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History of art resources and support

Your Subject Librarian

Catherine Dack

Other Arts and Social Sciences Library staff can answer your more general library queries.

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History of art resources are available in these branch libraries

Most history of art resources are found in the Arts and Social Sciences Library. Notable areas within the classification scheme include:

  • N: Visual arts
  • NA: Architecture
  • NB: Sculpture
  • NC: Drawing, design, illustration
  • ND: Painting
  • NE: Print media
  • NK: Decorative arts
  • NX: Arts in general

The Arts and Social Sciences Library classmark scheme shows how the books and journals are arranged. Use the Library catalogue to find the classmark for an item.

If you need an item which is not available anywhere in the library system here in print or online, you can use the Inter-Library Loans service to obtain it from another library. There is a charge for this service, though you may be able to obtain an Inter-library loan voucher to pay for this. See the information below in the Inter-Library Loans and ILL vouchers section for details of how to obtain these vouchers. Access to other university libraries and the British Library may be a useful alternative.

New books

Course based materials

  • Recommended textbooks may be found in the Short Loan Collection (SLC).
  • Examination papers: past papers can be found on the first floor of the Arts and Social Sciences Library, on the shelves next to the pamphlet collection.

Thesis collection

History of Art PhD, and MA theses of staff and students of the Department, are available in the thesis collection in the Arts and Social Sciences Library.

Special collections

The Arts and Social Sciences Library contains a special collection of rare books.

How to find books, journals, and more

Inter-Library Loans and ILL vouchers

The Inter-Library Loans (ILL) service can be used to obtain Items not held in print in the University's branch libraries or available online. There is a charge for this service, though it may be possible to obtain an Inter-library loan voucher to pay for this:

  • History of Art Department staff can obtain inter-library loan vouchers from the departmental office.
  • History of Art taught and research postgraduate students may be entitled to vouchers but should discuss the matter with their supervisor before requesting one. Inter-library loan vouchers can be obtained from the departmental office.
  • Final year History of Art undergraduate students may be entitled to vouchers for their dissertations but should discuss the matter with their supervisor before requesting one. Inter-library loan vouchers can be obtained from the departmental office.

Information for academic staff and researchers

  • Our Research support pages cover finding information, managing information, and exploiting your research, together with sources of further help and advice.
  • Each academic department in the university has its own library representative, whose duties are detailed in these guidelines. The Library Representative for History of Art is Ed Lilley.
  • Book purchase recommendations and suggestions for new journals or databases can be made direct to the Subject Librarian, though in the latter case it is best to also discuss the matter with the Library Representative.
  • New academic staff are welcome to contact the Subject Librarian to arrange a session on how the Library can help you.

Databases

MetaLib: your resource gateway provides access to a vast range of online resources, including databases, search engines, subject gateways, and selected Internet resources.

A database guide is available for the Bibliography of History of Art. This guide is available in two formats:

Note: some of the documents on this webpage are in PDF format. In order to view a PDF you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader Get Acrobat Reader

Internet links

Please note: it is important that you are critical in judging the quality of the information that you find! The following resource will help you to use the Internet more effectively:

MetaLib

MetaLib: your resource gateway provides access to a vast range of online resources

When you use MetaLib log in with your University of Bristol username and password, this means that you gain direct access to most of the resources it contains without any further restrictions.

Additionally the following can act as a good starting point for discovering subject resources on the Internet (many of these are also found in MetaLib).

Gateways, portals and guides to art history resources

  • Intute: arts and humanities - provides access to the best arts and humanities web resources for education and research, selected and evaluated by a network of subject specialists.
  • Intute (artists index) - a searchable index of resources dedicated to 'artists' in many fields, including scholars (such as historians, philosophers, theologians and others).
  • Arlis net - a service designed to help users to locate art, architecture and design publications, plus related materials. The service currently consists of a database of periodical titles (or magazines/journals/serials), and a related directory of art library resources in general. Maintained by the National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum, for the Art Libraries Society (ARLIS/UK and Ireland).
  • 24 hour museum: The national virtual museum - provides searchable access to information about more than 3,800 UK museums, galleries and other heritage attractions. Funded by the Department of Culture Media and Sport through MLA, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.
  • Artchive - a comprehensive list of links to art images, text and articles, art reviews, online exhibitions, art theory and criticism.
  • Art guide UK - a comprehensive guide to the art collections of Great Britain and Ireland. Resources are organised by artist, by museum and geographically.
  • Art history resources on the web - a chronologically arranged directory of online resources relating to art history.
  • Art museum network - provides access to information about the collections, exhibitions, and services of the world's leading art museums and galleries.
  • Mother of all art history links - an annotated index of online art history resources.
  • National Register of Archives (NRA) research guide - sources for the history of fine art and artists - describes briefly the unpublished sources noted in the National Register of Archives (NRA), the principal relevant repositories and the most useful general works of reference.
  • National Register of Archives (NRA) research guide - sources for the architectural history.
  • WWW virtual library: history of art - a collection of links relating to art history and computer applications in art history.

