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Welcome to the library research guide for ART 360 - Western Art History!This guide includes links to databases and other relevant information.
Dix, Otto. Portrait of the Dancer Anita Berber. 1925. Kunstmuseum Stuttgart. https://www.kunstmuseum-stuttgart.de/en/exhibitions/now-or-never. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
When searching the library research databases or SearchCat, it's good to have a strategy. Unlike Google or Internet search engines, the databases and SearchCat can't interpret natural language or strings of unconnected words. You should identify the key concepts in your thesis or research question and then brainstorm for a few alternative terms and synonyms that go along with them. Then you can connect and combine those terms in different ways using Boolean (see video in box below).
For example, what if you were researching the sculpture "The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa" by the Roman Baroque sculptor Bernini (1598-1680:
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa and Bernini
The key concepts are obviously the words I underlined:
| Ecstasy of Saint Teresa | Bernini |
It's good to have a few synonyms and related terms for your key concepts. They may also be helpful in your search!
| Ecstasy of Saint Teresa | Bernini: |
| "Ecstasy of Saint Teresa," statue, sculpture, Baroque sculpture, Baroque art | sculptor, artist, baroque sculptors,, etc. |
Now I can develop either a basic search statement:
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa AND Bernini
Or a more advanced search statement with some flexibility:
(Ecstasy of Saint Teresa OR sculpture) AND (Bernini OR baroque)
Find out why I combined terms with AND and OR in the video below (capitalization and bold type just for emphasis)!
This video below from the University of Auckland Libraries in Australia explains Boolean operators very well, and shows how they work in library catalogs, databases, and even Advanced Google.