Digital resources

These links are provided to aid research and are maintained by the library staff. The inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement of the web site, or of the opinions, products, services or programs of individuals, corporations or institutions.

* Indicates on-site access only

Databases

  • *Access World News
    Combination of global, regional and local news (Worcester Telegram and Gazette), including a unique merging of news formats (full-text articles, web-only content, PDF image editions), this resource supports a diverse range of research needs across an array of academic disciplines. Includes current and archived news content from more than 12,700 sources spanning 200+ countries and territories from 1980-present.
  • *American National Biography
    Biographies of more than 19,000 men and women — from all eras and walks of life — whose lives have shaped American history and culture.
  • *Art & Architecture Complete
    Definitive research database for the study of art and architecture. Full-text journals, magazines, books, and trade publications. Abstracts, indexing and an image collection as well.
  • *Artnet
    Leading online resource for the international art market. Auction records dating back to 1985.
  • *Artstor
    Image library covering the subjects of art, architecture, humanities, and social sciences.
  • *askART
    Artist biographies, auction records, images, book and journal references. American art is very well represented, with some international information.
  • Boston Public Library Art & Architecture Databases
    You will need a BPL e-card to access these databases. Register for a card
    Resources include: Grove Art Online, JSTOR, New York Times (1851-2016) and (1985-Present), Art History Research net, Smithsonian Collections Online, Art Full Text, Art Index Retrospective, and much more.
  • *Grove Art Online
    Authority on all aspects of the visual arts, featuring entries on artists, architects, craftsmen, patrons, movements, locations, and periods, as well as bibliographies for further research.
  • *JSTOR
    Multi-disciplinary full-text access to major scholarly journals, with some coverage dating back to the 18th century.
  • MLS Research Databases
    Includes: Boston Globe, Britannica, Proquest Research Companion & Heritage Quest, Gale products: Biography, Fine Arts, Academic OneFile & Select, General OneFile, Gender Studies, News, Religion & Philosophy, New York Times, World History, and much more.
  • *Nineteenth Century Collections online
    Digitized primary sources ranging from 1789-1914. Includes books, newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, ephemera, maps, statistics, and more.
  • *Project Muse
    Full-text scholarly journals from the humanities and social sciences.

Web resources

  • AATA Online
    A free research database containing abstracts of literature related to the preservation and conservation of material cultural heritage.
  • American Watercolor Research Portal
    The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s research portal for the study of American watercolors. This site provides resources on watercolor societies from the 19th and 20th centuries in New York City and Philadelphia.
  • Art-Collecting
    Provides the most comprehensive online gallery guides for the major art cities and every state. A valuable online resource for collectors, art consultants, galleries, artists, and art enthusiasts. Links take you directly to listed art businesses across the country where you can quickly see what’s showing, and also find out about special events such as art fairs.
  • Art Newspaper
    An online and print publication that covers the international art world. Its unrivalled news and events coverage is fed by a network of sister editions, which together have more than 50 correspondents working in more than 30 countries. In addition to the news, it publishes reviews and commentary by major players in the art scene, including Nicholas Serota, Michael Govan, Thelma Golden, Theaster Gates, Grayson Perry, Elmgreen & Dragset and Shirin Neshat—and many more.
  • Bibliographic Database of the Conservation Information Network (BCIN)
    Comprehensive, international bibliographic resource for the conservation, preservation, and restoration of cultural property.
  • BHA & RILA
    Citation databases that cover European and American visual arts materials published between 1975 and 2007.
  • *Chicago Manual of Style Online
  • Collecting and Provenance Research (Getty)
    The main database, Getty Provenance Index, contains millions of records taken from archival inventories, auction catalogues, and dealer stock books. Other databases include the Collectors Files, Payments to Artists, and Public Collections.
  • Conservation and Art Materials Encyclopedia Online (CAMEO)
    Contains chemical, physical, visual, and analytical information on historic and contemporary materials used in the production and conservation of artistic, architectural, archaeological, and anthropological materials.
  • Dictionary of Art Historians
    Biographical dictionary of historians of western art.
  • Find Art Info.
    Contains price information on fine arts, including: oil paintings, etchings, engravings, watercolors, drawings, sculptures and much more ranging from Old Masters to Contemporary art.
  • Heilbrunn Timeline Art History
    Pairs essays and works of art with chronologies, telling the story of art and global culture through the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection.
  • International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR)
    Website contains educational resources for Art law & cultural property, a provenance guide, collector’s information, and a bibliographic databases for Catalogues Raisonnes.
  • JSTOR & Artstor Open & Free Content
    Full-text open access journals and books, in addition to research reports, images, and other media.
  • OpenBibArt
    A bibliographic database containing literature on arts from Late Antiquity to the present day, providing access to close to 1.2 million bibliographic records of periodicals, books, exhibition, and auction catalogues, published between 1910 and 2007.
  • *Oxford English Dictionary
  • Print Council of America
    An online edition of The Print Council Index to Oeuvre-Catalogues of Prints by European and American Artists by Timothy A. Riggs. Also contains entries for European and American prints, print publishers, drawings, and photographs; and Japanese prints and photographs.
  • Smarthistory
    A free, not-for-profit, multi-media web-book designed as a dynamic enhancement for the traditional art history textbook. Includes videos, images, text, timelines, and other web 2.0 possibilities for the open collaboration in study of art history.
  • Spanish Artists
    A critical dictionary of Spanish artists from the fourth through the twentieth centuries.
  • Walker Living Collections Catalogue
    Media-rich essays on broad themes as well as in-depth investigations of specific works of art. Featured works link to records in the Walker’s collections database, where additional information about the artists and artworks is available.

Library catalogues

  • Art Discovery Group Catalogue
    An art-focused research experience within the OCLC WorldCat environment.
  • Library of Congress
    Contains 18 million records for books, serials, manuscripts, maps, music, recordings, images, and electronic resources in the Library of Congress collections.
  • The Morgan Library and Museum
    A single database providing unified access to over 330,000 records for medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, rare and reference books, literary and historical manuscripts, music scores, ancient seals and tablets, drawings, prints, and other art objects.
  • WorldCat
    The world’s largest network of library content which enables the searching of library collections from around the world.

Digital libraries

Digital repositories

  • Digital Public Library of America
    Digitized material from America’s libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions; includes content such as: photographs, books, maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, museum objects, artwork, and government documents.
  • Europeana
    The European equivalent to the DPLA. Digitized materials from archives, libraries, and museums across Europe; includes content such as: books, artwork, and music.
  • Internet Archive
    Primarily a digital archive with content such as: web pages, books, audio recordings, live concert recordings, videos, televised news programs, images, and software programs.

Archival collections

  • Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America
    A pioneering resource created to help researchers locate primary source material about American art collectors, dealers, agents and advisors, and the repositories that hold these records.
  • Archives of American Art
    The world’s most widely used research center dedicated to collecting, preserving, and providing access to primary sources that document the history of visual arts in America.
  • ArchiveGrid
    Helps researchers locate primary source materials held in archives, libraries, museums and historical societies.
  • Social Networks and Archival Context
    An online resource that helps users discover biographical and historical information about persons, families, and organizations that created or are documented in historical resources (primary source documents) and their connections to one another. Users can locate archival collections and related resources held at cultural heritage institutions around the world.