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Teaching, learning and research resources

  • Art Design Media - the Subject Centre for Art, Design, Media (ADM) is part of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) established by the Higher Education Funding Councils for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales to promote high quality learning and teaching in subject communities.
  • Courtauld Colour Slide Scheme - a service of the Courtauld Institute of Art that aims to provide a slide and digital image supply service, on a not-for-profit basis, for the Institute’s own slide library and other institutions wishing to build up their visual resource collections.
  • National Art Library, Victoria and Albert Museum - web site of the major reference library (with link to online catalogue) and the Victoria and Albert Museum's curatorial department for the art, craft and design of the book.
  • Technical Advisory Service for Images (TASI) - advice and support for the academic community on the digital creation, storage and delivery of image-related information
  • AHDS Visual Arts - one of five Centres that make up the Arts and Humanities Data Service (AHDS). AHDS Visual Arts aims to support research, learning and teaching, by providing online access to visual arts digital resources and advice for their creation and use. Includes a wealth of visual arts digital collections within the areas of applied arts, architecture, design, fine art and media.

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Learned societies and professional organisations

  • Arts and Humanities Research Council - the AHRC funds research and postgraduate study within the UK's higher education institutions. In addition, on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, it provides funding for museums, galleries and collections that are based in, or attached to, higher education institutions in England.
  • Association of Art Historians (AAH) - a UK organisation that aims to promote the study of art history and represent the interests of art and design historians in all aspects of the discipline.
  • CHART - Computers and the History of Art Group - a society open to all who have an interest in the application of computers to the study of art and design.
  • Comité International d'Histoire de l'Art (CIHA)
  • Getty Research Institute - an operating program of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the Research Institute is dedicated to advancing scholarship in the arts and humanities. The site provides access to a a growing research library and extensive archival collections; and produces a range of online research tools.
  • International Center of Medieval Art - founded in 1956 in Paris and housed since 1964 in New York, the ICMA aims to promote and encourage the study, understanding, and appreciation of the visual arts of the Middle Ages produced in Europe, the Mediterranean region, and the Slavic world, during the period between ca. 300 and ca. 1500 C.E.

Quick reference tools

The following resources constitute a selection of useful quick reference tools.

Online resources

  • Union List of Artists Names (ULAN) browser - Provided by the Getty Research Institute this online research tool contains a structured vocabulary that contains around 220,000 names and other information about artists. The coverage of the ULAN is from Antiquity to the present, and the scope is global.

Resources available in the Arts and Social Sciences Library

Item Library classmark
The dictionary of art (34 vols.) N33 DIC
Encyclopedia of world art Oversize N31 ENC
Oxford companion to art N33 OXF
Oxford companion to western art N33 OXF
Oxford dictionary of art N33 OXF
Thames and Hudson dictionary of art terms N33 LUC
Thames and Hudson dictionary of art and artists N33 THA
Thames and Hudson dictionary of design since 1900 NK1390 JUL
The concise Oxford dictionary of art and artists N33 OXF
The Penguin dictionary of art and artists N31 MUR
Yale dictionary of art and artists N33 LAN
Enciclopedia dell'arte antica Oversize PAN31 ENC
A dictionary of twentieth-century art N6485.3 CHI
The Oxford dictionary of the Renaissance CB361 CAM
Handbook of modern British painting and printmaking, 1900-1990 ND468 HAN
A dictionary of Russian and Soviet artists, 1420-1970 Oversize N6981 MIL
Dent dictionary of symbols in Christian art N7830 SPE
Oxford companion to Christian art and architecture N7830 MUR
Dictionary of women in religious art N7793.W65 APO
Penguin dictionary of architecture and landscape architecture NA31 FLE
A dictionary of architecture NA31 CUR
International directory of arts. 24th ed. 1998/99 Serial N50.I6
Who's who in art. 27th ed. 1996 Serial N40.W5

