Introduction: Library Databases for Art and Interdisciplinary Research
This page contains information about the major databases for music literature, as well as other interdisciplinary and subject-specific databases that may be useful for your research. For more database options, please see the instructions provided in this guide for using the libraries' A-Z Databases tool.
Art Databases
- Art & Architecture Complete This link opens in a new window
This database provides full-text coverage of periodicals and books covering art and architecture. In addition, it offers cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts for academic journals, magazines and trade publications. The database also provides selective coverage for an Image Collection provided by Picture Desk and others.
- Art Index Retrospective (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
Provides searchable indexing art journalism from noted publications around the globe, reflecting coverage provided from 1929 through 1984. Art Index Retrospective cites sources published in French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Dutch, as well as in English. In addition to periodicals, users will find data from important yearbooks and select museum bulletins.
- OpenBibArt: History of Art BibliographyOpenBibArt is a bibliographic database born out of a collaboration between the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (I.N.H.A.), the Getty Research Institute (G.R.I.) and the Institut de l’Information Scientifique et Technique of the C.N.R.S. (Inist-C.N.R.S.). OpenBibArt reviews the literature on arts from Late Antiquity to the present day, providing access to close to 1.2 million of bibliographic records of periodicals, books, exhibition and auction catalogues, published between 1910 and 2007.
General Databases
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Images of the full text of many scholarly titles in a range of subject areas, including literature, biological sciences, economics, finance, and statistics. Search the archive or pull up a specific article. Artstor is now available on the JSTOR platform.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new windowProject MUSE provides full-text access scholarly journals in the humanities and social sciences. The database is a collaboration between Johns Hopkins University and other university presses and not-for-profit publishers. Also included are the U.P.C.C. collections in Asian and Pacific Studies, and Poetry, Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction.
- Arts & Humanities Citation Index This link opens in a new window
Arts & Humanities Citation Index is a multidisciplinary database covering the journal literature of the arts and humanities. It indexes many of the world's leading arts and humanities journals, as well as covering individually selected, relevant items from major science and social science journals. Coverage: 1985-present
A-Z Databases
Looking for another database?
The libraries' A-Z Database list is an excellent resource for identifying appropriate databases for your research. This tool gives you the option to view the libraries' databases by subject, database type, and publisher. If you have a specific database or keyword in mind, you can enter this information in the search bar. To find databases on a specific subject, click the arrows next to "All Subjects" to view the options.
Scout
- ScoutScout is a powerful search tool that can be used to find both print and electronic resources. Scout simultaneously searches the libraries' catalog, databases, electronic collections, streaming media, and much more.
American Studies and History Databases
- America: History & Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Provides historical and cultural coverage of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Includes information abstracted from journals published worldwide.
- Encyclopedia of American Studies This link opens in a new window
Published by Johns Hopkins University Press for the American Studies Association (ASA), the Encyclopedia of American Studies covers the history, philosophy, arts, and cultures of the United States from pre-colonial days to the present. Included are articles with accompanying bibliographies, related websites, illustrations, and other supplemental materials.
- American National Biography Online This link opens in a new window
The American National Biography Online provides information about prominent people from all eras who have influenced and shaped American history and culture. It contains detailed articles, internal cross-references, bibliographies, photographs and illustrations, and links to external web resources.
- Documenting the American South This link opens in a new window
A collection of sources on Southern history, literature and culture from the colonial period through the first decades of the 20th century.
- Images of the American Civil War: Photographs, Posters and Ephemera This link opens in a new window
Presents imagery of nineteenth-century Americana social, military, and political perspectives, documenting camp and battle experiences of soldiers, hospitals and prisons experiences, civilian life in cities and towns, as well as the demeanor of the politicians. Graphical content such as envelopes, song sheets, recruiting posters, imprints, and cartoons included.
- Nation Archive, The This link opens in a new window
The Nation offers a 135-year archive of reporting opinion and criticism. It includes primary source material covering the history of politics, culture, books and the arts - in America and around the world. The Nation Digital Archive is a fully searchable electronic version of the magazine's complete backfile.
InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
If an item is not available at the University of Alabama libraries, you may request it through ILLiad, our InterLibrary Loan system. Visit the libraries' ILLiad page and login with your myBama username and password to make a request.