- University Libraries
- Research Guides
- Subject Guides
- Art and Art History
- Recommended Resources
Art and Art History: Recommended Resources
Art and art history research at Virginia Tech considers works of art and artists in historical, cultural, social, and political contexts. The Art + Architecture Library, located at 100 Cowgill Hall, houses the main collection for materials on art and art
This Research Guide supports the Studio Art and Art History programs at Virginia Tech which equips emerging artists with critical thinking skills, visual and cultural literacy, tools to communicate their ideas, and an understanding of the history of western art.
E-Books
The libraries e-book collections are all accessible through Discovery or curated by subject in the links below. Use the ebook search tool to find online access to specific titles.
- HathiTrustThe HathiTrust Digital Library contains over seven million volumes and over one billion pages of scanned books and other materials. About 20 percent of all content is in the public domain (and accessible to you). You can also browse several public collections. Content is available in several image formats, text, and PDF. 1200s-present.
- University Press Scholarship OnlineOxford provides full-text ebooks from U.S. and international university presses in HTML and PDF (each chapter is a separate PDF). We purchase individual ebooks on this platform and do not have access to every title.
- Wiley Online LibraryProvides access to Wiley e-books related to art and the applied arts.
Library Resources
- Art & Architecture Complete from EBSCOhostArt & Architecture Complete indexes citations, abstracts, and some full text from journals, magazines, trade publications, and books covering all aspects of art and architecture. It also includes a large image collection. 1901-present.
- ARTbibliographies Modern from ProQuestARTbibliographies Modern (ABM) provides full abstracts of journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, dissertations, and exhibition reviews on all forms of modern and contemporary art. You can limit to peer-reviewed sources. 1960s-present.
- Art Index Retrospective from EBSCOhostArt Index Retrospective is an index of over a half-century of historic scholarly literature covering fine, decorative and commercial art. It is the electronic version of the print annual publication Art Index from its first volume, 1929, through 1984. It consists of citations of over 25,000 book reviews and high-quality indexing of nearly 600 publications, many of which are peer-reviewed for the fields of art history, architectural history, and the visual arts.
- Arts & Humanities Citation Index from Clarivate AnalyticsArts & Humanities Citation Citation Index indexes citations and abstracts of journal literature, books, and conference papers in the arts and humanities. It also includes citations that refer to or review books, works of art, music scores, and performances. You can search cited references. 1900-present.
- Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals from EBSCOhostAvery Index to Architectural Periodicals indexes citations, abstracts, and full-text articles in architecture and design from American and international scholarly and trade journals, popular magazines, and publications of professional organizations. In addition, this database also provides citation records for architects' obituaries. Full text, when available, is in PDF and HTML. 1800s-present.
- DAAI: Design and Applied Arts Index from ProQuestDAAI indexes citations and abstracts from journal articles, news reports, and reviews on design and applied arts (including performing arts-related design). You can limit to peer-reviewed sources. 1973-present.
- Gale Biography In ContextBiography in Context provides access to over 600,000 biographies in HTML sourced from reference works, news reports, magazines and academic journals. It provides links to related websites, images, audio, and video clips.
- Oxford Art OnlineOxford Art Online is a gateway to Grove Art Online and other Oxford art reference resources (Oxford Companion to Western Art, Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, and Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms) in one location. References are linked via Get VText.

Sarah Stanley
Contact:
Art & Architecture Library
100A Cowgill Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24061
100A Cowgill Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Subjects: Architecture, art, and design
Need more help?
Interlibrary Loan Services
All current Virginia Tech students, faculty, and staff, regardless of your location, may request through ILLiad for materials:
- not owned by Virginia Tech (books, articles from journals and conference proceedings, book chapters, standards, and technical papers)
- owned by Virginia Tech but are unavailable for use (print books)
- owned by Virginia Tech and available in print (scans of articles from journals and conference proceedings, book chapters, standards, and technical papers)
We ship requests via UPS to users outside the immediate Blacksburg area (Montgomery, Giles and Pulaski counties).
Articles, book chapters, and many technical papers are delivered in PDF format to your ILLiad account. Occasionally, due to copyright restrictions, a paper copy of an article or standard is held for your at the Newman User Services Desk or sent o the mailing address listed on your account.