Various classes/instructors. FALL SEMESTER 2008

GETTING STARTED: The starting place for your library research is with the "research question." A well articulated, focused question is essential for an effective search of article databases and library catalogs.

If you need assistance in formulating your question or other type of assistance, please ask at the reference desk.

CLICK HERE for a brief overview of the Auraria Library.

=>Books:
Skyline - Search for items in Auraria Library. Example: a book on Sculpture.
Prospector - Search for books in 23 local libraries (ca. 3 working days for delivery).
WorldCat - Books and media available worldwide. Free delivery (1 - 2 weeks) is available. Make sure your item is not available through Skyline or Prospector before initiating an interlibrary loan request.

=>Article Databases:
You can search for articles using databases or indexes. Many provide the full text of the article while some databases display a link to library holdings or a full text search. You can access over 200 databases under article databases and indexes.

Most databases can be accessed 24/7, as long as you are registered in the Library database. If you have trouble accessing the databases from off-campus, please let the Library know (Call 303-556-2585, Reference Desk) and we will do our best to help you get connected.

Art Full Text and Art Retrospective (WilsonWeb)
Full text plus abstracts/indexing of an international array of peer-selected publications, including international periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins-now with expanded coverage of Latin American, Canadian, Asian and other non-Western art, new artists, contemporary art, exhibition reviews, and feminist criticism. Areas covered include advertising art, archaeology, architecture, art history, film, humanities, industrial design, landscape architecture, marketing, motion pictures, photography, pottery, sculpture and more. Coverage:  Art Full Text: abstracts and indexing from 1984; selected full text articles 1997-  Art Retrospective: 1929-1984 {indexing and abstracts}.

ARTstor (ARTstor)
ARTstor is a digital library that contains nearly 500,000 art, architecture, archeology, and humanities images with descriptive information. ARTstor includes software to facilitate use of these images in research and in the classroom. For example, images may be viewed and analyzed using features such as zooming, panning, saving groups of images online for personal or shared use, or creating and delivering presentations both online and offline. ARTstor continually adds digital collections to the database. Note:  If you have questions about using the database, please contact Linda Tietjen, Arts & Architecture Bibliographer, at 303-556-4298. 

JSTOR   (JSTOR)
An archival suite of FULL TEXT journals in anthropology, archaeology, ecology, history, language and literature, economics, ecology, mathematics, philosophy, political science, and population studies. Coverage:  Usually from the beginning of publication until 5 years before the present. 

OneFile (includes Expanded Academic) (Infotrac)
A composite database that includes Expanded Academic and Health Reference Center. News and periodical articles on a wide range of topics: business, computers, current events, economics, education, environmental issues, health care, hobbies, humanities, law, literature and art, politics, science, social science, sports, technology and many general interest topics. Millions of full text articles many with images. Coverage:  Updated daily.

Oxford Art Online (Oxford University Press)
Includes Grove Art Online (a comprehensive online encyclopedia of the visual arts including articles and images), Oxford Companion to Western Art, Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, and Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. Note: Links in e-mails sent by this database will not allow access from off campus. From off campus re-search the database for the specific article. 

=>Finding Articles: {if not full-text in a journal database}:
Use either an online database {above} to find journal articles or, especially for articles before the mid-1980s, the Art Index at INDEX N5300.A78 {ask at the Reference Desk}. =>Steps for Finding Articles at the Auraria Library.

To locate the article in the Library {if not full-text online}, do a periodical title search in Skyline to see if Auraria Library owns the journal title. Try a search on the journal entitled SCULPTURE. Be sure you determine the format of the journal if we own it, i.e., is it in print, microfiche, microfilm, or bound? Then visit the Periodicals department at Auraria Library for assistance finding and copying your articles. If Auraria doesn't own the journal (or the issue you need), you may complete a interlibrary loan form (ILLiad) request for the article.

=>Internet Resources:
ArtSource. "...a gathering point for networked resources on Art and Architecture. The content is diverse and includes pointers to resources around the net as well as original materials submitted by librarians, artists, and art historians, etc. This site is intended to be selective, rather than comprehensive. For help in locating specific art-related information the *BEST* source of information is your local art librarian...keep in mind that while there is a tremendous amount of information available here, not everything is available via the Web!" {from the Artsource site}.

Artchive. Multi-link site recommended by many art professors. Under the "Galleries" link you can find an excellent "Sculpture Garden" that leads to images of Egyptian, Greek, Renaissance, Baroque, African, and Modern Sculpture.

Artcyclopedia. The Fine Art search engine. "We have compiled a comprehensive index of every artist represented at hundreds of museum sites, image archives, and other online resources. We have started out by covering the biggest and best sites around, and have links for most well-known artists to keep you surfing for hours." Over 1200 arts sites indexed plus more than 32,000 links to an estimated 100,000 works by 7,500 renowned artists.

World Wide Art Resources "...over 89,000 works of contemporary art. Search by medium, subject matter, price and theme... research over 200,000 work by over 22,000 masters in the in depth art history section. Browse through new Art Blogs.

=>Evaluating websites:
Check the following sites: (1) Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply and Questions to Ask (by Joe Barker, University of California at Berkeley); and (2) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Why Its a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources (By Susan Beck, New Mexico State University Library).

=>Final Thoughts on Strategy:
Consider how your topic might be organized. Analyze "subject headings" or "descriptors" in Skyline/article indexes. The concept of a CONTROLLED VOCABULARY. We keep the five volumes of the Library of Congress Subject Headings {LCSH} near the reference desk at Z695.U4749. Or use the online version. {Try a Subject Search on SCULPTURE}.

Example: the LCSH for Mark di Suvero is: Di Suvero, Mark, 1933- ; for Exhibitions of di Suvero's work: Di Suvero, Mark, 1933- -- Exhibitions, etc......{Hint: substitute any artist's name, inverted, for Mark di Suvero, e.g., Oldenburg, Claes} . Other examples: Metal Sculpture, Outdoor Sculpture, Public Sculpture, Soft Sculpture, Macrame, Hand Weaving.

In addition, think about non-library resources: The Colorado Historical Society, Western History Department of the Denver Public Library, the Denver Art Museum, various art galleries, the telephone directory, experts in your area of inquiry, listservs on the Internet, and brainstorming with your colleagues and professors (and your local friendly librarian!).

Good luck with your research!

QUESTIONS? Please come to the reference desk or contact me directly via phone (303-556-4298) or email.