Guides: Art and Design: Getting Started

Find Articles on Art & Graphic Design

Find scholarly articles and images

Oxford Art Online This link opens in a new window
Oxford Art Online includes over 200,000 articles that span ancient to contemporary art and architecture, as well as over 40,000 links to images of works of art, structures, and plans. In addition, There are links to timelines of world art, and MoMA lesson plans. The database also includes access to the full text of the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms, and the Oxford Companion to Western Art. Limit of 5 concurrent users.
Art Full Text This link opens in a new window
Art Full Text accesses over 250 full text journals and abstracts for over 600 art journals, and it also provides access to thousands of images, including art reproductions, photographs, and illustrations.

Find scholarly articles

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
A collection of journals, e-books, and primary sources, covering content in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences. New content for journals will not appear for 1-5 years after the publishing date.
Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
A multidisciplinary database and a leading resource for scholarly research. Includes full-text access to peer-reviewed journals in key areas of academic study, as well as indexing and abstracts for magazines, monographs, reports, and conference proceedings.

Image-rich resources, not necessarily related to art

CultureGrams Online This link opens in a new window
CultureGrams is a leading reference for concise and reliable cultural information on over 160 countries of the world providing country reports that go beyond mere facts and figures to deliver perspective on daily life and culture, including the background, customs, and lifestyles of the world's people..
Vogue Archive This link opens in a new window
The Vogue Archive is both an essential primary source for the study of fashion and a unique record of American and international popular culture. The Vogue Archive offers the full run of the American Vogue, 1892 to present. Every page, cover, advertisement, image, and fold out is indexed, searchable, and viewable in high-resolution color.
WGSN Fashion, Lifestyle, and Interiors This link opens in a new window
WGSN includes access to fashion and design trend forecasting, reports, and consumer insights. Access instructions: UCM access requires personal account setup as follows: First time users should click "Create a new account." Enter name and UCM email address. A confirmation email will be sent; follow email instructions to create a password. Returning users should click LOG IN on the upper right corner of the WGSN welcome page, and then again on the WGSN Fashion page; enter login credentials to proceed with full access. Personal accounts are valid for one semester, but can be reactivated in subsequent semesters as needed.
National Geographic Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
A complete online archive of National Geographic Magazine from the first issue in 1888 to the present. Every page and photograph is included, fully searchable by item type. Additional search features include an expanded image search, map supplements, magazine covers and advertisements.

Find biographical info on artists

Biography Reference Center This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive collection of more than 390,000 full-text biographies.

Finding books on art in the library

Library of Congress Classification for Fine Arts

LCC organizes art by medium, then by period or region. Individual artists are classed under country of origin, then alphabetically by name. The call numbers for many art resources begin with class N or its subclasses:

N - visual art (general)
LC call number schedule for class N
NA - architecture
LC call number schedule for class NA
NB - sculpture
LC call number schedule for class NB
NC - drawing / illustration / graphic arts
LC call number schedule for class NC
ND - painting
LC call number schedule for class ND
NE - printmaking
LC call number schedule for class NE
NK - decorative arts
LC call number schedule for class NK
NX - "The Arts" (inter / multi-disciplinary)
LC all number schedule for class NX

Graphic novels are located in PN 6700-6790 in the general collection and are also available in the juvenile (JE) Nonfiction collection in the northeast alcove.