This and other research guides are on the ACC Library web page under
Research Guides & Tutorials: http://library.sunyacc.edu

Adirondack Community College, 640 Bay Road, Queensbury, NY 12804
(518) 743-2260

Books | Reference books | Articles | Web sites

At any point in your research, please consult a reference librarian. Librarians are available whenever the library is open at (518) 743-2200 ext. 2462. Library hours are listed on the ACC Library's home page: http://library.sunyacc.edu.

Finding Books:

To find books or multimedia items, search the ACC book catalog (ACC Library web page > Finding Books > Catalog):

• Reference books, on the library’s main floor, don’t leave the library, so are always available.
• Circulating books, on the upper level of the library, may be checked out for four weeks.
• Videos, DVDs and music CDs may be borrowed by faculty. Students may use equipment near the video/DVD shelves.

Search tip: Start with a keyword search. When you find an interesting book, look for the subject headings in the book's online description. Click on any that refine your search best. We recommend visiting the ACC Library's Research Guides & Tutorials page, which offers a narrated tutorial on searching the online catalog and two tutorials called "Research Steps," offering important search strategies. Here are some subject headings to consider using:

Reference Books:

Reference books, on the main floor, can help you select a research topic. They also offer quick background information and overviews on subjects.

Art books are found in the Library of Congress call number section “N”, in both the Reference and

           Circulating Collections. Architecture is NA, Painting is ND, Drawing is NC, etc. The call number

CT is Biography. (See our Library of Congress Classification System guide on the ACC Library Web page, under Research Guides.) Try these reference books for an overview of your subject:

Art Encyclopedias and Dictionaries:

Biographical Sources:

History and Culture:

You may also use the National Geographic Web site: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/publications/ .

Signs and Symbols:

ARTstor:

       ARTStor is a database offering high-quality images of artwork from museums and collections around the world. You can search by keyword or browse, or view museum collections or groups of images selected by your instructors. Register to access all options.

          To use ARTstor, go to: ACC Library > Finding Articles > Subject Databases > ARTstor. Note: This is a subscription database. ACC students, faculty and staff may log in from off-campus with their campus network user names and passwords. Just follow screen directions.

Gale Virtual Reference Library:

You can search thousands of full-text chapters from more than 250 reference books published by Gale Cengage Learning. The ACC Library owns many of these books in printed format also. The Document Title search will search for your term in the chapter titles, giving you full-text chapters from the reference books. The content is the exactly the same as the original printed books. Thisis a subscription database, available from off-campus to ACC students, faculty and staff. Find this database with these links: ACC Library Web page > Finding Books > Reference > Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Among the books it searches are: Arts and Humanities through the Eras (5 vols., 2005) and Comic Art of the United States through 2000, Animation and Cartoons: An International Bibiliography (2005).

Finding Articles:

Journal articles offer current and specific information and research. Search for journal articles by subject through any of the ACC Library's dozens of article databases. Many but not all offer full-text links to articles. (If needed, ask a reference librarian about finding an article though another database, print sources or interlibrary loan if it's not full-text.).

Article databases are subscription-only products. ACC students and faculty may search these from home by following screen directions. To get your ACC student username and password, see Lookup Account and Password on the Student Portal page. For a full list of journals ACC Library receives, see the online Periodicals at ACC list or check the card file at the Circulation Desk.

From the ACC Library Web page, go to Finding Articles. Then, choose either:

• General Databases to find articles on a current, popular or multidisciplinary topic and need a mix of newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals; or
• Subject Databases to find specialized articles on one subject only, such as business, science, literature, nursing, etc.

Among the General Databases are:
● EBSCO's Academic Search Premier: Over 8000 journals; about half are full-text.
● JSTOR: full-text; 117 journals covering the arts, sciences and social sciences.
● New York Times: Current (1980-present) and historical editions (1851-2003).
● WilsonSelectPlus: Completely full-text; 1+ million articles from 1400 journals.
● New York State Newspapers: includes New York Times full-text.
● Opposing Viewpoints, CQ Researcher, more.

Articles offer current viewpoints and news, as well as gallery reviews and interviews with artists. You can use the article databases or browse the journals listed below:

Print indexes :                                                        On the Reference Book shelves

Use print indexes to find articles published more than 20 years ago, before online databases:

Two indexes that offer useful art-related articles are:

- HarpWeek database : (under Subject Databases) Full-text articles with pictures from Harper’s Weekly Civil War issues, 1857-1865.

-The New York Times - The New York Times is a fine source of information about art, particularly gallery shows in New York. The New York Times from 2000 to the present may be found in full-text form in the New York State Newspapers database, and it may be found in microfilm in the ACC Library back to 1851.

Web sites:

Here are some recommended Web sites. Of the billions of Web sites in the world, these are more appropriate for college-level research.

Librarians’ Internet Index  
http://lii.org
This subject directory lists only high-quality Web sites. Search for a subject such as Picasso, or click on Arts, then browse for subtopics: exhibitions, artists, painting, etc.

University at Albany’s Art Guide 
http://library.albany.edu/subject/art_main.html
Excellent collection of quality Web sites on art history, associations, museums, more.

For art images from Google's Images database, use the Advanced Search screen here:
http://images.google.com/advanced_image_search?hl=en

For more art Web sites, see this book:

Art Information and the Internet : How to Find It, How to Use It (Ref. N 59 .J66 1999)
Lists Web sites of museums, artists, resources for architecture, photography, decorative arts and more.

For more information:

Consult a reference librarian at any point in your research. You may also want to see other online ACC Library research guides.

Also see other ACC Library’s research guides such as “Finding Information on Anthropology and Archaeology.” Research guides are located along the back of the Reference Desk and on the Library Web page (under Research Guides and Tutorials). They contain our recommendations for books, articles and Web sites on history and culture.

Updated Aug. 2008/BDA