ART LIBRARY COLLECTIONS
General Book Collection
MATTHEW Vassar's plan for the college for women that he chartered in 1861 included among its facilities a cabinet for paintings and sculpture to support instruction in art--the first art gallery at an academic institution in the nation. To provide further support for this endeavor, on June 6, 1864 Vassar purchased for the college from the Albany minister and art collector Elias Lyman Magoon a substantial art collection as well as a library of over 1,000 volumes on art and architecture. This foundational library collection has been maintained to support the curriculum of the Department of Art so that today it is one of the truly exceptional college art library collections in the nation. Included are monographs, periodicals, scholarly annuals, exhibition catalogs, and other works related to the art and architectural history of Europe, North America, Asia and Africa. Works in the general book collection are normally allowed to circulate, with some exceptions.
Reference Collection
A separate Art Reference Collection located on the Art Library main floor is maintained to facilitate research. Included in this collection are printed library catalogs, handbooks, biographical dictionaries, bibliographies, iconographic resources, and other guides to information in the field. The Art Library also subscribes to numerous electronic reference resources including abstracts, periodical indexes, and image databases. Guides to the use of reference materials can be found under the Research link on this site. Reference books are non-circulating and are housed in AL4 and on the West Wall of the central reading room of the Library.
Periodicals
The Art Library maintains subscriptions to over 200 print periodical titles. Current issues are displayed on the East side of the Entry Level of the Library near the staircase to Stack III. Back issues of titles are bound and interfiled by call number with the general book collection. Periodicals, both loose and bound, are non-circulating. Many periodical titles are also available in full-text electronic form. For a listing of all Art Library periodical titles, including those available electronically in full text, select this link.
Electronic Resources
The Library subscribes to a wide range of electronic scholarly resources, including abstracts and indexes to art historical literature, image databases, full-text periodical sources, and other documents. For a listing of important electronic reference resources, select this link. The Art Library also maintains a collection of documentary material on CD, available at Main Library Reserve Desk.
Artists' Books
The The Special Collections Library is in the process of acquiring the complete archives of the Women's Studio Workshop in Rosendale, New York -- the largest producer of hand printed artists' books in the United States. In addition, the Art Library has begun collecting artists' books from other sources, including works by Claes Oldenburg and Martin Wilner. All artists' books are housed in the Special Collections library in the Main Library, where they can be accessed by appointment.
Video
Art-related videos in various formats, including artists' videos, are presently housed in the Main Library Reserve Room, where they may be circulated for a three-day period. Videos may be searched in the online catalogue under the video tab.
Micromedia
The Art Library also owns two large microfiche collections of visual material:
The Italien Index: Pictorial documentation on art in Italy of the Marburg Photo Archive (Bildarchiv Foto Marburg). This is a microfiche collection of black and white photographic images of 60,000 works of sculpture, architecture, painting, drawing, crafts and furniture depicting works in Florence, Milan, Venice, Siena, and the smaller towns and villages throughout Italy. The collection is arranged geographically by location. Within each location, the material is organized by 1) overviews of the city/town, 2) ecclesiastical architecture, 3) secular architecture, and 4) public and private art collections.
The Historic American Buildings Survey Part 1 (to 1980). This is a microfiche collection of @100,000 black and white images documenting the Historic Buildings of the United States. Images include photographs of structures, interiors, plans, and written documentation compiled by the survey. Arrangement is geographic by state, county, and locale.
All microfiche and microfilm is currently housed in the Main Library Microtexts Room.
