Art 100 - World Art - Professor Blackwood: Find Books

Use the Library Catalog to search for electronic books by subject, keyword, author, or title.

• refine search results by Availability and select Available Online
• further refine the results by Resource Type and select Books 

The general call number for books on all aspects of art is:

N1 – NX765 (Main Stacks and Oversize Stacks)

Ever wonder how books are shelved?

In this library we use The Library of Congress Classification System to organize books on the shelves. The LC SYSTEM organizes material in libraries according to twenty-one branches of knowledge called classes. The system uses letters to represent the twenty-one broad branches of knowledge. The letters I, O, W, X AND Y are not used.

 The twenty-one classes are:

A – GENERAL WORKS

B – PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGY, RELIGION

C – AUXILIARY SCIENCES OF HISTORY

D – HISTORY: GENERAL & OUTSIDE THE AMERICAS

E – HISTORY: UNITED STATES

F – HISTORY: UNITED STATES LOCAL & AMERICAS

G – GEOGRAPHY, ANTHROPOLOGY, RECREATION

H – SOCIAL SCIENCE

J – POLITICAL SCIENCE

K – LAW

L – EDUCATION

M – MUSIC & BOOKS ON MUSIC

N – FINE ARTS

P – LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

Q – SCIENCE

R – MEDICINE

S – AGRICULTURE

T – TECHNOLOGY

U – MILITARY SCIENCE

V – NAVAL SCIENCE

Z – BIBLIOGRAPHY, LIBRARY SCIENCE & INFORMATION RESOURCES

These twenty-one broad subject areas are further divided into more specific subject areas by adding one or two additional letters as well as some numbers. For a more detailed breakdown of any subject, go to the Library of Congress web page. 

So, How Do I Find a Book on the Shelf?

Try this exercise, which was put together by the librarians at Kent State University, to see if you have figured out the Library of Congress system!

Finding Books on Your Topic 

Once you have chosen a topic and done your background research you will be ready to conduct more comprehensive research using books.

Use the Library Catalog to find books. Books can provide a broad overview of a topic or in-depth information. You can search for books by author, title, subject, or keyword. 

I recommend searching in the library catalog by your artist's name.  Other search options are below.

Art/Painting/Sculpture (add any historical period to your search) Art Ancient; Art Rococo; Art 16th century; Art, Modern; Art, Prehistoric	Additional subject headings Commercial Art; Symbolism in Art; Cave Paintings Keyword Search Terms Examples Art and Aesthetics; Art and Symbolism; Painting and Criticism
Art/Painting/Sculpture (add any country, region, or group to your search) Art Mexico; Art Asia; Art Africa; Art Asian; Art African; Art Islamic	Artist’s name (Search by Subject or Author, type last name first) Picasso, Pablo; Kahlo, Frida

Here are a few E-books which may help with your research:

Here are a few books in the library's main stacks: