Library Catalog
Use the Library Catalog to find print books, print journals, and ebooks in the library's collection. Access the Library Catalog search through the library home page (https://www.holycross.edu/library). Above the search bar, select "Library Catalog." To use more advanced searching options, click on the "My Library Account" link below the search bar to go directly to the catalog, where you can search by keyword, title, subject, or call number.
Books on the shelves are organized by call number. A call number is an address for a book that tells you where the book is located on the shelf. Call numbers identify different subject areas, so books with similar call numbers will cover similar subjects. This way, when you find a book on the shelf, you know the books around it are on similar topics.
When you look up a book in CrossSearch or the Library Catalog, you will see the call number listed along with the book's location and its availability. In the example below, you can see this book is located in the Dinand Visual Arts Wing.
Art Resources in the Library
At Holy Cross, print books are organized using a system called the Library of Congress Classification or LCC. In this system, books are assigned a call number based on their subject. Books are arranged on the shelves by their call number, which acts like an address for the book. This is also helpful for browsing, because books with similar subjects will be located in the same area of the shelves.
Materials related to Fine Arts are assigned call numbers that start with the letter N. Most call numbers then have a second letter to give a more specific subject:
| N -- Visual arts | ND -- Painting |
| NA -- Architecture | NE -- Print Media |
| NB -- Sculpture | NK -- Decorative Arts |
| NC -- Drawing. Design. Illustration | NX -- Arts in General |
A Note About Photography: The Library of Congress Classification system puts photography under the technology subject, not fine arts. Therefore, print materials related to photography have a different call number than other fine arts. The call number for photography is TR.
These call numbers (N and TR) can be found in the Visual Arts Wing in Dinand Library. This wing is on the main level of the building. If you are facing the circulation desk, the Visual Arts Wing is to your left by the Hogan entrance to the building. If you have trouble finding it, ask for help at the desk!
Electronic Resources
Library Databases
You can use library databases to find images and other art related sources. Visit the A-Z Database List to see all of the databases the library subscribes to. Use the Subjects dropdown menu to filter for Art & Architecture to see databases specific to visual arts. Some databases will include journal articles, book chapters, magazines, and other print sources. Other databases will include searchable image libraries. The list below includes some recommended databases.
- JSTOR Arts & Sciences This link opens in a new windowJournal articles in almost every subject area, including some historical articles back to the 17th century. Now contains Artstor, a library of images relating to art and architecture, humanities, and social sciences.
- Art & Architecture Complete This link opens in a new window
Journal articles, magazines, and book chapters about art, art history, architecture, and design.
- A&AePortal This link opens in a new window
Academic ebooks about the history of art, architecture, decorative arts, photography, and design.
- Grove Art Online This link opens in a new window
A collection of important reference works in the visual arts, including The Concise Dictionary of Oxford Art Terms, The Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, and The Oxford Companion to Western Art.
- Oxford Reference Books: Art & Architecture This link opens in a new window
Art and architecture encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference books, published by Oxford University Press.
Other Online Image Sources
Below are some other online sources for images outside of library databases.
- LUNA CommonsA free public image resource for discovering valuable educational content with authoritative descriptive data.
- Art Images for College TeachingArt Images for College Teaching (AICT) began as a personal project dedicated to the principle of free exchange of image resources for and among members of the educational community. The University of Michigan Library provides access to this collection for educational and research purposes.
- Google Arts & CultureGoogle Arts & Culture works with museums and cultural institutions around the world to digitize art and culture resources and make them available online. Explore virtual galleries and go on virtual tours of museums across the globe.
Museums and Archives
Many museums and archives have digitized collections available on their websites. If you are looking for a specific work of art or work by a specific artist, do some research to see if that artwork is part of a museum collection. Then, look for that museum's website to see if they have accompanying photos or information about the work.
Reference Sources
Reference sources provide general overviews and background information about a topic. These include encyclopedias, dictionaries, indexes, handbooks, almanacs, and more. They are sources you refer to for information and may provide citations that lead you to more in-depth sources. When you are starting out a new topic, a reference source can help you understand the main ideas and concepts related to your topic as well as important dates, vocabulary, and basic facts.
- Oxford Reference Books: Art & Architecture This link opens in a new window
Art and architecture encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference books, published by Oxford University Press.
- Biography (Gale in Context) This link opens in a new window
Biographies of both modern and historic individuals.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica Online This link opens in a new window
Encyclopaedia Britannica Public Library Edition.
- Grove Art Online This link opens in a new window
A collection of important reference works in the visual arts, including The Concise Dictionary of Oxford Art Terms, The Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, and The Oxford Companion to Western Art.
Search Strategies
About Library Searching
Searching the library catalog or databases is a little different from how you might be used to searching in a search engine like Google. In a search engine, you can type in entire phrases or questions and the algorithm will be able to parse through that to return the results you want. In a database or library search, you need to be more precise. By choosing your search terms strategically, you can maximize your search to make sure you're getting the information you want.
Identify Search Terms
To identify keywords or search terms, start with your research topic or question. What are the key words or phrases in your question that sum up your topic? Is there specific terminology used by people in that field or subject area? Can you think of synonyms or other ways of talking about your topic? Make a list of all the key terms you can think of related to your topic, then try using a few of those terms in a library search. Searching is a process - it's good to try different combinations of terms to see what works!
Subject Terms
The library catalog and databases use subject terms to label or "tag" the main topics in an article or publication. Subject terms are part of a vocabulary unique to the database or publisher and are used to put everything related to one topic under a consistent label to make it easier to find with a search. Knowing the relevant subject terms for your topic can help streamline your search by essentially helping you speak the database's language.
When you search in the catalog or a database, you will be able to see the subject terms assigned to your results when you click for more details about a search result. Try using one of those subjects in your next search to see what results it brings back.
Suggested Subject Terms for Photography
- Photography, Artistic.
- Photographic criticism
- Women photographers
- Photograph collections
Combine Your Search Terms
You can use the words AND, OR, and NOT to combine your search terms for precise searching. These are called Boolean operators and each one has a different purpose. Using these can help narrow or broaden your search, and can help you combine topics to find more specific results. These strategies can be used in any library catalog or database.
Use AND to combine your search terms. Each search result with include all of the terms. This can help narrow your results.
- Searching for photography AND modern will find results that include both terms. Use this to combine different concepts that make up your topic to find more focused results.
Use OR to find results that contain at least one of your search terms. This can help you broaden your results, and can be good to use if the subject you're searching for is referred to in different ways.
- Searching for photography OR images will show results that include either term or both terms. Use this to search for synonyms, or words that mean similar things. Some journals may use one term over the other, so using OR makes sure you're capturing the different ways publishers may refer to the same concept.
Use NOT to exclude terms from your results. This can help you narrow your topic by removing a related term that you are not interested in finding sources about.
- Searching for photography NOT illustration will show results that only include photography and will not show any results that include illustration. Use this strategy if you are finding irrelevant results with a common keyword or subject, or if you're looking for a more specific piece of a larger topic.
The Venn diagrams below show how Boolean operators work. The purple highlighted areas represent what the search results will include.
