About the library

Five essential databases

Art Full Text
1929-present. Great for research in art history and theory as well as contemporary artists. Includes articles from international art journals, magazines, yearbooks, and museum bulletins. Some full text.
ARTstor
Thousands of high-quality digital images, including collections from major museums and archives. Search for artworks, architecture, historical images, and photographs. Advanced features are available to faculty. To learn how to get the most out of ARTstor, watch their training videos on YouTube.
JSTOR
1603-three years ago. A wonderful source for full-text scholarly articles in history and art history. Includes 19th century art journals and museum publications. Full text.
Oxford Art Online
Online encyclopedia great for finding information about individual artists and movements. Includes the important and comprehensive Grove Dictionary of Art. Full text.
WorldCat
Use WorldCat to find and request books in libraries all over the United States, Europe and Asia. Perfect for finding exhibition catalogs that may only be owned by a few libraries.

Acknowledgements

The current guide is based on one originally created by Gwen Evans.

The Library is located next to the art building. We have books, journals, DVDs and special collections as well as online databases.

Books
Many art and architecture books are located on the first floor of the library in the N's; photography can be found on the 8th floor in the T's. Don't forget the oversized books! Also on the first floor, these contain many of the best images.

First floor map

To check out books, use your BGSU ID.

Journals
The library has print journals from 1997 to the present. Older volumes can be requested from the Depository. Print journals are on the first floor in alphabetical order by title. In addition, there are magazines and fanzines like Art Freak and Flygirl in the Music Library and Popular Culture Library.

Print journals cannot usually be checked out, but the library has scanners and color copiers on the first floor.

DVDs and videos
DVDs and videos are on the first floor by the oversized books, in the Popular Culture Library, and online.

Students can check out first-floor DVDs and videos for one week and DVDs from the Popular Culture Library for 3 days.

Special Collections
The Browne Popular Culture Library, on the 4th floor, has a wealth of visual materials, including comic books, graphic novels, posters and postcards.

The Music Library & Sound Recordings Archives, on the 3rd floor, is good for finding not only music books and records but also album covers, posters, and life-sized cardboard standups.

The Curriculum Resource Center, on the 2nd floor, has resources for teachers but also puppets, picture files, illustrated children's books, pop-up books, and the Ellison Machine, which will punch out an amazing variety of shapes from paper or cloth.

Special materials in the PCL and Music Library cannot be checked out, but they can usually be copied or scanned.

Online databases
Databases are the best way to find articles, but they are good for finding books and images, too. Databases for artists are mostly in the Arts & Humanities and Images & Media lists. See the box at the left for a few really good ones.

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