Research Guides: Art and Design: Biographic and Background Information

Biographic and Background Information

The following links will help you locate material in our and other libraries' book collections, in databases, and in online encyclopedias. Cook Library Reference Collection materials that are not available online may be found on the third floor of the library.

If Cook Library does not own a copy of the book you want, you can request it to be delivered to Cook:

Books that are requested from other University System of Maryland (USMAI) libraries should arrive within 2-5 days.
If you need a book from a library outside the USMAI system, use Interlibrary loan/ILLiad to order it.
Books that are requested via Interlibrary loan may take up to 10 days for delivery.
Look out for an email from us letting you know your request has arrived. You'll be able to pick up your requested book at the Circulation desk on the main floor of the library.

Gale in Context: Biography This link opens in a new window
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A comprehensive database of biographical information on more that 150,000 people from throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas.
Oxford Art Online This link opens in a new window
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Subscription includes: Grove Art Online, The Oxford Companion to Western Art, Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. Over 45,000 articles on every aspect of the visual arts are included. This database also includes 5,000 images from institutions such as the British Museum, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

WorldCat TU
WorldCat TU is a great way to find books not only at our library, but also through the USMAI system and libraries worldwide. The books available at Towson show up first in your search results, then USMAI, followed by other WorldCat Libraries.

Bibliography of the History of Art and RILA This link opens in a new window
The Getty now provides free access to the Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) and to the Répertoire de la litterature de l'art (RILA). The databases can be searched together or separately. Searched together, they include article citations from over 1,200 journals covering material published between 1975 and 2007.
The combined database is an important tool for Arts research, however, as a free unsupported database, Cook Library is not able to incorporate the Find It button. Citations found here will need to be tracked down through the library’s Journal List or through Interlibrary Loan.
IBA: International Bibliography of Art This link opens in a new window
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Scholarship on European art from late antiquity to the present; American art from the colonial era to the present; and global art since 1945, including the visual arts in all media. This will help you findjJournal articles, books, conference proceedings and exhibition catalogues.
Art and Architecture Archive‎ This link opens in a new window
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A full-text archive of magazines in the fields of art and architecture, dating from the late 19th century to the 21stt. Subjects covered include fine art, decorative arts, architecture, interior design, industrial design, and photography. The magazines are scanned from cover-to-cover and presented as full-color page images.

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Art and Design

Biographic and Background Information