Table of Contents
Suggested reference sources
These two general reference tools are great for beginning your research regardless of your topic.
Malden, MA : Blackwell Publishing
Stanford University Libraries » Online resource » (no call number)
Provides full-text access to reference works in the humanities, social sciences, and business and management. It supports browsing and full-text searching.
[Sterling, VA] : Paratext, 2002-
Stanford University Libraries » Online resource » (no call number)
A searchable database of back-of-the-book indexes to subject encyclopedias and other reference works in a wide variety of subject areas. Search the contents of nearly 4,500 reference titles.
SearchWorks tips
SearchWorks is the name of the Stanford Libraries catalog. It contains records for books, ebooks, DVDs, journals, archival material and more. It does not contain records for articles. SearchWorks uses relevancy ranking in displaying search results, much like Google. For tips on searching for books, see the "Find books" guide at the top of the page.
SearchWorks records include linked Subject terms which describe a particular item. Below are some Subject terms which relate to this class. Note how a main heading may further subdivide by subheadings like Social aspects, Environmental aspects, Case studies, etc. Linked headings will help you discover more material on your topic.
Suggested art databases
This list of art databases will lead you to articles, essays in collected works, exhibition catalogs, etc., in the literature of art history. The first title listed is an online art encyclopedia that may provide general information about your artist, the artist's time period or school, or the theme or subject of your art work.
[Oxford, England] : Oxford University Press, c2007-
Stanford University Libraries » Online resource » (no call number)
A great starting point. Contains the full text of five reference works: Grove Art Online, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, The Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, The Oxford Companion to Western Art, and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. The Grove Art Online entries feature essays with bibliographies.
Oxford, Eng. [etc.] Santa Barbara, Calif., Clio Press [etc.]
Art & Architecture Library » Stacks » Z5935 .L2 V.4:NO.2 1973
Contains abstracts of journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, dissertations, and exhibition reviews. Publications covered go back to the 1960s.
[Bronx, N.Y.] : H.W. Wilson
Stanford University Libraries » Online resource » (no call number)
Art Full Text is a bibliographic database that indexes and abstracts articles on art and related disciplines from periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins published throughout the world. There is full-text coverage for selected periodicals.
[Bronx, N.Y.] : H.W. Wilson, 1998-
Stanford University Libraries » Online resource » (no call number)
Index of 420 art publications, including important yearbooks and select museum bulletins, from around the globe, reflecting coverage provided from 1929 through 1984. This index is continued by Art Full Text.
[Santa Monica, Calif. : J. Paul Getty Trust ; Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France : Centre national de la recherche scientifique]
Stanford University Libraries » Online resource » (no call number)
A database search engine covering European and American art from late antiquity to the present. Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) indexes and abstracts art-related books, conference proceedings and dissertations, exhibition and dealer's catalogs, and articles from more than 2,500 periodicals. This index is continued by The International Bibliography of Art.
Cambridge, UK : Proquest
Stanford University Libraries » Online resource » (no call number)
The bibliography provides authoritative coverage of international scholarship within the following broad parameters: European art from late antiquity to the present, American art from the colonial era to the present, and global art since 1945; Visual arts in all media, plus decorative and applied arts, museum studies and conservation, archaeology and classical studies, antiques and architectural history, and related fields; Scholarship from at least 500 core journals, plus detailed coverage of monographs, essay collections, conference proceedings and exhibition catalogues; Very international coverage, with at least 60% of records from non-English-language publications (principally German, French, Italian and Spanish).
News and contextual databases
Your research may branch out from strictly art-related material. The following databases are recommended.
Ipswich, MA : EBSCO Pub.
Stanford University Libraries » Online resource » (no call number)
A multidisciplinary database which provides full-text for over 4,650 scholarly publications, more than 3,600 of them peer-reviewed. Includes topics in the social sciences, humanities, general science, education and most areas of academic study. Abstracts and indexing provided for 8,200 journals in the collection. Coverage is from 1965 to the present. This tool is another great starting point when exploring recent scholarship on your topic.
[San Diego, etc., Sociological Abstracts, inc.]
SAL3 (off-campus storage) » Stacks » HM1 .S67 V.52:NO.6 2004
CSA Sociological Abstracts indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database provides abstracts of journal articles and citations to book reviews drawn from over 1,800+ serials publications, and also provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers.
[Bethesda, Md.] : Cambridge Scientific Abstracts
Stanford University Libraries » Online resource » (no call number)
Contains citations and summaries of journal articles, book chapters, books, and technical reports in the field of psychology and psychological aspects of related disciplines including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, anthropology, business and law.
[Beverly Hills] : Sage Publications.
Green Library » InfoCenter (non-circulating) » HT101 .S2 V.35 2007
Urban Studies Abstracts includes bibliographic records covering essential areas related to urban studies, including urban affairs, community development, urban history, and other areas of key relevance to the discipline. Records are selected from many of the top titles within the discipline, including Journal of Urban Affairs, Urban Studies, and Canadian Journal of Urban Research.
Chester, Vt. : NewsBank, inc.
Stanford University Libraries » Online resource » (no call number)
Access World News from NewsBank provides full-text information and perspectives from over 600 U.S. and over 700 international sources, each with its own distinctive focus offering diverse viewpoints on local, regional and world issues. Date coverage varies with individual newspaper. Also includes thousands of broadcast transcripts, newswires, video clips, and news blogs.
[Bethesda, Md.] : CSA Illumina [distributor]
Stanford University Libraries » Online resource » (no call number)
Offers a comprehensive listing of journal articles published worldwide on architecture and design, archaeology, city planning, interior design, and historic preservation. Avery indexes not only the international scholarly and popular periodical literature, but also the publications of professional associations, US state and regional periodicals, and the major serial publications on architecture and design of Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Australia. Expanded coverage includes obituary citations. Coverage is from 1934 to the present.
Suggested websites
Begun in 2010, the site chronicles steet art, graffiti, tags, murals and "anything else artistic we spot on the street."
Begun in 1994, Graffiti.org includes images from all over the world. Their stated goal is to provide cultural and scholarly information and resources to help preserve and document this constantly disappearing art form.
Stanford University Home