Visual Communication Subject Guide

Where do I start my research?	What are some good Web sites?
How do I find books on my subject?	Useful Web sites
How do I find journal articles?	How do I cite and manage my sources?

For help: Email: Art.Reference@utas.edu.au Phone: 6226 4376	Go to: Art Library School of Art
Contact: Paul Reynolds, Branch Librarian

Where do I start my research?

A good way to start your research is to define your topic by using subject dictionaries and to find background information in encyclopaedias such as:

Art Speak: a guide to contemporary ideas, movements, and buzzwords. Atkins, R	Art Ref N 6490.A87 1990
Art Spoke: a guide to modern ideas, movements, and buzzwords 1848-1944. Atkins, R	Art Ref N 6490.A872 1993
ARTstor	Collection of digital images
Contemporary Designers	Art Ref N 1166.C66 1997
Contemporary Photographers	Art Ref TR 139.C663 1995
CREDO reference	Includes Biographical Dictionary of Artists, Andromeda, Bloomsbury Guide to Art, Bridgeman Art Library Archive, Cambridge Guide to Theatre, Thames & Hudson Dictionary of 20th Century Architecture, Thames & Hudson Dictionary of 20th Century Design and Designers, Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Art and Artists, Thames & Hudson Dictionary of British Art, Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers, Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Graphic Design and Designers, and the Thames & Hudson Encyclopaedia of Impressionism.
The Design Encyclopedia. Byars, Mel	Art Ref NK 1370.B93 1994B
The Dictionary of Art. Turner, Jane ed	Art Ref N 31.D5 1996
Encyclopedia of comparative iconography: themes depicted in works of art. Helene E. Roberts	Art Ref N 7560.E53 1998 (vols 1 - 2)
Encyclopedia of Visual Art	Art Ref N 31.E483 1983
Encyclopedia of World Art	Art Ref N 31.E4833
Grove Art Online	Includes the full text from The Dictionary of Art, and The Oxford Companion to Western Art.
Oxford English Dictionary Online	Online Dictionary
Who's Who in Graphic Design	Art Ref NC 999.2.W5 1994

How do I find books on my subject?

To find books on your subject you can:

search the Library Catalogue using the 'subject keyword' or 'general keyword' option.
OR
browse the bookshelves using these call numbers:

Art Library, Hobart:

G	Tourism
HD - HT	Branding, advertising, marketing
NC	Drawing, design, illustration
NC 997-1883	Graphic design
NK	Decorative arts, applied arts
NX	Arts in general, feminism, history
P	Communication theory, methods, practice
PN 1990-1999	Television, video, film
QA 76	Computer science
T-TA	Industrial design, materials, technologies, exhibition design
TR	Photography
TS 1-199	Product design, packaging
TT	Arts and crafts, industrial arts
Z 4-656	Bookbinding, print production, typography, copyright, publishing

How do I find journal articles?

The Library holds journals in print and electronic formats. The best way to access articles in these journals is by using the [print indexes and] databases listed below. When you find an article you want to read, use the Library Catalogue and the E-journals list to see if we hold a print copy or have access to the electronic copy in full-text. Some databases listed will have direct links to the full-text article.

Subject-specific Databases | Multi-discipline databases | Related Databases | Journal title abbreviations

Visual Communication Databases:

ANZ Reference Centre	The Australia/NZ Reference Centre combines Australia and New Zealand specific magazines, newspapers & newswires, reference books and more...
Art Index	International citation database for fine art, architecture and design
ART Bibliographies Modern	International citation database for fine art, architecture and design
ARTstor	Collection of digital images
ARCH (Australian Architecture Database)	Australian architecture
AUSSTATS	Australian Bureau of Statistics Help Sheet
Avery Index to architectural periodicals	Also city planning, interior design. International in scope
DAAI	Design and applied art
Ecospecifier	a knowledge base of well over 1300 environmentally preferable products, materials, technologies and resources. Requires a password for access
Grove Art Online	An online art encyclopedia including the full text from The Dictionary of Art, and The Oxford Companion to Western Art.

Multi-discipline Databases:

APA-FT (Australian Public Affairs - Full Text)	A full text Australian database covering all subject areas including fine art and design. Also includes full text of many newspapers
CREDO reference	Includes Biographical Dictionary of Artists, Andromeda, Bloomsbury Guide to Art, Bridgeman Art Library Archive, Cambridge Guide to Theatre, Thames & Hudson Dictionary of 20th Century Architecture, Thames & Hudson Dictionary of 20th Century Design and Designers, Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Art and Artists, Thames & Hudson Dictionary of British Art, Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers, Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Graphic Design and Designers, and the Thames & Hudson Encyclopaedia of Impressionism.
Current Contents Connect	All subject areas. Backfile of 4 years.
Ingenta	General database with some full-text. Includes alerting service.1988+
Kinetica	Kinetica consists of several different large bibliographic databases and is administered by the National Library of Australia. The most important is the National Bibliographic Database (NDB), which contains 12 million records and 20 million individual holdings from virtually all major libraries in this country. You can now discover for yourself which library holds the books you are seeking. Requires a password for access
MLA International Bibliography	Covers literature, language, linguistics, and folklore from 1963 to the present. It provides access to scholarly research in nearly 4,000 journals and series. It also covers relevant monographs, working papers, proceedings, bibliographies, and other formats.
Project MUSE	Project MUSE provides online, worldwide, institutional subscription access to the full text of over 100 scholarly journals in the arts and humanities, social sciences and mathematics.
ProQuest	all subjects - some full-text
Web of Knowledge	Includes Science Citation Index, Arts & Humanities Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index. 1991-

Useful Web Sites

AGDA	Website of the Australian Graphic Design Association. The Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) is the national association for professional graphic designers.
AIGA	Website of the American Institute of Graphic Arts.
Design Hub	Design Hub is a project of the Powerhouse museum that connects museum collections with news, interviews, opinions and ideas across the breadth of design.
Ellen Luptons Thinking with Type	The on-line companion to the book Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students, by Ellen Lupton.
Ellen Luptons DesignWriting Research	Design website with links to free font resources.
EYE Magazine	The Eye website is an index of the quarterly print magazine covering graphic design and visual culture.
Identifont	Identifont is the largest independent directory of typefaces on the Internet.
Intute	Intute is a free online service which provides access to Web resources for education and research, selected and evaluated by a network of subject specialists.
IP Australia	IP Australia is the Australian Government agency responsible for administering patents, trade marks, designs and Plant Breeders Rights.
Typotheque	Typotheque is a type foundry based in The Hague, the Netherlands which develops and markets original fonts for both Mac and PC.

Journal title abbreviations:

Web of Science Journal Title Abbreviations	Abbreviations of journal titles indexed in Web of Science
All That JAS: Journal Abbreviation Sources	Web pages that list journal title abbreviations.
Periodical Title Abbreviations	Comprehensive list arranged by full title and abbreviated title. Held at library information or service desks

How do I cite and manage my information resources

Below are guides to citation styles and other aspects of presentation. The citation styles that you use will depend on the policies of the schools that you are studying in and specific publications. Personal bibliographic software can be purchased (and sometimes available in schools) to manage your sources when undertaking in-depth research. The Library provides training in EndNote.

Citation styles for online resources	This site includes examples of citing sources from the Web using MLA, APA, and Chicago style guides.
Library holdings of citation style guides	This list includes guides to citation and other issues of style and presentation.
EndNote Introductory Guide	The purpose of this guide is to accompany workshops and outline the most basic functions of EndNote for the beginner

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