YOUR LIBRARY CONTACTS:

Call or email us for appointments:
John Burchard (503 725-4192) burcharj@pdx.edu
Sharon Elteto (503 725-4190) eltetos@pdx.edu

ASSIGNMENT

ArH 493/593 - History of Modern Art Research Skills
Professor Sue Taylor Spring 2003

An Annotated Bibliography

The Assignment. Although you will not actually write a research paper for this course, you will develop an annotated bibliography which would be a first step towards that goal. With the assistance provided in training sessions with librarians John Burchard and Sharon Elteto, you will create a list of fifteen books, book chapters, exhibition catalogues, journal articles, reviews, and/or interviews for a (hypothetical) ten-page essay on one of five contemporary artists. At least one of your bibliographic sources must be an article from a peer-reviewed journal.

Library Session. On Friday, May 9, our class will meet in Millar Library for hands-on database demonstrations. If your last name begins with letter A-J, go to room 160 in the library; K-Z will meet in room 170. Class begins promptly at 9 a.m.

Possible Topics. Your choices are: Louise Bourgeois, Helen Frankenthaler, Eva Hesse, Yayoi Kusama, Alice Neel, Yoko Ono, or Kara Walker. As you explore the literature on the artist you select, think about a theme for your paper. Bourgeois, for example, has made prints; drawings; sculpture in wood, metal, cloth, and stone; and installations she calls "Cells." Any of these media could be the subject of a hypothetical ten-page essay. Much of her work is autobiographical, revisiting emotional traumas she experienced in her youth. Although she rejects the label "surrealist," critics still associate her interest in the unconscious with the surrealist program. Within each subject, a whole range of possible topics is available to you.

Thesis. Decide what aspect of your artist's work you would write about. Give your hypothetical essay a title and type this title at the top of your assignment. Beneath the title, write a thesis statement of one sentence. Example:

Louise Bourgeois and the Body in Pain

Thesis: Throughout her career and in all media, Louise Bourgeois has relied on the image of the human body to express the emotional trauma of family dysfunction and betrayals.

Then list the fifteen bibliographic sources you would use if you were to pursue this line of research.

Annotation. Following each citation on your bibliography, briefly describe in one or two sentences the content and length of the book or article, noting its unique features or emphases, and indicate whether it is illustrated and with how many pictures. Is there an extensive bibliography in the book, a chronology of the artist's life, an index?

Format. Your bibliography must follow the format prescribed by the University of Chicago Manual of Style, which is handily summarized by Sylvan Barnet in A Short Guide to Writing about Art. Be sure that your entries are alphabetized by author's last name and are properly punctuated. Please double space each entry (to allow room for instructor's comments) and use 12-point type, i.e., the size you are reading now. Please submit 2 copies of your assignment.

Criteria for Selection. Following each annotated entry on your bibliography, list your reason(s) for choosing the book or article. Your criteria for selecting the item might include, for example: the topic seemed appropriate to my research, the item was current, the source was one I knew to be reliable, the illustrations were numerous and/or attractive, the author was familiar to me, the essay appeared in a peer-reviewed journal.

General Research Questions. When you have completed your bibliography, please use an additional page to answer the following four questions about your process:

1. What databases did you use?
2. What were your search terms?
3. How did you identify possible relevant books or articles from your retrievals?
(E.g., I read the title, I read the abstract, I looked at the subject headings.)
4. Did you try to use ORBIS to secure more loans?

Following Instructions. In order to receive an A on this assignment, you must follow all these instructions completely and to the letter!

Due Date. The assignment is due on Friday, May 30, at 9 a.m. Late bibliographies will be graded as follows: those received on May 30 after 9 a.m. will begin with a B grade; on Monday, June 2, with a C grade; on Tuesday, June 3, with a D. Assignments submitted later than June 3 will not be accepted.

If you need help finding materials call Sharon (5-4190) or John (5-4192) for an appointment.

FINDING ARTICLES
Look in the databases for Art or Architecture:

Art Full Text
Art Full Text provides indexing and abstracting of art periodicals published throughout the world. Full-text coverage for selected periodicals is also included. In addition to articles, Art Full Text indexes reproductions of works of art that appear in indexed periodicals.http://www.lib.pdx.edu/resources/databases/databases_A-K.html#a
Coverage:
Indexing - 1984 - present
Abstracts - 1994 - present
Full Text - 1997 present

Art Index Retrospective. Comprehensive, retrospective indexing from Art Index from 1932-1984. All personal names, uniform titles, organization names, topical terms, and geographic names have been reconciled with current Art Index headings. The file size is currently over 400,000 records, citing articles and reproductions from 420 periodicals. Coverage: 1929 - 1984 http://www.lib.pdx.edu/resources/databases/databases_A-K.html#a

ARTbibliographies Modern. 1974 - Present. Provides abstracts for journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, PhD dissertations, and exhibition reviews on all forms of modern and contemporary art. Subject coverage includes modern and contemporary arts dating from the late 19th century onwards, and including photography since its invention. http://www.lib.pdx.edu/resources/databases/databases_A-K.html#a

FINDING JOURNALS: Journals are shelved by call number. To find the call number for a journal go to the online catalog: http://vikat.pdx.edu.

