Reference Databases
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Over 600 reference books, including encyclopedias, dictionaries (English and foreign language), thesauri, books of quotations, as well as a range of subject-specific reference books.
- Oxford Art Online This link opens in a new window
Entries cover all aspects of the visual arts from prehistory to the present.
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
Current edition dictionaries, encyclopedias and thesauri on multiple disciplines and subjects. Simultaneous user limit is 5.
Streaming Video
We also have Streaming Video Databases. These contain Art Videos.
Performance Art Related Databases
Subject Guide
Suggested Art & Design Databases for Finding Articles & Images
Start Your Research tool It searches multiple databases for articles and the library catalog for books and other materials. This tool can be good if your topic is cross-disciplinary and you are looking for different types of materials.
Art and Design Databases
These resources can be found on the Library Home Page through the Databases link and then under the Art & Design. Most of these are for finding articles. Also refer to the Library's Image Collections resources. If you are not in the library you will be prompted for your Texas State username and password. Use the Images tab on this guide for more about finding images.
- Art & Architecture Archive
- Art & Architecture Complete
- Arts & Humanities Citation Index
- Bibliography of the History of Art / International Bibliography of Art / Repetoire Internacional de la literature d'Art from The J. Paul Getty Trust
- Design and Applied Arts Index
- Dissertations & Theses from ProQuest
- Eighteenth Century Collections Online
- Humanities Source (was Humanities Full Text, now includes Humanities International Complete)
- Gale one Fine Arts
- Pop Culture Universe
- JSTOR
- Project Muse
- rhizome.org (covers contemporary art)
Anthropology Databases
You may want to check the library's anthropology databases too. Here are a couple that might be useful. The second one is citations to articles only. You can use the periodical list to search and see if we have the journal the article appears in if you think it is something you need for your research.
Check out Primary Source Databases for articles and other materials such as photographs, paintings, etc. from the time period of the art you are researching.
You could also check out our newspaper databases, especially the historical ones, for good resources on art. Newspaper articles from the time period of the work of art can be considered a primary source material.
Other Databases
- History Databases
- Oxford Reference Online
- Web of Science - highest times cited article search
- Worldcat Searches thousands of libraries - built-in interlibrary loan request button allows you to get material we don't own.
Understanding a Journal Citation
You'll see something like this:
It's important to know the parts of a citation so you can interpret it correctly. You must have at least the Journal name, volume, issue, and page number to be able to locate the article.
Periodical List
Periodical List
You can search for a specific journal/magazine/newspaper using Periodical List or browse by subject area.
For more information see the Periodicals guide handout.