How to find images

Finding images of the works of art and architecture is a fundamental element of research.

To locate images in printed materials, search library catalogs and indexes for a specific subject. Look also in the reference section for World Painting Index (ND45.H38) and World architecture index : a Guide to Illustrations (NA202.T4 1991), which can help to locate reproductions in books. Periodical Indexes include the Avery Index, Architecture Index, Art Index Retrospective, Art Abstracts, Art and Humanities Index, all of which are useful for identifying images in articles. These indexes are available in print and electronic format (see Databases). Knowledge of the scope and coverage of a particular database can help you develop an appropriate search strategy.

By searching databases you can locate images not only in print but also in electronic resources. For example, when using Academic Search Premier, you can limit your search to images simply by select image button.

NJIT maintains the Digital Image Database, which you can access via the Library Homepage.

There are numerous resources available on the Web. Consult a few tutorials for finding images provided by P.Bernstein, Boston University Library, and Duke University Library.

Check collections of digital images available online, among them:

Archnet
Great Buildings
Deutschlands Architecktur
SPIRO
Perseus
Renaissance and Baroque Architecture from the UVA
Thais
Digital Archive of American Architecture
Bildindex der Kunst und Architektur
Architecture & Patrimoine (Merimee)
Digital Imaging Project from Bluffton College
Corbis
ArchiV

Use various search engines:

Google
Altavista
All the web
Ditto
Picsearch
Search-22

To learn more about search engines see Links , Review of Image Search Engines , and Search Engine Watch

A few tips for searching the Web:

1. Select the most distinctive words
2. Enter the most important terms first
3. Consider synonyms
4. Be familiar with the operators and the punctuation (use boolean operators, +,-,"" (), etc)
5. Use more than one search engine.
6. You can also search for images by entering a key word and specific extensions, for example Santa Maria del Fiore .jpg (or .gif).