Researching a Topic in Four Easy Steps:
Step 3b. Consider using alternate types of material: Images and Graphic
See also: visual
materials as primary sources.
You might want to use images or graphic materials
- to study visual evidence for historical or sociological research
- as primary source materials
There are several places in the Yale University Library where images are
located, including Arts of the
Book, Beinecke Library,
Divinity Library, Manuscripts
and Archives Department, the Music
Library, and the Visual
How to find images and graphic material at Yale and beyond: In Orbis
you can find visual materials using a keyword search:
Click on the More Limits button before entering your search terms. Select
"Visual Materials" from Item Type and click on the Set Limits
You can also limit by location to narrow your search further by selecting one
or more locations from Collection (Art & Architecture) or Item Type
(Manuscripts and Archives). You can select noncontiguous selections from each
category by holding down the Ctrl key as you highlight your choices. If
your search produces too many results, you can use the Refine Search button
to add more limits to those already selected.
For books that have a large component of images, the subject subdivision "pictorial
works" can be searched as a phrase in a keyword search.
Example: "pictorial works" and architecture
Additionally when looking for images in printed items do subject searches on
your topic, and then look at the records to determine if an item is illustrated
by looking in the Description field
example: united states--history--civil war, 1861-1865
Item Record: Description: 35 p.,  leaf of plates
: map ; 23 cm.
You can also use the advanced search. Execute a search for your topic in any
field and pictorial works (graphic arts, photographs, illustrations...) in the
subject field. Also notice that you can use More Limits to refine the
search by format of material, which will allow you to limit by visual materials.
Arts of the Book
The Arts of the Book Collection
is located in the former memorabilia room of Sterling Memorial Library, Room
177, just to the left of the High Street entrance. This non-circulating collection
includes both examples of and material relating to the book and its attendant
arts: binding, typography, illustration, calligraphy, book design and architecture,
paper making and decorative papers, and the history of the book. In addition,
the AOB contains collections of printed ephemera, the work of many fine and small
presses and a growing number of artists' books, and several named collections,
including those of Fritz Eichenberg, Fritz Kredel, Carl Purington Rollins, and
the Overbrook Press. Hours
and contact information.
The Beinecke Library holds a wide variety of graphic and visual images
including original photographs and works of art, prints, posters, and illustrations
from printed works. Depending on various factors, including format and provenance,
an image may be cataloged individually, as part of a manuscript or archival
collection, or may be described in a special database. Descriptions of these
holdings may be found in Orbis, in the Yale
University Library Finding Aid Database, in "Special
Files" databases that are available via the Beinecke Library Web page,
or in card or published catalogs. In addition, the Beinecke
Digital Collections contain thousands of images from the Beinecke's
collections, including photonegatives and papyri. Assistance in accessing visual materials in the library may
be obtained by contacting the appropriate curator or the Head of Public Services, Ellen Cordes, firstname.lastname@example.org, (203) 432-2973.
Many of the Divinity Library's
manuscript and archival collections contain photographs, films, or other
images. Use the Yale
University Library Finding Aid Database to identify relevant material; to
search for photographs related to China, for example, include the terms "photographs"
and "china", and restrict the search to the Divinity Library. The Divinity Library's
Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia Image Database is a web-searchable
database that contains information about 8,000 China-related photographs and
films held by the Divinity Library; approximately 500 photographs are available
in digital format. The Divinity Library also maintains the Yale Divinity Digital Image and Text Library, which includes the AdHoc
image and text database related to the history of Christianity, and the Eikon
Image Database for Biblical Studies. Assistance in accessing visual materials
at the Divinity Library may be obtained from the Research Services Librarian, Martha
Smalley, email@example.com, (203) 432-6374.
Manuscripts and Archives
Manuscripts and Archives holds a large collection of a wide variety of visual
materials including architectural drawings and plans, posters, photographs, works
of art, and objects, as well as papers of artists. More information about the
collections may be found at the following site: http://www.library.yale.edu/mssa/agintro.htm.
Manuscripts and Archives also holds a growing body of motion picture and video
collection materials on Yale and other topics. For assistance with reference
questions regarding visual image materials, researchers should contact the Reference
Desk at (203) 432-1735 or via e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org
Several of the Music Library's archival collections include images, for
example, photographs, paintings, scrapbooks, programs, and posters. Brief
descriptions of the contents appear in Orbis and in Archival
Papers in the Music Library of Yale University: A Checklist. More detailed
information is contained in the finding aids to the collections, which are
housed in the Music Library. Some finding aids are available in the Music
Library Reference Room and cataloged separately on Orbis, others are kept
in the Rare Book Reading Room and can be examined during business hours
(M-F, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.) by asking in the Music Library Office (Room ML106M)
or by contacting the Public Services Librarian.
The Music Library also maintains a Portrait File, a collection of engravings,
prints, and photographs that have come from various sources. An index to
this file is kept in the Public Services Librarian's Office.
For appointments to see the archival collections, please contact the Public
Services Librarian, Suzanne Eggleston, Music Library Room ML 112, email@example.com,
Visual Resources Collection
The Yale University Visual
Resources Collection is located in Street Hall on High Street and Chapel.
The collection is over sixty years old and is comprised of approximately 320,000
slides (both lantern and 35mm) and 187,000 mounted photographs. Visual Resources
is part of the library system, and is administered by the Arts Library. Primary
patrons are the departments of History of Art, American Studies, and History,
and the schools of Art, Architecture, Drama, and Divinity; anyone, however, may
use the collection to prepare Yale lectures. Many items from the collection have been digitized and are available on the web through the Visual Resources
database and Image
Collections at Yale. Please consult with Katherine Haskins (firstname.lastname@example.org)
about digital services and web course support.
The materials in the Visual Resources Collection cannot be found in Orbis.
The collection is arranged by medium, i.e. sculpture, painting, architecture,
and minor arts. Within in each medium the images are arranged by country
and then by artist. Hours and contact information.
Back to Researching
a Topic in Four Easy Steps
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This file last modified 07/17/03
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