Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum makes its digital collection of 125,000 masterpieces free to all

Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum makes its digital collection of 125,000 masterpieces free to all

They are encouraging people to download and use the copy-right free images to make their own art to be released on the museum's site later. Their site is interactive allowing users to share, download, manipulate, and add images to a "personal studio". 

Call for Applications: ARLIS/NA Gerd Muehsam Award

Call for Applications: ARLIS/NA Gerd Muehsam Award

The Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) is accepting applications for the Gerd Muehsam Award. This award is given annually for a student paper or web project focused on a topic relevant to art librarianship or visual curatorship. Current students and recent graduates in library studies, art history, museum studies, and studio art are eligible to apply.

The deadline for applications is November 30, 2012.

For detailed information about the award and application instructions please see the ARLIS/NA web site: http://www.arlisna.org/about/awards/muehsam_info.html

"Art UnHitched" Call For Art Vendors

"Art UnHitched"is offering free space to artists to sell their art, on a first come, first serve basis at The Hitch: A Mobile Eatery here in San Marcos on October 20th. For submission instructions and more info see their Call For Art Vendors!

New Graphic Novel Collection on 3rd floor!

The Graphic Novels have moved from their 6th floor location in the PN call number area to the new Graphic Novel Collection on the 3rd floor!

Please see the Graphic Novels Research Guide for more information about graphic novels and researching them in the library.

If you have graphic novels you would like to see added to the collection, please use the Library Order Request form to recommend titles. Select Art & Design as the department and use the Submit to Librarian button so your request will come to me, Tara Spies Smith. Thanks! Questions? Email me!

Finding Images Workshop, 9/13/12, from 3-4:30pm

Happy fall semester!

Need to find good quality images for your presentations or papers? Come to the Finding Images Workshop to learn how use the library’s databases and books to find high quality images in all different subject areas including art, advertising, journalism, popular culture and more. Presentation tips and tech tools will be also be briefly covered. If you can't make it to the workshop this time, you can refer to the Finding Images Research Guide.



Reserve a place here. If for some reason you can't register, you are welcome to just walk in or email me and let me know you plan on attending.  The Finding Images Workshop is September 13th from 3-4:30pm and is located in Alkek 101. See you there!

Art & Architecture Streaming Videos

If you didn't already find Alkek library's accessible streaming videos from the library's website, you can easily find them from the Research Databases page's Select a Database by Type drop down menu or by doing a search in the catalog and limiting the material type to streaming video. 

Or if you want to look only at the Art & Architecture videos we have access to from Alexander Street Press, they are on the streaming videos page with other streaming video collections that may contain art related videos. The Art & Architecture videos are searchable by topics including abstract or contemporary art, photography, and more.

If you know of any streaming video collections that you wish the library would purchase, please let me know!

Doodle comic contest for copy of Mastering Comics book

Drawing Words & Writing Pictures, a reading, teaching, and making comics site by Jessica Abel and Matt Madden, has a contest right now where you can win one of their new Mastering Comics books. All you have to do is make a doodle comic and enter it by the April 27th deadline date. Want to know what a doodle comic is? Check out their useful and informative site for more info!

2 New Great Art Image Sites

The National Gallery of Art has released its NGA Images with over 20,000 open access images. They are large resolution files that are free for download and use. The do have their open access policy posted for limitations to the use of the images. For example, they do not give users the right to reproduce the images.

They also state "As a courtesy to the Gallery and to enable others to identify and locate information about its collections, the Gallery encourages users to include the following credit with any use of one of its open access images: Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington." This is quoted from the National Gallery of Art Open Access Policy for Images of Works of Art Presumed in the Public Domain page.


Another great social networking art & image resource that was just recently launched is Artfinder. With your own account you can create your own collections, follow specific museum or art collections, follow other people's collections, and follow art events near you. 

From their about page, "Artfinder gives you access to hundreds of thousands of paintings from artists, galleries, museums and collections around the world. With our growing number of images, artist biographies, guides and articles, learning about your favourite artists and works, and discovering new ones, has never been easier."

Have a great weekend!

Come See the Graphic Novels Exhibit!

My Graphic Novels exhibit is now on the main floor of the library in the exhibit cases to the right, after you enter the building. The graphic novel is a long story accompanied by sequential art.

The exhibit showcases graphic novels from the library's collection by some of the more important graphic novelists and artists. There are movies adapted from graphic novels as well as graphic novels adapted from books featured in the exhibit. Books to help you learn more about the graphic novel genre and to help you create your own graphic novel are also on display.

For even more, come check out the exhibit! It will be on display through February 29th. And for tips on how to find graphic novels, or books and movies about graphic novels in the library, see my Graphic Novels Research Guide!

Welcome back! Changes to Art Full Text & Art Index Retro

The databases Art Full Text and Art Index Retrospective, that are very popular for finding art & design related articles, have a new look. The interface will now look like this:

As always, if you have questions about using these databases of any of the databases that the library subscribes to, please email me or you can request an individual research consultation with me. Be sure to mention that you would like to meet with me if you choose the individual research consultation choice. 

Good luck with your spring semester!