1.   BACKGROUND INFORMATION

For excellent background information on specific topics or issues, look at a multi-disciplined reference sources like Gale Virtual Reference and Bloomsbury Cultural History. For background information about art and architecture start with Oxford Art Online, where you can look up artists, movements, etc. You can also find print and electronic specialized encyclopedias for a variety of topics by first searching the library catalog for call numbers, or asking at the help desk for the discipline. Be sure to check the bibliographie,s usually at the end of encyclopedia entries, for resources that might be useful for your research.

2.  FIND IMAGES

To identify works from different centuries browse in one of the image databases to locate images from a specific time period, subject, or artist. Start with JStor with an advanced keyword search for topic, style, time period, etc. Ex: propaganda, revolution, refugees, etc. You can also browse selected books in the Humanities Reference area (level 5,by the Help Desk), or search for art books by century, country, medium, or themes (ex. "art and war" or "war in art" as subject keywords) in ScholarSearch. Bloomsbury Cultural History is also a great resource for finding art images related to specific issues and time periods.

3.  FIND BOOKS (LIBRARY CATALOG)
For books about specific centuries, movements, medium, countries, or social issues, search by keyword in ScholarSearch.
Ex:  ​painting AND French AND 18th century

For books about the history and social or political aspects of a certain time period, search ScholarSearch by keyword.
Ex.: Vietnam War AND social aspect

*Be sure to check under both the "In the Library" and "Available Online" tabs/pages.

4.  FIND ARTICLES

To find scholarly articles in academic journals, you need to use periodical indexes.
Start with Art & Architecture Source and JSTOR (see Articles tab) for articles about artists, time period of the art work, themes in art, etc.

For articles about historical events or social issues try Historical Abstracts, Anthropology Plus, and Academic Search Ultimate (see Articles tab). Also check specific subject guides for the area of research.

Humanities Reference
Level 5
Hours: M-Th: 8am-9pm; 
F: 8am-6pm; Sat:10am-6pm

801.422.4006
humref@byu.edu