This guide is designed to assist you in researching subjects in art and art history, a field with an extensive range of library resources. Art research may focus on the artistic developments of an entire country, e.g., China, or of a wide region, e.g., Oceania or Sub-Saharan Africa. Aditionally, more distinct styles may be noted within these geographic areas. Art research also encompasses the study of periods of artistic development and individual artists. The medium of creation may present rich possibilities for study and research: painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, graphic design and digital art are just a few. Art history also frequently overlaps with other subjects such as politics, history, geography, anthropology, and mass media.
Use the tabs at the top of this guide to navigate through the specific type of resources you may need. These resources include books and ebooks, journals, databases, encyclopedias and web resources. The tab "Image Resources" will link to many online sources of images to use for study and research. The tab "Citing Sources" gives information about several citation styles. Also included is a tab listing some of the books published by the faculty of the Art Department at William Paterson University and available at the Cheng Library.
Joan Mitchell, Trees 1990-1991 (detail), from the book, Joan Mitchell Trees, Cheim & Read, New York, 2014.
By phone
Call 973-720-2116
The Reference Desk is staffed until 10:00 p.m. Sunday-Friday and until 8:00 p.m. on Saturday.
By e-mail
Send your question to the Reference Desk via email - refdesk@wpunj.edu Allow 24 hours for a response.
Schedule a Research Appointment
Contact the library to schedule an appointment with a Reference Librarian: Schedule Research Help
Mon-Thurs: 7:45am-11:45pm
Friday: 7:45am-10:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am-8:00pm
Sunday: 12 noon-11:45pm
Mon-Thurs: 7:45am-10:00pm
Friday: Closed
Saturday: 10:00am-4:00pm
Sunday: Closed