Type in the NAME OF THE JOURNAL.

FINDING BOOKS

The Millar Library uses the “Vikat” online catalog. From the Library homepage at http://www.lib.pdx.edu, click on “Catalog – Vikat”. You can search by author,title, subject, keyword, call numbers, etc. At any point in your search of our library’s holdings, you can look for additional resources in approximately 20 academic libraries by clicking on the red “Search in ORBIS” button.

Worldwide Art Catalog Collection: The Millar Library subscribes to a service that provides hundreds of exhibition catalogs every year. They are shelved under the general call number N405.W6. When you have searched Vikat and retrieved a book cataloged under this number, you will know that it is an exhibition catalog. You need to write down the catalog number that appears as part of the call number: e.g., N405 .W6 no. 17569. Books with N405 . W6 call numbers are shelved in numerical order on the third
floor.

REFERENCE SHELF

There is much scholarly and bibliographic information which can be found in print reference sources that must be read in the library. The following Reference books are all located in the second floor Research and Learning Center:

Contemporary Women Artists ____ Ref N8354.C66 1999. This is an excellent source for essential information about an artist: biographical article; chronological list of exhibitions; bibliography of books, articles, interviews relating to the artist, etc.

Contemporary Artists ____ Ref N6490.C6567 2002. Includes much of the same material as item #1, but with updated and additional information.

The Dictionary of Art _____ Ref N31.D5 1996. 34 volumes. An encyclopedia of all the visual arts. Available electronically, as a Database from the Library homepage, under “Grove’s Dictionary of Art Online,” with links to other online information.

Dictionary of Women Artists _____ Ref N8354.D53 1997. A good source for information on the more prominent women artists.

Art Books: A Basic Bibliography of Monographs on Artists _____ Ref Z 5938.F73 1997. Useful for finding treatises, dissertations, biographies, catalogues, etc., on particular artists.

Artist Biographies Master Index _____ Ref N40.A78 1986. Contains approx. 250,000 citations to biographies of artists in biographical dictionaries. Useful for finding information on obscure artists.

Encyclopedia of World Art _____ Ref N31.E533. 17 volumes. Published between 1959 and 1987, this massive and comprehensive resource is especially good for in-depth articles, with extensive bibliographies, on broad topics (e.g., “Japanese art”).

RILA, International Repertory of the Literature of Art (Ref Z5937.R16) and BHA, Bibliography of the History of Art (Ref Z5937.B53) contain comprehensive bibliographies which are now included in the online Database “Bibliography of the History of Art”.

Sculpture Index _____ Ref NB36.C55. 3 volumes. A standard source for finding sculptures by title, location, subject, sculptor, etc.

Worldwide Bibliography of Art Exhibition Catalogs, 1963-1987 _____ Ref Z5939.W675 1992. 3 volumes.

CALL NUMBERS FOR ART

Most art materials which circulate (Location = “PSU Stacks”) will be found in the “N’s” on the third floor. Photography (“TR”) and Crafts (“TT”) can be found on the fifth floor. All Reference books (Location = “PSU Reference”) will be found on the second floor. The “N’s” can be subdivided as follows:

N Visual Arts. General
NA Architecture
NB Sculpture
NC Graphic arts: drawing, design, illustration
ND Painting
NE Print Media: printmaking, engraving, woodcuts, lithography, etc.
NK Decorative Arts. Applied Arts. Decoration and Ornament.
NX Arts in general, including works dealing with two or more arts
(for example, the performing arts and the visual arts)

STUDENT HELP

What Is a Scholarly Journal?
Five Top Tips for Searching Databases
Research Survival Guide
Ask A Librarian
Off Campus Access to Library Databases
Citing Sources

PSU Library Online Catalog Vikat: http://vikat.pdx.edu/
Vikat is the Portland State University online catalog for books. Use VIKAT to search for books by keyword, author, title, subject. VIKAT locates journals by periodical title, not by subject. Boolean operators can limit or expand searches depending on which one is used.

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