Information skills training for undergraduates

  • In consultation with the Department of History of Art all new students receive an introduction to the Arts and Social Sciences Library, including a tour of the building and practical instruction on finding material in the library catalogue and retrieving it from the shelves. All new undergraduates are required to attend this induction session, students are able to sign up for a place at registration.
  • Additional, and more in-depth training in finding and using information is provided for undergraduates embarking on final year dissertations.
  • A number of general 'Self-learning resources' are available below, including video tutorials, downloadable library guides, and web resources.
  • Find out about referencing in your written work and EndNote referencing software in 'Referencing help'.

Information skills training for postgraduates

  • In consultation with the Department of History of Art all new postgraduate students receive an introduction to the Arts and Social Sciences Library, including a tour of the building and practical instruction on finding material in the library catalogue and retrieving it from the shelves. Additional training in finding and using electronic information is also provided.
  • A number of general 'Self-learning resources' are available below, including video tutorials, downloadable library guides, and web resources.
  • Find out about referencing in your written work and EndNote referencing software in 'Referencing help'.

Self-learning resources

  • Video tutorials - topics include the Library Catalogue, understanding references on reading lists, using the MetaLib resource gateway, off-campus access to eResources, etc.
  • Finding and using information pages - covering key aspects of information skills, including researching a topic, effective use of Google, evaluating your search results, avoiding plagiarism, etc. Also includes a Jargon-buster page.
  • Library guides - downloadable guides to each branch library, our main search tools, special library services, etc.
  • External resources for developing your information skills - including online tutorials and downloadable guides.
  • Find out about referencing in your written work and EndNote referencing software in 'Referencing help'.

Referencing guidance

Referencing

  • There is no single way of writing references. The two most common styles are the Harvard system and the Numeric system, details of which can be found in the guides mentioned below. You will need to use the style specified by your department or by the body or journal to which you are submitting your work. Much useful information and advice about writing and referencing, amongst other things, can be found on the History of art department web site.
  • General referencing guidance
    includes Why reference? What is included in a reference? Referencing styles, How to reference, Links to useful sites on referencing, and brief details of EndNote and EndNote Web referencing software (see the EndNote referencing software section below for more details).

Journal title abbreviations

Literature references are often written with abbreviated terms. Probably the most troublesome are abbreviated journal titles which can make finding a journal difficult.

To help in your search for journal abbreviations you may find the following information sources useful:

  • ISI Journals Abbreviations Index - covers all journal titles included in the Arts and Humanities Citation Index
  • All that JAS: Journal Abbreviation Sources - a registry of web resources that list or provide access to the full title of journal abbreviations
  • Periodical title abbreviations / compiled and edited by Leland G. Alkire - in the Arts and Social Sciences Library at Oversize Z6945.A2 PER

If you are unable to find the title of an abbreviation you are looking for please ask a member of the Library staff for assistance.

Writing for the subject, and how to avoid plagiarism

  • Barnet, Sylvan. A short guide to writing about art - in the Arts and Social Sciences Library at N7476 BAR.
  • Carrier, David. Writing about visual art - in the Arts and Social Sciences Library at N7476 CAR.
  • Hatt, Michael and Charlotte Clonk. Art history : a critical introduction to its methods - in the Arts and Social Sciences Library at N7480 HAT.
  • Pointon, Marcia. History of art : a students' handbook - in the Arts and Social Sciences Library at N7480 POI.
  • You will find many general guides to writing essays, dissertations, and research projects in the Arts and Social Sciences Library at LB2369.
  • A further list of general guides to writing and research skills is also available.
  • Our Plagiarism: information and advice for students page explains what plagiarism is, how to avoid it, and the consequences of plagiarism.

EndNote referencing software

EndNote is the University of Bristol's recommended bibliographical management software, which can be used to collect, store, organise and manage references, and to output them as reference lists or bibliographies. A particularly useful function is 'Cite While You Write', enabling you to format Word documents, producing bibliographies and adding references within the text.