Marquand Library of Art and Archaeology

Library session for WRI 104 Islam through Art and Culture

Basics | Finding Facts | Finding Books | Finding Articles | Finding Images | Library Staff Contact Info

| Basics |

Library session web page, http://marquand.princeton.edu/wri104.php

Princeton University Library web page, http://libweb.princeton.edu/

Library online catalog, http://catalog.princeton.edu/

Find Articles and Databases, http://library.princeton.edu/catalogs/articles.php

| Finding Facts |

TIP #1: Facts can be found in both print and electronic sources. Web searching is fine, but remember that the library pays for more academic resources.

Encyclopedia of Islam
Note: Only available on Library Web Computers
Provides comprehensive information on the world of Islam in disciplines ranging from religion and history to politics and culture with a geographic and chronological scope encompassing the early Arab-Islamic Empire, Iran, Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia, the Ottoman Empire and all modern Islamic states.

Grove Dictionary of Art
This good general resource includes biographies of both Western and non-Western artists, architects, patrons, critics, and collectors in addition to major entries on art styles, subjects, and media.

MENALIB - Middle East Virtual Library
Information portal for Middle East and Islamic Studies which provides access to online information and to digital records of printed and other offline media. Created by the State- and University Library of Saxony-Anhalt in Halle, Germany and integrates the efforts of many institutions and individuals.

| Finding Books |

TIP #1: You will not find articles in the online catalog, only journal titles. For articles look in databases like the Art Index.

TIP #2: When doing keyword seaches you must use AND, OR, NOT logic. See below for details.

TIP #3: If Princeton doesn't have everything you need, search large online catalogs such as RLIN or WorldCat. You can request items through the Borrow Direct service or interlibrary loan.

Keyword Searching

Try to think of words that are specific to your topic (such as architecture and Islam) and not too general (Islamic art). Think of multiple ways to describe what you want. A keyword search requires Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) or quotes.

Use quotes for exact phrases, such as "Persian painting"

Combine keywords to narrow your search

ceramics and "near eastern"
(textiles or fabric) and Iran
patronage and islam?

You can also use truncation. For example, Islam? picks up words like "Islamic" and "Islam"

Subject Searching

When you search by subject, you can search by a very broad concept (art, Islamic) to a very narrow one (French dictionaries of Islamic art in Asia). You must put your search words in a particular order, and you cannot use AND, OR, NOT.

art, Islamic
art, Islamic -- Asia -- dictionaries -- French
calligraphy, Islamic
calligraphy, Islamic -- Turkey -- Early work to 1800
Bihzad

Note: the dashes (--) between words are to illustrate the subdivisions.

Limiting Searches

The "Set Limits" button takes you to a screen where you can set limits which will narrow your search results. These limits only work with keyword searches. They stay in effect for subsequent searches unless you clear them.

You can limit by:

Date (year item was published)
Language
Item type (such as archival collection or music score)
Medium (such as a soundrecording or visual material)
Location (a specific Princeton library)
Place of publication (country, US state, Canadian province)

| Finding Articles |

TIP #1: As in the main catalog, both keyword and subject searching will work in databases like Art Index.

TIP #2: To find the actual article in the library after finding the citation, you have to search the online catalog for the title of the journal. For instance, to find the following article:

Amei Wallach, "Shirin Neshat: Islamic counterpoints." In Art in America v. 89 no. 10 (October 2001) p. 136-143.

Do a journal title search in the online catalog for Art in America.

TIP #3: Many databases support Find it @PUL, which searches for the article in full text sources and in our online catalog.

Index Islamicus
Indexes literature in European languages on Islam, the Middle East and Muslim areas of Asia and Africa, plus Muslim minorities elsewhere. Includes over 2,000 journals, conference proceedings, monographs, multi-authored works and book reviews.

Art Index
Good, all purpose index to periodicals, yearbooks, museum bulletins, competition and award notices, exhibition listings, interviews, and film reviews. Covers all the arts, including architecture.

ArtBibliographies Modern
An index to artists and movements beginning with Impressionism, up to the most recent works and trends in the late 20th century. Particularly strong in photography, lesser known artists, and foriegn language literature.

Bibliography of the History of Art
Contains records describing the current literature of art, including books, museum and exhibition catalogs, Festschriften, congress and symposium proceedings, dissertations. Very scholarly sources.

| Finding Images |

TIP #1: Use both print and electronic resources for finding images.

TIP #2: Often journal articles will contain images. Citations in Art Index will indicate if there are reproductions of plans, elevations, etc. Marquand has two scanners and a color printer, so you can scan images in for use in your papers and presentations.

Almagest
Contains digitized images for study and class use, accessible throughout the campus.

Artcyclopedia
A commercial site useful for locating images.

ARTstor
Online image collection.

CAMIO (Catalog of Art Museum Images Online)
Online collection documenting more than 115,000 works of art from around the world. Images, text and multimedia represent a broad range of works of art from the collections of the members of the Art Museum Image Consortium.

| Library Staff Contact Info |

Laurel Bliss, Assistant Art Librarian, lbliss@princeton.edu