Fort Worth, TX, January 21, 2003—Amon Carter Museum Director Rick Stewart announced today that Allen Townsend has been appointed librarian of the museum. Townsend brings to the Carter nearly 20 years of experience working in art libraries, including seven years as the Arcadia Director of Libraries and Archives at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where he worked prior to coming to the Carter.

"The Amon Carter Museum library and archives have always served as a vital center for scholarly research on American art, and we are very pleased to have Allen Townsend as our new librarian," Dr. Stewart said. "Under his capable leadership, we hope to develop our special research collections and make them more accessible to the museum's broader audience."

Townsend will oversee operation of the Amon Carter Museum's library and archives, including the acquisition, retrieval, preservation, and use of library and archival materials by museum staff and members of the public. The library functions as the research facility of the museum and has been an integral part of the museum's program since 1961, the year the museum opened. The library's noncirculating collection is reflective of the museum's art collection, focusing on American art and photography from the early 19th century to the present. Broader focuses include the cultural, social, and intellectual history of the same period. The collection is especially rich in materials related to the American West. Collection highlights include the finest examples of 19th- and 20th-century illustrated books and western Americana, 19th-century newspapers on microfilm, a near-comprehensive collection of photography books published in the last 20 years, and an extensive vertical file collection that offers a range of material on artists (over 7,500 names), museums, commercial galleries, and other related subjects.

The library's collection also includes more than 35,000 books and exhibition catalogues, 800 periodical titles (150 current subscriptions), and more than 100,000 pieces of microform. A growing collection of CD-ROM and Web-based databases supplements printed resources.

Archival collections include the museum's institutional records in addition to collections of private papers that the museum has acquired.

"I look forward to working with the Carter's excellent staff in defining new research directions for the library and archive collections, encompassing both traditional and online sources," Townsend said. "With beautiful new spaces and most of the collection records available online, our greatest challenge involves creating greater access to these important materials. I am very excited about the possibilities."

The Star-Telegram is the official print sponsor of the Amon Carter Museum.