As Andrew noted in his summary re: ARTstor yesterday, this survey was meant to be an informal questionnaire about your most frequently used art resources and types of questions you receive. 30 people responded, so I those who sent me information. This will help me in my continuing education session and article, and your participation will be duly noted.
In the responses to the first two questions, there was a slight disparity with what are “Internet-based indexes/databases/bibliographic utilities” and what are “web sites” (i.e. the same items sometimes appeared under different categories person to person). As a result, I have collapsed the responses to create one master list of most frequently used art resources on the Internet. Items marked with an asterisk reflect subscription-based products. Items marked with a cross reflect products with both free and subscription-based content. Items are arranged by number of responses, then alphabetically within each ranking. URLs appear for web sites.
Other than your own library catalog…
1. What are your top 3 most consulted Internet-based indexes/databases/bibliographic utilities (e.g. RLIN, Art Index, etc.)?
2. What are your top 3 most consulted art-related Web sites (e.g. Artcyclopedia.com, Google Images, etc.)?
* Art Index/Art Retrospective/Art Full Text = 20
* Grove Art Online = 12
Google Image Search (http://www.google.com/imghp) = 11
+ AskArt (http://www.askart.com) = 10
* Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA/RILA/RAA) = 8
Google (http://www.google.com) = 8
* WorldCat/OCLC = 8
* Avery Index = 7
* ARTbibliographies Modern = 6
Artcyclopedia (http://www.artcyclopedia.com) = 5
Metropolitan Museum of Art (http://www.metmuseum.org) = 5
Art History Resources on the Web (http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHLinks.html) = 4
+ ArtNet (http://www.artnet.com) = 4
* Artprice (http://www.artprice.com) = 4
* Design & Applied Arts Index (DAAI) = 4
* [Other non-art databases (e.g. InfoTrac)] = 4
* RLIN = 4
Mother of All Art and Art History Links Page (http://art-design.umich.edu/mother/) = 3
SIRIS:
Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (http://www.siris.si.edu/saam.htm) =
3
Union List of Artist Names (http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/vocabularies/ulan/)
= 3
Art & Architecture Thesaurus (http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/vocabularies/aat/) = 2
* Art Sales Index (http://www.art-sales-index.com) = 2
* JSTOR = 2
Library of Congress American Memory (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html) = 2
Library of Congress Authorities (http://authorities.loc.gov/) = 2
Voice of the Shuttle (http://vos.ucsb.edu/index.asp) = 2
* AMICO = 1
ARLIS/NA (http://www.arlisna.org) = 1
* ArtFact (http://www.artfact.com) = 1
ArtLex Art Dictionary (http://www.artlex.com/)
== 1
ArtSource (http://www.ilpi.com/artsource/welcome.html)
= 1
Bridgeman Art Library (http://www.bridgeman.co.uk/) = 1
* Early English Books Online = 1
eBay (http://www.ebay.com) = 1
* English Short Title Catalogue = 1
Getty Provenance Databases (http://piweb.getty.edu/cgi-bin/starfinder/0?path=collab.txt&id=webber&pass=webber&OK=OK) = 1
+ Gordon’s Art Reference (http://www.gordonsart.com) = 1
Great Buildings Online (http://www.greatbuildings.com) = 1
Library of Congress Catalog (http://catalog.loc.gov) = 1
Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division homepage (http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/print/) = 1
Maloney's Online (http://www.maloneysonline.com/) = 1
MELVYL, Univ. CA catalog (http://melvyl.cdlib.org/) = 1
Morris Museum of Art (http://themorris.org) = 1
National Gallery of Art (http://www.nga.gov) = 1
NYPL Picture Collection Online (http://digital.nypl.org/mmpco/) = 1
OhioLINK Digital Media Center (http://dmc.ohiolink.edu) = 1
Philadelphia Architects and Buildings (http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/) = 1
San Jose State Univ. Library: Art & Design Resource Guide (http://www.sjlibrary.org/research/databases/sguide_subjectList.htm?subID=6&getType=5) = 1
* SCIPIO = 1
Sotheby’s (http://auction.sothebys.com/) = 1
Stanford Univ. Art Library: Art History Bibliography (http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/art/237lists.html) = 1
Texas Archival Resources Online (http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/) = 1
Univ. Pittsburgh Frick Fine Art Library: Art & Architectural History Resource Guide (http://www.library.pitt.edu/subject_guides/arthistory/) = 1
UNLV: Architecture Internet Resources (http://library.nevada.edu/arch/rsrce/webrsrce/contents.html) = 1
Victoria & Albert Museum (http://www.vam.ac.uk) = 1
Web Gallery of Art (http://gallery.euroweb.hu/) = 1
World Biographical Index http://www.saur-wbi.de/ = 1
3. What type of art-related reference question (e.g. biographical, value of art, picture of…, etc.) do you seem to answer most frequently?
Individuals often answered this question with more than one response, so numbers do not accurately reflect the demographics below.
biographical = 22
art object research (e.g. specific painting) = 12
value of art = 10
images (i.e. “Who painted…?” and “I need a picture of…”) = 8
architectural = 7
historical/stylistic (e.g. Renaissance, Impressionism) = 4
exhibition info = 2
museum info = 1
other = 4 [company histories, advertising campaigns, general research, English-only sources]
4. What type of library do you work at (i.e. art & design school, college/university, museum, public, other)?
art & design school = 7
college/university = 11
museum = 8
public = 2
specialized research library = 2
********************************************************
Roberto C. Ferrari
Coordinator for Assessment & Planning
Florida Atlantic University
S. E. Wimberly Library
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431
PH: 561.297.3575
FX: 561.338.3863
http://www.library.fau.edu/geninfo/people/rferrari.htm