavaliauskas and Aleksandras Ostašenkovas) has already been catalogued, while others are still being processed. This collection of Padegimas’s manuscripts has already been used to publish books, periodicals and other relevant documentation of the performing arts, and the plays translated especially for Padegimas have been added to the website of translated foreign drama “Dramų stalčius” (Drama Drawer). In the future, this fund will also be useful as one of the most comprehensive sources of Lithuanian theatre life (more than 120 plays in the director’s collection).
The Art Publications Collection covers a very wide range of art and cultural topics:
- Art History, Theory and Criticism.
- Fine and applied art, folklore.
- Architecture, urbanism and landscape.
- Design (interior, graphic, industrial).
- Artistic photography and digital photography educational literature.
- Cinema, films.
- Theatre – from history to educational publications.
In the Art Publications Reading Room:
- We issue for use on site and at home all types of fine art, architecture, film and theatre publications from the reading room and repository collections. The library’s rules and regulations apply to the issuing of publications.
- We provide bibliographic information on fine art and architecture, film and theatre.
- We advise readers on how to use information retrieval tools: the card catalogue and the portal www.ibiblioteka.lt, card catalogues, reference publications, how to find information in registered and open-access databases.
- The Fujitsu Celsius W580 audiovisual editing package is available.
- Scanning and colour printing. (Paid service)
- We advise the libraries of Kaunas and Marijampolė districts on the organisation of the art collection.
- We organise art and print exhibitions, presentations of the latest art albums, art books, virtual art exhibitions, education.
- We are preparing an e-directory “Kaunas Artists”.
You can order Art Fund documents on the portal www.ibiblioteka.lt,in the Art Publications Reading Room, by email menas@azuolynobiblioteka.lt or by phone +370 37 32 42 43.
Music Collection and Reading Room Information:
K. Donelaičio St. 8, 1st floor, room 112.
Tel. +370 37 32 43 27
Email: muzika@azuolynobiblioteka.lt
Opening hours:
I–V 10.00–18.00
VI 10.00–17.00
June-August Saturdays closed.
The Music Publications Fund contains the largest collection of music publications in Kaunas, with more than 150,000 physical items. The collection of the music collection consists of 150,000 items, about 90,000 titles of documents (about 100,000 sheet music, about 30,000 vinyl and shellac records, about 230 cassettes, about 4,7 thousand CDs, etc.). We collect printed material published from 1850 to the present day. The collection of sound publications reflects the publishing of about 90 foreign companies since 1909. The Music Publications Fund contains the rare music collections of J. Tallat-Kelpša and A. Galaunienė.
In the Music Publications Reading Room:
- We lend out publications for use in the reading room or at home.
- Public internet access is available.
- We provide bibliographic information on music and help you use our catalogues.
- A piano is available.
- We have equipment for viewing/listening to different media such as vinyl records, audio CDs and video CDs.
- Scanning. (Paid service)
- Copying fragments of sound recordings stored in the collection (for personal use only). (Paid service)
You can order documents from the Music Collection on the portal www.ibiblioteka.lt,by visiting the Music Publications Reading Room, by email muzika@azuolynobiblioteka.lt or by phone +370 37 32 43 27.
We look forward to seeing you at the Art and Music Department!