Research Guides: Art: Library Resources

Resources on the Web

American Institute of Graphic Art
AIGA advocates for a greater understanding of the value of design and designers in government, business, and media. They inspire designers and the public by sharing the most exciting design work and engaging in thoughtful, provocative discussion on pressing issues.
United States National Gallery of Art
Works of art from the Renaissance to the present day. Includes European and American masterpieces in every medium.
Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM)
The Smithsonian American Art Museum, the nation’s first collection of American art, is an unparalleled record of the American experience.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Browse or search works in the collection. Some have images that appear on the website.
Timeline of Art History -The Metropolitan Museum of Art
View works of art by time period and geographical region. Includes an overview, events, and works of art of the perspective time period.
The National Gallery
Browse the museum collection by artist & by century (time period of work).
The Getty Museum
Getty is a cultural and philanthropic institution dedicated to the presentation, conservation, and interpretation of the world’s artistic legacy.
Art UK
Your Paintings is a website which aims to show the entire UK national collection of oil paintings, the stories behind the paintings, and where to see them for real. Allows you to browse by painting or artist. You can also search by artist last name or by what is in the painting.
Google Art Project
Museums large and small, classic and modern, world-renowned and community-based from over 40 countries have contributed more than 40,000 high-resolution images of works ranging from oil on canvas to sculpture and furniture.
Artcyclopedia
Browse by artist name, medium, subject, artist nationality, and art movement. Provides links to museums & galleries that house artist works as well as image archives.

Resources for Local Art

Kentucky Museum at WKU
Advances an understanding and appreciation of history and art
WKU - Fine Arts Center Galleries
Curated and maintained by the Department of Art, are comprised of the main, two-story University Gallery and adjacent 2-D and 3-D Corridor Galleries.
Bowling Green Gallery Hop
Mission is to provide the community with the opportunities to observe, learn and connect with each other through the social art scene.

Resources in Library Databases

Note: Use your KCTCS username and password to log into most databases off campus. Some databases may only be available from a SKYCTC campus computer.

EBSCOhost Databases This link opens in a new window
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Comprises most of our EBSCOhost collection for e-journal articles both scholarly and non-peer reviewed, newspapers articles, eBooks, and more.
Watch this short video on how to use this database:
provided by KYVL
Fine Arts (Gale) This link opens in a new window
With hundreds of full-text magazines and journals covered in databases such as the Wilson Art Index and RILM, this collection will provide your students with resources to support research in areas such as drama, music, art history, and filmmaking.
Watch this short video on how to use this database:
Pop Culture Studies (Gale) This link opens in a new window
This collection provides useful information for any researcher in a social science, history, art or liberal arts course. This collection is made up of hundreds of subject-appropriate full-text periodicals.
Watch this short video on how to use this database:
Academic Video Online (AVON) (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Delivers more than 62,000 titles on a range of subject areas from anthropology to business, counseling to health, and more. Includes content like documentaries, films, and demonstrations.
Ebook Central (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
SKYCTC's ebooks from ProQuest. Includes 56,000+ ebooks from leading publishers including unique titles from Wiley, 130 university presses, and more. Collections cover subjects such as: biology, business management, computer science/IT, education, engineering & manufacturing, history, literature, nursing and other health-related fields, physical sciences, psychology, religious studies and sociology.
EBSCOhost eBook Collection This link opens in a new window
Electronic book collection, including fiction, nonfiction, and reference.
Watch this short video on how to use this database:
eBooks from the University Press of Kentucky This link opens in a new window
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KYVL has partnered with the University Press of Kentucky to make more than 1,300 titles in the collection freely available to KYVL members. This collection includes topics ranging from architecture to business, education to law, Arts & Humanities and studies in Romance languages to social & behavioral sciences and STEM fields.

Find Background Information

Why is background information important?

Provides an overview of an unfamiliar topic.
Give you basic information about a topic like definitions & summaries.
Helps you broaden or narrow your search.

Reference materials, such as encyclopedias and dictionaries, are great sources of background information.

Britannica Online: Academic Edition This link opens in a new window
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Includes Encyclopædia Britannica plus Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus, magazines, periodicals, e-books, news, multimedia, an interactive world atlas, and more.
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Credo Reference is an e-reference database. With hundreds of digital reference titles from over 100 publishers, this database offers a user-friendly interface to access curated, authoritative reference sources, providing users with a firm foundation for understanding a topic. Credo helps users gather background information, find key terms and concepts, and even connect to e-journals in the library databases to access more specialized information and peer-reviewed articles.
Watch this short video on how to use this database:
eBooks from Master Academic eBook Collection (Infobase) This link opens in a new window
With more than 2,500 core reference works from the Facts On File, Ferguson’s, and Bloom’s imprints. Coverage includes a wide range of academic subject areas—from literature and language reference, to world history, religion, and philosophy. Also includes Literary Classics eBook collection and Sacred Text eBook collection.

Find Library Resources

Type keywords in the Library Search box below to search most of the SKYCTC, KCTCS, and KYVL databases to find articles, books, and other resources.

How to Find Resources in Library Search
A short introduction to searching and saving favorites in Library Search.
Tutorial on How to Use Library Search
For an in-depth tutorial on how to do effective searches in Library Search.

Resources in SKYCTC Learning Commons (L-113)

Art 21: Art in the Twenty-first Century DVD by PBS
Call Number: DVD N6512 .A6685 2003
ISBN: 9780780645387
Publication Date: 2003
Meet diverse contemporary artists through revealing profiles that take viewers behind the scenes into artists' studios, homes, and communities to provide an intimate view of their lives, work, sources of inspiration and creative processes.
Artists of the 20th Century DVD by Kultur International Films
Call Number: DVD ND673.M35 R46 2003
ISBN: 9780769726670
Publication Date: 2004
Great Masters of the Italian Renaissance DVD
Call Number: DVD ND615 .G74 2007
ISBN: 9780769785004
Publication Date: 2007
Art by Dorling Kindersley Publishing Staff; Andrew Graham-Dixon; Mary Acton; Iain Zaczek
Call Number: NX440 .A77 2008
ISBN: 0756639727
Publication Date: 2008
The definitive visual guide to over 2,500 paintings and sculptures from around the world, from prehistory to the 21st century.
Great Artists Explained by Robert Cumming
Call Number: ND1145 .C86 2007
ISBN: 0756628709
Publication Date: 2007
Dictionary of Symbols in Western Art by Sarah Carr-Gomm
Call Number: Reference NX7740 .C29 1995
ISBN: 9780816033010
Publication Date: 1995
Symbolism by Rodolphe Rapetti; Deke Dusinberre (Translator)
Call Number: N6757.5.S94 R3713 2005 REFERENCE
ISBN: 9782080304926
Publication Date: 2005
The Oxford Dictionary of Art by Ian Chilvers (Editor)
Call Number: N33 .O93 2004 REFERENCE
ISBN: 0198604769
Publication Date: 2004

Librarian / Associate Professor

Ryan Dowell

Email Me

Contact:

Main Campus - Learning Commons
Building L, Office 119A

270-901-1171

Subjects: Library and Information Services