Books & Media  |  Magazines & Journals  |  Indexes & Databases  | Newspapers  |  Web Sites

BOOKS & MEDIA

Locate books, videos, CD's and other media programs by and about art and art history in the online public access catalog (OPAC) by Author, Title, Subject, or keyword in title & topic. If you want to browse the book collection, N is the basic call number for books about art but it is not the only one. Photography books are shelved in the TR section, and handicrafts, such as weaving, are in the TT area.

To find information about a particular artist, perform a SUBJECT search in the OPAC, typing the artist's last name first. You might also find information about many artists in an art reference book.

Here are a few of the subject headings you can use for a SUBJECT search in the online catalog to find specific titles and call numbers of books and videotapes about art.

REFERENCE BOOKS

For quick-reference information and/or a concise overview of an art movement or technique, you may want to use reference materials that focus specifically on art. Some selected titles:

Art Beyond the West
N 5300 .K292 2002 REF

Contemporary Artists
N 6490 .C6567 REF

A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques
N 33 .M3 REF

Dictionary of Symbolism in Western Art
N 7740 .C29 1995 REF

Encyclopedia of World Art
N 31 .E4 REF

Modern Arts Criticism
N 40 .M63 REF

MAGAZINES & JOURNALS

Current Print Subscriptions

The current issues of the magazines and journals that the CCC Library receives are on the display racks near the Information Commons. Titles related to art include: ArtForum, Ceramics Monthly, The New Yorker, and Popular Photographer. See the Periodical Holdings list for additional titles.  

The most current issues may be used in the Library only. Older issues may be checked out of the Library. Lift the tilted display shelf to find the issue from the previous 6 -12 months. If you want issues older than those available here,  you will need to fill out a Periodical Request slip at the Circulation Desk.

Bound Periodicals

Many older magazines and journals were bound in hard covers for preservation. They are kept on the low shelves at the far end of the Library, next to Stack #28. These volumes may be used in the Library only.

Magazine & Journal Indexes & Databases

Use a periodical index to locate specific articles in older issues of magazines and journals. The CCC Library has both print and computerized indexes. Printed indexes list articles by Author and/or Subject. The Library's computerized indexes are databases that also contain the full-text of the majority of their citations; they can be searched by Author, Title, Subject and Keyword.  Ask the librarian at the Reference Desk for assistance with subject headings for your research topic and/or for help in using the computerized databases as needed.

Some of the indexes and databases that might be most useful in researching topics in art are:

Expanded Academic Index ASAP (available via the Library's Database page)

ProQuest Direct National Newspapers (available via the Library's Database page)

SIRS Resource Center (available via the Library's Database page)
     

NEWSPAPER ARTICLES

Newspapers are good sources for exhibit announcements and reviews. The CCC Library carries back issues of the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle on microfilm. Each of these newspapers has its own index. Ask a librarian to show you how to use these indexes, and how to operate the microfilm reader/printer machines.

INTERNET/WEB SITES

There are many sites on the Internet where you can information pertaining to art and art history. Use a search engine to help you locate them. Some search engines also provide an directory of sites arranged by broad subject area. These lists are usually broken down into even more specific aspects of a topic. They are great places to browse for interesting sites.

For a list of Internet sites about art that have been reviewed by faculty and/or librarians, see art instructor Bonnie Holt's Art Web Site Guide.

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Website created/maintained by Ellen Geringer
Send questions or comments about this page to egeringer@contracosta.edu