Photography
From Simmons Library Research Guides
We have selected these resources to help you find relevant information on your research topic. Please contact a librarian for help using the resources listed in this guide or for help with your research process.
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Reference and Background Information
Use the Simmons Eresource called [http://0-refuniv.odyssi.com.library.simmons.edu/ Reference Universe] to search for information about your topic in all of our Reference sources.
or, search for Reference sources that contain information about your specific research topic here:
You may also consult the resources below for overviews of the topic that you have chosen to research. Use these resources to help you to put your topic in context and give you the big picture of what information exists about your topic. These resources may have bibliographies at the end of each entry that can help further your research.
- Contemporary Photographers
Level 1 Reference NH30 .C66
Not only does this work provide extensive biographical information about the photographers profiled, but there is a full timeline of exhibitions, collections, and shows for each photographer, as well as life, education, and career details, and a bibliography of works published. As a bonus, there are many full page images of the photographers' most famous photos. This is an essential source for learning about an individual photographer's work.
- Grove Dictionary of Art
Simmons Eresource
Now part of Oxford Art Online, Grove is an encyclopedia of 41,000 articles covering art and artists worldwide. It is a "comprehensive art reference work covering all forms of the visual arts: painting, sculpture, architecture, graphic and decorative arts, and photography, from prehistory to the 1990s" (publisher's web site) This resource provides online access to the entire printed text of The Dictionary of Art (1996, also available in print Level 1 Reference N31 .D5 1996, including art images from galleries and museums around the world.
- Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography
Level 1 Reference NH30 .H25 2008
This is the first comprehensive encyclopedia addressing the early development of photography up through the end of the nineteenth century. Global in scope and moderately illustrated, this two-volume work includes articles on the key people, processes, equipment, movements, styles, debates and grouping that shaped the medium. Each article includes cross-references and a bibliography. Each volume features a thematic list of entries and an index.
- Encyclopedia of Photography
Level 1 Reference NH15 .E52 1984
This one volume encyclopedia is designed to be a comprehensive photography resource for general readers, and includes entries on the various applications of photography, its history, technical developments, and other aspects of the field. Entries vary in length and include illustrations and relevant photographs.
- Focal Encyclopedia of Photography
Level 1 Reference TR9 .F6 1993
This illustrated encyclopedia covers photography and related topics with entries that vary in length from concise definitions to in-depth articles. This is a good resource for defining terms and technologies relating to the field of photography.
- Illustrated Bio-bibliography of Black Photographers
Level 1 Reference NH30.W54 1989
This reference source provides biographical and bibliographic information for over 300,000 images by and about blacks from the nineteenth century, specifically years 1940-1988. The book is sectioned into two parts, the first lists the textual entries of the photographers, and the second displays black and white photographs.
- Nineteenth Century Photography
Level 1 Reference NH72.J64 1990
A detailed annotated bibliography of photography taken from years 1839-1879, containing citation from nearly twenty-one thousand sources about photography. Citations are taken from sources both local and international, from Abyssinia to Uruguay. Furthermore, includes topical histories, photographs, and an index to authors.
- Oxford Companion to the Photograph
Simmons Eresource
International in scope, this source covers the history of photography, including black-and-white and color reproductions of important examples.
- Photographers Market
Level 1 Reference TR12.P515 2005
A valuable reference source, which declares itself to be, "The #1 resource for getting your photography sold!" This book provides contact information, guidelines, formats, and pay rates for those interesting in selling their photographs professionally; includes black and white professional photographs interspersed throughout the text.
- Photography Encyclopedia
Level 1 Reference TR9.M39 1999
A reference source designed as a collection of facts about photography and photographers, as well as an aid for those who wish to pursue their own photographic efforts. Additional information beneficial to the reader include awards, book reviews, booksellers, films by or about photographers, galleries, magazines, manufacturers, museums, Pulitzer prize winners, a time line, and index. Many famous black and white photographs are interspersed throughout the text.
- World History of Photography
Level 1 Reference NH70.R67 1984
This intriguing reference source intersperses many photographs throughout detailed entires, providing the reader with both visual and textual context to the world history of photography. Dates covered begin as early as 1839, to the present. Additional contents include a glossary, bibliography, identification of the photographic processes, and an index.
Finding Photographs
- International Photography
Level 1 Reference NH48.U5.M38 1998
A three volumed, highly comprehensive reference source that indexes international photographers and photography. Each volume contains a different index, v. 1. photographer index; v. 2. collections index; v. 3. exhibition index. Includes other valuable content, such as the one hundred most widely collected photographers 1998 and 1995, photographers with greater than 50 exhibition citations, and institutions listing.
- International Guide to Nineteenth-Century Photographers and Their Works
Level 1 Reference NH20.E38 1988
This reference source lists citations of nineteenth-century photographers and their works, derived from over 300 catalogues from international auction houses and dealers. Entires are organized by the photographer's last name and include a categorized list of their works.
