LIBRARY
History of Art
A guide to information sources
The purpose of this guide is to introduce you to sources of information relevant to the history of art,
concentrating on material in print form.
For more specific help, please consult the Librarian for History of Art, Katie Hambrook.
Finding books
From the Library web pages at http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/ select the Books & e-books tab to
search the Library Catalogue.
The Library Catalogue will tell you whether a book is available and will give you the shelfmark, which is the
number used to arrange the books on the shelves. The Catalogue is also available on computers in each
library and at http://capitadiscovery.co.uk/brookes/
If you are looking for a particular item and already know the title or the author’s surname, you can search
by these on the Catalogue to find the item you want.
If you are looking for books and exhibition catalogues published by a particular museum, type in the
name of the museum.
If you are looking for books on a particular artist, type in the name of the artist.
If you want to know where to find information on a particular topic, type in keywords which are relevant to
the topic (for example, Italian art patronage).
The left hand side of the Catalogue screen will display further ways to refine your search.
WWW.BROOKES.AC.UK/LIBRARY
The general shelfmarks for art history are:
069
700
720
730
740
750
760
770
Museums
General art history; theory; art galleries and museums; contemporary art
Architecture
Sculpture; ceramics
Drawing; design; crafts
Painting
Prints and printmaking
Photography
Each of these is subdivided, often according to countries, for example:
750
751
752
753-758
759
759.2
759.3
759.4
And so on.
Painting
Painting: techniques
Painting: colour
Painting: subjects (e.g. still life)
Painting: history
Painting: history: England
Painting: history: Germany
Painting: history: France
Then, at each shelfmark there are often two separate groups of books. First there is a section containing
general works arranged in alphabetical order by author. Then there is a section of books on particular
artists. These are arranged as follows:
759.5 BAX
(a general book on Italian painting by an author whose surname
begins with Bax)
759.5 ANG/C (a book on the Italian painter Fra Angelico by an author
whose surname begins with C)
759.5 BEL/A (a book on the Italian painter Bellini by an author whose
surname begins with A)
Short Loan Collection
The Short Loan Collection, on level 1 next to the Welcome Desk, contains books in heavy demand.
Where to find art history books
Books with 069 shelfmarks are on Level 2, in the compact shelving next to Zone B.
Books with shelfmarks 700-709 are on Level 3, in Zones D and E.
Books on Oxford are kept in the Local Collection on Level 3, in Zone E. This includes books on Oxford
buildings and museums.
Museum of Modern Art Oxford (MOMA) Collection
The Library holds the Museum of Modern Art Oxford Collection, a very significant collection of exhibition
catalogues from galleries world-wide. The coverage of the Collection is primarily of post-1960s art but
items covering earlier periods in the history of art are also included. The material in the Collection is for
reference use only. It is in the process of being catalogued so does not all appear on the Library
Catalogue and you will also need to browse the shelves in order to search the Collection. It can be
found on Level 3, in the compact shelving at the end of Zone B.
Books with shelfmarks 720-779 are on Level 4, in Zones C, B and A.
Oversize books are on Level 4, in Zone E.
Reading lists
Reading lists for some of your modules will be available online via the Moodle courses (and also via the
Library web pages Reading lists tab).
Discover
Our Discover search is the first search option on the Library web pages. This searches the books in the
Library Catalogue, and many of our journal articles, image databases and other resources.
Finding journals and journal articles
For information about how to find art history journal articles, see the library guide Finding art history journals
and journal articles available from the library web pages at http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/arthis.html.
This includes advice on using online databases to find out what journal articles have been published on a
specific subject.
Online resources
The library art history database web pages (at http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/arthis/arthisdb.html) give
access to bibliographic databases, electronic journals, and collections of early books, journals and
newspapers.
The library art history internet web pages (at http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/arthis/arthisint.html) give
access to a range of recommended internet sites, online encyclopedias, and image databases. The Library
subscribes to ARTstor and Bridgeman Education, databases of art history images which can be viewed and
downloaded for educational purposes.
More information
If you need any more information or help, please contact your Librarian, Katie Hambrook, by email,
telephone or in her office in the Headington Library: JHB 310 (Level 3, Zone C).
Katie Hambrook – Academic Liaison Librarian for History of Art
Headington Library
Oxford Brookes University
Gipsy Lane
Headington
Oxford OX3 0BP
Tel: 01865 483146
Email: khambrook@brookes.ac.uk
October 2015