Art Research

Basic Research Steps

Define your topic as clearly and as completely as possible.
Locate background information on your topic in encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference books and online sources.
Search CONSULS for books
Search the online databases and paper indices for journal articles and other materials available in Buley Library, online, and in other libraries. Locate reproductions and images.
Use Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services if needed
Document your sources

1. Define Your Topic

Define your topic as clearly as possible. Before you begin looking for information, take some time to brainstorm your topic. Write down the main concepts as keywords, and then write down some synonyms for these keywords.

2. Locate Background Information

Encyclopedias present an overview of a topic and offer useful bibliographies . Biographical dictionaries, dictionaries of art terms, and encyclopedias are all examples of reference sources. Some reference sources are available online, while other paper volumes are located on the first floor and are marked with “Ref” before the call number. Some frequently used reference books are located in the ready reference area behind the reference desk. Examples of useful art reference books in our library:

Dictionary of Art : Ref N31 D5 34-volume printed edition. Published in October 1996, The Dictionary of Art is the most comprehensive art reference. It covers all the visual arts from prehistory to the 1990's in 34 volumes.
Pronunciation Dictionary of Artists' Names Ref N 40 K3
Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography Ref N 7560. E53
The Concise Dictionary of Art Term s Ref N33 C575

Useful Electronic Reference Sources

Credo Reference (contains biographical dictionaries and other reference sources)http://0-www.xreferplus.com.csulib.ctstateu.edu/topic.jsp?sub=7
Grove Dictionary of Art Dictionary of Art Online
Oxford Art Reference: http://0-www.oxfordreference.com.csulib.ctstateu.edu/views/SUBJECT_SEARCH.html?subject=s1
ArtStor (for images) http://0-www.artstor.org.csulib.ctstateu.edu/info/

3. Search CONSULS for Books

CONSULS is the shared library catalog for SCSU, CCSU, ECSU, and WCSU. When you search for a book, video, journal or other library materials on CONSULS, take note of the location of the book and the call number. This information is in the holdings box for each record on CONSULS. Students who are registered at SCSU can request materials from CCSU, ECSU, and WCSU by using the ‘request a book” option at the top of the screen. You must first set a library PIN in order to use this function. If you are unsure about how to set a pin, please ask--a librarian will assist you.

To search for a book when the title is known, enter the exact title. If the exact title is unknown or not found, try a keyword search.
To search for a book by author , type in the author's last name, then first name.
To search for a topic by keyword or subjects :
- Keyword searching allows you to use your own terminology and searches for these words in the title, source, and body of the text of each record.
- Subject searching is much more specific and searches only the subject heading fields of the records . Subject headings are based on a controlled vocabulary that is often unique to a particular catalog or database.
To limit your search to SCSU holdings only, use the ‘modify search ' option. You may also specify other information such as dates of publications or type of material.
**Tip 1: It is often a good idea to begin a search using keywords. Then, take note of the subject headings being used in the records most relevant to your topic. You can then re-enter your search using the most relevant terms.
**Tip 2: To do a complete search on an artist, search the artists' name in subject, author, and keyword . In some cases, especially in exhibition catalogs, the artist is regarded as the author of the content of the work, without actually having written the book:
- KW= Cezanne, Paul (searches for these words in the title, source, and body text of the record. This is the broadest and most inclusive search since it may also include works where Paul Cezanne is included in a chapter or section of the work)
- SU=Cezanne, Paul (will locate this term in the alphabetical list of subject headings)
- AU=Cezanne, Paul (locates records where Paul Cezanne is designated as the author of the content –even though he may not have actually written the book.)

4. Search the Databases and Indices for Articles

The library subscribes to indexing tools in paper form as well as in the form of online databases. There are general as well as subject-specific databases and indices. If you need retrospective materials from pre-1980's, then you will need to use some of the paper indices, for example Art Index , since it will lead you to citations of articles back to the 1920's. Ask a librarian for assistance with selecting the appropriate databases or if you are doing retrospective searching.

(see Databases for Art Research for links to Art Databases available through Buley Library)

General Database Searching Tips/Using Boolean Operators for Database Searches:

Use Boolean operators (and, or, not) with keywords to broaden or narrow your search:
The most common operator is ‘ and '. The search ‘impressionism and American' returns records where both terms appear. This will limit your search because both terms must be present in the record.
The search ‘impressionism or American' retrieves records in which either ‘impressionism' or ‘American' appears, thus broadening your search.
Occasionally the operator ‘ not ' is used when you want to limit to a specific subset:
- art not decorative
- Impressionism not American
Use parentheses to combine 2 or more search strings:
- (realism or naturalism) and art
Use quotation marks to keep words together as a phrase: “American Impressionists”

Once you have found the citations to the articles you need, the next step is to locate the articles. Search the Journal Locator by the TITLE of the JOURNAL to check for availability of full-text articles. Some databases will include some full-text documents, however in other cases you need to retrieve them from our collection, or from interlibrary loan. In our library, journals and newspapers are shelved alphabetically by the title of the journal.

5. Interlibrary Loan

If Buley Library does not have the material, you may request it through the Interlibrary Loan department. There are forms available for this on the library homepage. Access Services Department: Circulation & Interlibrary Loan .

6. Document Your Sources

Citing Books, Articles, Online Resources, and Information on the Web

When researchers and scholars use books, articles, and other documents from theInternet, and other electronic sources, they need guidelines for formatting citations to those documents. Sometimes your instructor will indicate which guidelines they want you to use.

There are printed style guides (such as the MLA Handbook or the APA Publication Manual ) available at the reference desk. In addition, many university libraries provide handouts online, for example:

Duke University : Citing Sources
The University of Wisconsin-Madison: Writing Center
Purdue University : The Owl at Purdue

Ask a Reference Librarian for help at any time during the research process.

(T. Re rev. July 2007)

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