- Photography Books Index
Level 1 Reference NH20.M67 2006
This reference source provides librarians, artists, students, and the general public with access to thousands of photographs and photographers. Made up of three volumes, each book includes three main indexes, by photographer, subjects, and portraits (named individuals).
Finding Articles
Below are suggested databases and indexes for articles on the topic that you have chosen to research. These databases include articles from newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals. Articles are shorter and more narrowly focused than books or reference materials so you should use them after you have narrowed your topic.
- Art Full Text
Simmons Eresource
A searchable database of citations, abstracts, and full-text articles from art periodicals, Yearbooks, and museum bulletins. Citations can be found going back to 1984, and full-text coverage begins in 1997.
- Art Retrospective
Simmons Eresource
A searchable database of citations, abstracts, and full-text articles from art periodicals, Yearbooks, and museum bulletins. Coverage includes items published from 1929-1984, and is continued by Art Full Text.
- Art and Archeology Technical Abstracts (AATA)
Free Online
A comprehensive database of over 100,000 abstracts of literature related to the preservation and conservation of material cultural heritage.
- Bibliography of the History of Art
Simmons Eresource
This comprehensive source lists art-related books, conference proceedings, dissertations, art exhibition catalogs and dealer's catalogs covering Western art from late antiquity to the present. Coverage begins in 1973.
- Academic Search Complete
Simmons Eresource
Academic Search Complete is a great place to start your search for both popular and scholarly articles, no matter what your topic is! It contains journals from almost every topic and is designed specifically for academic institutions. It provides more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, 4,400 of which are peer-reviewed journals. This resource also features content as far back as 1865.
- Academic Onefile
Simmons Eresource
Academic Onefile contains 8,000 academic journals, the majority in full-text, available in HTML and PDF formats. In addition it contains hundreds of podcasts and transcripts from NPR, CNN, and the CBC.
- Expanded Academic ASAP
Simmons Eresource
From arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology, this database meets research needs across all academic disciplines. Access scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and images. Updated daily.
TIP: Use the Advanced Search for a more precise search!
- Communication and Mass Media Complete
Simmons Eresource
This database is the combination of CommSearch and Mass Media Articles Index. It provides the full text of over 200 communication related journals, as well as articles from reviews, encyclopedias, and handbooks. Use the Advanced Search for a more precise search!
- Humanities Fulltext
Simmons Eresource
A database of article citations on topics in the Humanities, some available full-text. Includes content from more than 300 key humanities publications, including feature articles, book reviews, interviews, obituaries, bibliographies, original works of fiction (including dramas and poems), and reviews of plays, operas, ballets, dance, musicals, movies, and television and radio programs.
- Applied Science and Technology Index
Simmons Eresource
Bibliographic database that indexes and abstracts articles dealing with applied science and technology. Indexed articles come from trade and industrial publications, journals issued by professional and technical societies, and specialized subject periodicals, as well as special issues such as buyers' guides, directories, and conference proceedings.
- Arts and Humanities Citation Index -- ISI Web of Science
Simmons Eresource
This source is an index of citations and abstracts of scholarly articles from over a thousand arts and humanities journals.
Note: Full text of the cited articles is not available through Social Science Citation Index. Click the link that says "Check for Full-Text Availability" to determine if the library has access to the article. Remember, if we do not have the entire article, it can be requested through Interlibrary Loan.
Searching the Web
Tips for Searching the Internet:
- Use the advanced search function, which is available from most search engines:
- Google - See also "Advanced Search Tips"
- Ask - Click "Advanced." See also "Advanced Search Tips"
- Live (MSN) - See also "Options"
- Exalead - See also "Exalead FAQ"
- Yahoo! Search
- Limit your search to .edu and .gov sites. These often provide quality research, statistics, and commentary. Sites ending in .org often have good information, too, but are likely to espouse a strong stance or bias on the issues they cover and may not be objective.
- Try Scandoo, which presents search results from Google, Yahoo! Search, or Live (MSN) with an evaluation about the objectivity, credibility, and overall reliability of the site.
- Consider using a directory of pre-screened, annotated sites:
Writing Style and Citation
For more information on style and citation for this discipline, please contact the Simmons College Writing Center
You may also consider consulting these resources:
- Writing Resources
Free Online
The Writing Center provides online resources for citing your research. If you are unsure of which citation style to use, consult your professor and consider the following:- Use APA (American Psychological Association) when your topic is in the Social Sciences
- Use ASA (American Sociological Association) when your topic is in Sociology
- Use MLA (Modern Language Association) when your topic is in the Humanities
- Use Chicago/Turabian when your topic is in Literature, History or the Arts
- Use CSE (Council of Science Editors) when your topic is in the Sciences
- RefWorks
Simmons Eresource
RefWorks is a great program for organizing articles, books, and other materials you need for research. You can also use RefWorks to create bibliographies, create in text citations in your paper (Write-N-Cite), and share your research with others. Access RefWorks from the A-Z list of resources on the library's web page, and then follow the instructions to create your own username and password. We hold RefWorks Clinics throughout the semester. For more information, ask a reference librarian
