The purpose of this course research guide is to acquaint you with some of the resources in the University Library and online that are useful for doing research on your artist. Should you have questions, stop by the Reference Desk on the first floor. You may also call the Reference Desk at (334) 229-4110 during the hours the Library is open.

Reference Sources

Sources in the Library's Reference Collection are a great place to start your research. They'll provide background information on your artist. Begin searching for information on your artist in the sources listed below.

• The Dictionary of Art
  Main Reference: N 31 .D5 1996
• Dictionary of Contemporary American Artists
  Main Reference: N 6512 .C854 1994
• Dictionary of Women Artists
  Main Reference: N 8354 .D53 1997
• North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary
  Main Reference: N 6503 .N67 1995
• Biography and Genealogy Master Index (ASU)

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Journal, Magazine, & Newspaper Articles

The best method for finding magazine, journal, and newspaper articles on your artist is to use one of the Library's online article databases. For additional information on those listed below and for others, explore our list of databases. The databases are easily accessible off campus by clicking on the database name and typing in the information requested. If you need additional assistance with accessing the databases, contact Cedric Davis (334 229-6998) or Randy Curtis (334 229-6968) .

Some of the databases provide access to the entire text of articles. If the text of an article is not available in a database, check for the journal title in Serials Solutions (ASU) to determine if the article is available in another database. Also check HORNetCat, our online catalog, for availability of journals, magazines, or newspapers in the Serials Department on the third floor. You may order those not available in the Library or via a full-text database through Interlibrary Loan.

• Academic Search Premier (ASU)
• Expanded Academic ASAP (ASU)
• FirstSearch databases (ASU)
• InfoTrac OneFile (ASU)
• Other General/Multidisciplinary Databases
• Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe - newspapers (ASU)
• Newspaper Source (ASU)
• ProQuest Newspapers (ASU)
• Other News Databases

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Books

Art books provide both text and images. Look for the names of museums that own your artist's work. Then you can check the museum Web sites for additional information.

• HORNetCat (books in the University Library)
• netLibrary (full-text electronic books) (ASU)

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World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is an outstanding but often bewildering source of information. Not everything you find will be authoritative, accurate, and valid. Try searching one of these to find more reliable Web sites.

• INFOMINE Scholarly Internet Resource Collections
• Librarians' Index to the Internet
• Scout Report Archives

If you know which museums own your artist's work, you can explore their Web sites for additional information and images. Use a Web search engine like Google or one of the sites listed below to locate museums on the Web.

• Museums: The World-Wide Web Virtual Library
• MuseumStuff.com

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Your Comments

Please take a few minutes to let us know what you think about this guide. Has it helped with your research? Do you have any suggestions for improving the guide? You may e-mail Marsha V. Taylor (mvtaylor@alasu.edu) or call her at (334) 229-6839 with your comments and suggestions.

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