The current AMICO model seems to favor small institutions. The suggested distribution is not based upon demand for particular images, nor is there any real mechanism for an overiding editorial acquisitions policy which reflects how and why museums collect what they do and how art history is taught.

Suppose I decide to give AMICO 500 obscure Egyptian shards each year. Am I earning the same as an institution which places its most widely used images into the library?

What would the incentive be for the Met or MOMA to place its 500 top images into the library unless they could be asssured that the Library will reflect the quality of their own contribution. No small institution could match the demand of the best works in the Met but they would receive equal value.

As tricky as it would be to manage, perhaps there should be an editorial board which assures that the Image Library meets certain standards of interest. Perhaps there should be no minimum. What of a small institution that owns 20 very significant works that have universal appeal.