As the Art, Architecture and Design Librarian, Sarah Carter supports teaching, learning, and research for students, faculty, and researchers affiliated with the School of Art and Design and the Department of Art History, including disciplines such as architecture, studio art, interior design, and apparel merchandising. This work includes selecting and purchasing research and teaching materials in the areas of the arts; providing research consultations and studio visits to art & design students; consulting with art historians to locate scholarly materials; and connecting scholars with tools and expertise available for digital humanities work at IU.
Carter’s research interests revolve around increasing access to art information through a variety of channels. Her publications include topics such as the use of controlled vocabularies in providing access to digital surrogates of special collections materials, and investigations into the research needs of artists and designers in relationship to the Association of College and Research Libraries' Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Learning, and equity in art library circulation policies. Her most recent article is "'I love getting to share my art with other people:' Undergraduate Studio Art Student Perceptions of Visual Culture." She is active professionally within the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA), having served in a number of leadership roles within that organization.
She previously served as Director of the Bridwell Art Library at the University of Louisville from 2014 – 2017, and as Instruction + Research Services Librarian at the Verman Kimbrough Memorial Library at the Ringling College of Art and Design from 2007 – 2014.
Carter is an IU Bloomington alumna, holding both a Master of Arts in Art History from the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts and a Master of Library Science from the School of Library and Information Science. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Italian Language and Literature from Smith College in Northampton, MA. Carter directs the IU Information and Library Science specialization in art librarianship.