ARTH 109: Survey of Visual Arts I
Selected Sources for the Study of Art, Paleolithic to Gothic
Milne Library, SUNY College at Oneonta, Spring 2008: Professor Havenstein

Librarian - Kay Benjamin, 436-2791, benjamkd@oneonta.edu

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Finding Books  | Encyclopedias & Dictionaries |  Index to Essays | Finding Periodical Articles | Finding a Copy of Articles | Finding Web Resources

 

NOTE:

1. You will probably find the best information in books, as opposed to articles.
2. You are not likely to find an entire book on your specific work of art.
3. Your best bet is to find one book that is generally on your topic (e.g. greek sculpture or ancient egyptian architecture), then browse the shelves in that area, looking in the table of contents and the indexes for your particular work of art.
4. This is a time-consuming process. Don't wait until the last minute!
5. The web is terrific for getting art images, but it is notoriously poor for art content. In other words, you are highly unlikely to find web pages with any substantial information on your particular work of art.

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Finding Books

Find Books and Other Milne Resources (library catalog) Under "Basic Keyword Search," select "All Fields" or "Subject" (Library of Congress) and enter terms in the search box. Search stems of words by using the asterisk *. If terms should be adjacent, as in a phrase, click on "Yes."

                EXAMPLES:      all fields:  venus de milo                     subject:  greek sculpture  

Sometimes you will find a chapter or a segment of a book about an individual artist or work of art. Look for books on a larger movement, then go to the shelves and browse books in that area (particularly in the Oversize Room on the 3rd floor), looking in the table of contents and index for the artist or work you're researching. Some terms to use, depending on your artists, when searching: . Find other movements and terms in your textbook.
                        
In your set of results, note availability under the heading "Owned/Out." Items that are checked out can be requested on interlibrary loan. Click on the number at the left of the entry and note the contents, and if useful, the subject headings. Books with no call numbers could be part of an electronic library, on order, or in process. Ask a librarian for help.
 

WorldCat

An online database listing materials in thousands of libraries worldwide. Holdings are indicated for Milne Library and  Hartwick College. You can search by author, title, subject, and keyword. Look for the  Request via Interlibrary Loan link  to ask Milne Library to borrow a book from another library. You can also check out items at Hartwick College with your SUNY Oneonta ID card.

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Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

Browse through dictionaries and encyclopedias for brief articles about artists and movements. These overviews give valuable background information, including important names and dates as well as relevant concepts and bibliographies.  

Art History	Ref N 5300 S923 2002
Art Words	Ref N 71 P32 1997
Book of Art	Ref N 31 B6
Encyclopedia of World Art, 15 vols.          Use the Index vol. at the end of the set.	Ref N 31 E4833
The Illustrated Library of Art	Ref N 5300 I47
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Art	Ref N 33 M23
The Oxford Companion to Western Art	Ref N 33 O923 2001
The Oxford Dictionary of Art	Ref N 33 O93 1997
Schirmer Encyclopedia of Art	Ref N 31 C3 2002
These encyclopedias are useful for understanding the historical and cultural context of a work of art.
Encyclopedias of myth and religion	Ref BL …
Encyclopedias of folklore	Ref GR …
Encyclopedias of culture	Ref GN ...
Encyclopedias of history	Ref D, E, F ...
Dictionaries of architecture	Ref NA 31...

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Index to Essays

Essay & General Literature Index                             Ref AI 3 E752

Indexes chapters in books. Often you will only need a chapter from a book. This is one way to find those chapters.      

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Finding Periodical Articles Using Indexes and Databases

Print Periodical Indexes
Art research often requires using print periodical indexes in the Reference Room. In addition to articles, these indexes include citations for museum publications and exhibition catalogs that can sometimes be obtained through interlibrary loan.

 

Art Index (1929 - )   Recommended index.                              Ref N 1 A78
Humanities Index (1974-2002)                                               Ref AI 3 R491
Art Literature International or RILA (1975-1991)                     Ref N 7510 R16

Index to books, periodicals, and catalogs

Bibliography of the History of Art or BHA  (1991-1999)         Ref N 7510 R161

Successor to RILA

 

Online Databases
Click on Databases by Subject on the Milne Library web site and then on Art.

 

Academic Search Premier

Provides full text for selected scholarly journals and popular magazines across the disciplines.

Arts & Humanities Search or AH Search (FirstSearch)

A citation index to journals in the arts & humanities.

JSTOR 

Provides full text of scholarly journals in a range of subject areas.

New York Times Archive, 1851-2003    

Full text of the major national newspaper, which includes coverage of art.

Project Muse

Includes full-text of journal articles in social sciences and humanities, including art history. Use the Advance Search tab to search JSTOR and Project Muse together.

 

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Finding a Copy of a Periodical Article

Locating the full text of the article in electronic form:

If there is no full text with the citation for an article, click on Find It! If a full text of the article is available in another database, there will be a link connecting you to that database, where you can locate the article in the appropriate volume, or search for the article by title or author.

You can also determine whether a periodical is available electronically by entering the periodical title in the search box on the library home page under Find Journals Available Electronically (Serials Solutions) and pressing Enter or Go. If the title is available in electronic form, check the coverage, and click on the database link(s) and search for the item(s) needed.

 

Locating the article in print or microfilm, if unavailable in electronic form:

Click on Search the SUNY Oneonta Catalog under "Additional Options for Finding Full Text." Type the title of the periodical in the search box above the phrase "Exact Title." Press "Go." If the title is listed, click on "Availability" and check to see if the volume needed is included in the "Summary Holdings." Note the location of the periodical title. Most periodicals will be in B2.

 

Requesting an article on Interlibrary Loan:

If you find an article from a periodical that is not available at Milne Library in any form, you can request the article through ILLiad - Interlibrary Loan through a link on the record for the article needed (see computer screen that comes up after you click on Find It!). Click on ILLiad Interlibrary Loan Request Form. You need to be registered to submit ILL requests. See a librarian for help.

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Finding Web Resources