Why use books for research?
Why use books for my research?
- Detailed analysis of a topic
- Background information
- Overview of big issue
- Use their bibliographies to find other sources
Books are your friend! In art history in particular, a lot of research and scholarship is still published in book-form, so don't neglect this very useful resource!
Ways to Get Resources
There are three ways to get books at SU:
Our consortium, The University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI)
- In SURF, click "UM System Libraries" (button located next to the main Search box)
- WorldCat.orgIf we don't have what you need, search Worldcat.org to find materials, then order it through Interlibrary Loan
- Interlibrary LoanOrder books, articles and more from outside USMAI with Interlibrary Loan!
Browse by Call Number
These are call number subsections you might want to browse for books about Art & Art History topics:
- AM- Museums, Collectors & Collecting
- BH- Aesthetics
- CC- Archaeology
- N- Visual Arts
- NA- Architecture
- NB- Sculpture
- NC- Drawing, Design, Illustration
- ND- Painting
- NE- Print Media
- NK- Decorative Arts
- NX- Arts in General
- TR- Photography
For a more detailed breakdown of the call number ranges, visit the Library of Congress Classification Outline.
Searching for Books
First stop for books: SU's Resource Finder search box, also known as SURF!
https://www.salisbury.edu/libraries/ or click the image below to go to SURF's Advanced Search page:
TIPS TO REMEMBER WHEN SEARCHING IN THE CATALOG:
- Search by KEYWORDS to ensure the most relevant results to your search appear near the top.
- Limit your searches by "FORMAT" on the left side of the search page and use the other facets.
- When you find items you'd like to use in your research, be sure to see what SUBJECT TERMS were used and use those for further searching
Where are the books?
SU's books are located in the Guerrieri Academic Commons in the Pit (1st floor) and the Stacks (3rd floor). Our archival collection is located on the 4th floor of the GAC. The Curriculum Resource Center is located on the 2nd floor of TETC/Conway Hall.
Call Number Locator
The call number of a library book is like its home address. We use Library of Congress (LC) classification, which is very different from Dewey Decimal System.
The LC call numbers look like this:
PS 3564 .O9147 M36 1996
Copy and paste any call number you find in SURF to see where it lives in the library. Be sure to include the correct Collection or else it might send you to the wrong spot.
- Course ReservesDon't forget about materials that your professor has put aside for your class. You can access them at the Library Service Desk.
- Interlibrary LoanOrder books and articles for free from outside the University System of Maryland! You may have to create an account.
Online Book Collections
- MetPublicationsMetPublications is a portal to the Met's comprehensive publishing program with 1,500 titles, including books, online publications, and Bulletins and Journals from the last five decades. MetPublications includes a description and table of contents for most titles, as well as information about the authors, reviews, awards, and links to related Met titles by author and by theme. Current book titles that are in-print may be previewed and fully searched online, with a link to purchase the book. The full contents of almost all other book titles may be read online, searched, or downloaded as a PDF.
- Getty Publications Virtual LibraryIn 2014, Getty Publications launched its Virtual Library with more than 250 titles spanning its forty-year publishing history. Titles are searchable by title, author, and keyword and include full descriptions, tables of contents, links to read online, to purchase the print book, to find in a library, or to download the complete PDF for free for personal use. Only those titles that could be offered in their entirety were included in the initial launch of the Virtual Library. More will be added as they can be made available.
- Online Scholarly Catalogue Initiative (OSCI)The Getty Foundation's Online Scholarly Catalogue Initiative (OSCI) is helping museums make the transition from printed volumes to multimedia, web-based publications freely available to anyone with a computer, tablet, or smartphone. The Foundation launched OSCI in 2009 in partnership with the J. Paul Getty Museum and eight other institutions: the Art Institute of Chicago; the Arthur M. Sackler and Freer Gallery of Art; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C.; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Seattle Art Museum; Tate; and the Walker Art Center.