Art + Design: Reference Works

Reference works are an excellent first stop in your research and are incredibly useful for the following:

• Getting an overview of a topic
• Getting topic ideas for a paper topic or narrowing your topic
• Brainstorming keywords for searching and learning the vocabulary used by authors in that area
• Learning the key works on a given topic
• Discovering the key authors on a given topic

Reference works are a good starting off point, but should not be cited in your research as they are not considered primary or secondary sources. The only exception is when reference works contain primary and secondary sources (like collections of documents and essays).

Enter a topic below

Bibliographies point you to the key works on specific subjects. They are in the stacks by their call number. Anything without a call number is an electronic resource.

Selected Print Resources

Contemporary artists

N6490 .C6567 2002. 2 volumes | 2^nd Floor Reference

Contemporary women artists
N8354 .C66 1999 | 2^nd Floor Reference

[Grove's] Dictionary of Art
N31 .D5 1996. 34 volumes. | 2^nd Floor Reference. Also available as online database.

Encyclopedia of ancient Egyptian architecture
NA215 .A74 2003 | 2^nd Floor Reference

Encyclopedia of Latin American and Caribbean art
N6502 .E53 1999 | 2^nd Floor Reference

Encyclopedia of World Art
N31 .E533. 17 volumes. | 2^nd Floor Reference

Guide to Research in Classical Art and Mythology
N7760 .V3 1991 | 2^nd Floor Reference

Historical Art Index, A.D. 400-1650
N8210 .R6 1989 | 2^nd Floor Reference

Islamic art and architecture 650-1250
N6260 .E79 2001 | 2^nd Floor Reference & 3^rd floor shelves

Mythological and Classical World Art Index
N7760 .R63 1991 | 2^nd Floor Reference

Oxford Companion to the photograph
TR9 .O94 2005 | 2^nd Floor Reference

Oxford Dictionary of Art
N33 .O93 2004 | 2^nd Floor Reference. Also available through Oxford Reference Online.

World Painting Index
ND45 .H38. 2 volumes | 2^nd Floor Reference.