Paper and Presentation Research: Getting Started
Getting Started
Call Numbers
Browsing the library shelves by call number ranges is another strategy for locating information on a topic; call numbers can help you get to the "right neighborhood" in the library stacks. The file attached here outlines the call numbers within N (Visual Arts) and TR (Photography).
How to read a call number:
|
ND553 .D33
J5713 1998 |
The LC subclass ND is for Painting; 553 is within the range for History. The D is called a "cutter" and in this case, it is referencing the subject of the book, Delacroix; read the 33 as .33 or a decimal; in other words, .D33 comes before .D250. The J is another "cutter" and here it references the author. The J is another "cutter" and here it references the author. |
Metropolitan Museum of Art's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
The MET's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History is an online chronological, geographical, and thematic exploration of the history of art from around the world, as illustrated by the Museum's collection.
Select Online Reference Sources
Searching the open web to gather background information is one way to initiate your research. Another strategy is to consult the "reference" resources in the library, many of which are available online. Reference sources are also where you want to look for standards. For intsance, give the following a try:
- Oxford Art OnlineContains 45,000 articles on every aspect of the visual arts: painting, sculpture, graphic arts, architecture, decorative arts and photography, from prehistory to the present day. Use the off campus access login when working away from the library.
- Oxford Reference OnlineSearch multiple language and subject reference works from Oxford Press. Includes dictionaries, quotations, timelines, maps & illustrations, and timelines. Use the off campus access key to log on when working away from campus.
- Credo ReferenceCredo Reference provides access to full-text, aggregated reference content covering a variety of major subject areas. The database contains well over 3,000,000 full-text entries in over 500 reference books, collected from more than 70 publishers. The entries are drawn from encyclopedias, dictionaries, biographies, quotations, and other sources. Credo is designed as a research tool and provides the ability to search, map, save, organize, and cross-reference the information in the collection.
- CQ ResearcherThe CQ Researcher publishes reports 44 times a year that offer in-depth single-topic coverage of political and social issues, with regular reports on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy. Each CQ Researcher report is investigated and written by a seasoned journalist. Editors identify the topic to be investigated, then the writer conceives its content, formulating the key questions that it will seek to answer; reads background material; interviews a range of sources; synthesizes available information; and writes the report. The report's writer quotes a range of sources, including lawmakers, academics, interest group representatives, government officials as well as citizens involved in the issue. The report concludes with a bibliography that contains an annotated list of key sources.
- AskArtAn online database containing extensive biographical information, records and media relating to the original works of art (including paintings, illustrations, and sculpture) and careers of 200,000+ artists. More than 6,000 museums and dealers are also referenced. Users can also view information about upcoming auctions, analyze auction results, and sign up to be alerted via email with any updates about their chosen artists.
- Union List of Artist Names (ULAN) / Getty InstituteStructured vocabularies that can be used to improve access to information about art, architecture, and material culture. The ULAN is a compiled resource; it is not comprehensive. A minimum record contains a numeric ID, a name, a role, nationality, and life dates. The ULAN grows through contributions, and is focusing development in the areas of non-western, contemporary, and unique types of artists as well as names of art repositories. This is an open Web resource.
- Dictionary of Art HistoriansA biographical and methodological database intended as a beginning point to learning the background of major art historians of western art history. A free, copyrighted scholarly database for the use of researchers, students and the public. Producer is a non-profit in association with the Dept of Art, Art History, & Visual Studies, Duke University.
Other Library Guides
The study of Art and Art History is interdisciplinary; thus, you will likely need to consult sources and tools outside the field. Fortunately, librarians at the Marriott Library have prepared Subject Research Guides for a number of fields of study and for specific courses.
You can search ALL Subject Guides or select from the following recommended ones for additional information tools and sources.
