Hamon Arts Library

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Art Abstracts - Art Index - Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals - OCLC’s WorldCat -  

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias - Grove Dictionary of Art  

Art Abstracts

This database provides access to over 400 international, primarily English language, publications. It covers from 1984 to the present and is updated monthly making it the most current article index available for art and art history journals. It includes citations to articles in journals, yearbooks, museum bulletins, exhibition listings, interviews, film reviews, etc. Entries after 1994 include an abstract of the article, which range from a few lines to several paragraphs. Before 1994, this source was known as Art Index. This database is seen as the best source for information on contemporary artists.

This is available via FirstSearch through the SMU Electronic Resources Fine Arts Subject page at http://www.smu.edu/cul/or/Indexes_etc_FineArts_1.html. This source is available by way of the Internet (either on the SMU campus or with valid SMU students/faculty/staff identification).

Art Index

This is the earlier, print format of Art Abstracts, but without abstracts. This format includes materials ranging from 1929-1993. This is available in bound volumes on the Index Table in the Hamon Reference Room.

Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals (both online and in print)

This index is the nation's most comprehensive listing of journal articles on architecture, providing bibliographic description and indexing for articles on architectural design, the history and practice of architecture, historic preservation, interior design and city planning from the 4^th century AD to the present. This index is based on the collection of the Avery Library at Columbia University, one of the world’s finest architectural libraries. The Avery Index currently produces 15,000 citations per year from approximately 800 journals published in more than 40 countries. Seventy-five percent of the journals are not covered elsewhere. The literature index includes articles, interviews, obituaries, book reviews, and exhibition reviews. Journals indexed represent many countries and regions, including Asia, Europe, Latin America and Australia in addition to North America. Approximately 80% of the material indexed originate outside the United States.

The Avery Index is available in two manners. The online version can be reached through the SMU Electronic Resources Fine Arts Subject page at http://www.smu.edu/cul/or/Indexes_etc_FineArts_1.html. This source is available through the SMU Libraries Local Area Network. It covers sources from 1934 to 2000. The earlier, print format of the Avery Index is available in bound volumes on the Index Table in the Hamon Reference Room. This version covers from 1934 to 1997 (the last year the index was published in this format).

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BHA: Bibliography of the History of Art (1990-present)

BHA (Bibliography of the History of Art/Bibliographie d’Histoire de l’Art) began publication in 1991 as a result of the merger of the International Repertory of the Literature of Art (RILA) and Répertoire d’Art et d’Archéologie (RAA). Abstracts are in English or French. There are full subject indexes in both languages. This CD-ROM version of the database contains all BHA records. 24,000 records are added annually.

RILA: International Repertory of the Literature of Art (1973-1989)

RILA began regular publication in 1973 and merged with the RAA following the appearance of its 15th volume in 1989.  The CD-ROM version of this bibliographic database, available as a separate CD,contains all 133,200 RILA records published between 1975 and 1989.

RAA: Repertoire d’Art et d’Archeologie (1973-1989)

RAA (Répertoire d’Art et d’Archéologie) was founded in 1910, supported after 1963 by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, and became a fully automated database in 1973. The CD-ROM version of this bibliographic database, available as a separate CD, contains all 208,000 RAA records published between 1973 and 1989, when RAA was merged with RILA to become BHA.

These sources index and abstract materials from over 3000 publications and includes articles in journals, monographs, museum and exhibition catalogues, conference reports, collected essays, dissertations and festschrifts. These indices cover the visual arts in all media anywhere in the world that reflects contact with Western tradition.

All three of these sources are available through the SMU Electronic Access Fine Arts Subject page at http://www.smu.edu/cul/or/Indexes_Art_History_and_Art.html. BHA and RILA are also available in bound volumes on the Index Table of the Hamon Reference Room.

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OCLC’s WorldCat

This electronic database contains over 41 million records for all library materials on all subjects, as cataloged by over 10,000 libraries in North America and Europe. This database contains records on monographs, exhibition catalogs, audio-visual materials, dissertations, and archival material. This is an excellent source for identifying materials for interlibrary loan.

World Cat is available through the FirstSearch systems. These may be accessed by SMU students/staff/faculty at http://www.smu.edu/cul/or/Indexes_etc_Titles(M-Q)_1.html.

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Benezit, Emmanuel. Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs de tous les temps et de tous les pays par un groupe d'écrivains spécialistes francais et étrangers. 14 volumes. Paris: Grund, c1999 Hamon Reference Section N40 .B47 1999

This reference work, which is often simply referred to as "Benezit’s", is currently the most up-to-date biographical dictionary available. Written in French, the dictionary gives very brief descriptions of the careers artists with brief biological and bibliographic data, locations of works and even an occasional example of the artist’s signature.

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Grove Dictionary of Art

The Central University Library system now has full access through the World Wide Web to the Grove Dictionary of Art. This source contains articles on many subjects ranging from definitions of style to specific entries about artists, patrons and places. The dictionary is updated every one to three months. This means that frequently, it is often possible to find the newest information that exists. It has over 45,000 articles on topics ranging from specific artists to styles to places to patrons. 23,300 of these articles are biographical in nature. There are over 500,000 citations and 86,000 cross-references. Finally, there is an index of over 720,000 terms. Finally, the dictionary contains links to an estimated 100,000 images online. These images are completely different from those available in the print version.

You can reach the Grove Dictionary of Art through the SMU Libraries Electronic Access at http://www.groveart.com . Additionally, a slightly less current, paper format is available at the Hamon Reference Room Index tables.