Researching Latin American Art, Artists, and Antiquities

This guide lists library resources that can help you in all phases of your research in Latin American Art. In addition to the reference books described here, the Pace Library has many circulating books on topics related to Latin American Art. Please see the section below on finding books in the Pace Library for help in locating circulating books. 

• General Background Sources
• Art
• Archaeology
• Terminology
• Finding Books in the Pace Library
• Finding Journal Articles
• New York Art Libraries
• Citing Your Sources

General Background Sources

The following sources provide useful background information on topics related to Latin American Art and Antiquities. You may find them helpful as you select your topic, formulate your research question, and develop your thesis statement.

Art

The Dictionary of Art -- Birnbaum Ref N31 .D5 1996 (vols. 1-34)

Covers all aspects of the visual arts in all places at all times. Includes biographical, geographical, philosophical, and theoretical information, as well as forms and themes, social aspects, and cultural influences.

Encyclopedia of World Art -- Birnbaum Ref N31 .E533 (vols. 1-17)

Entries are divided into three major categories: historical, conceptual, and geographic. Articles include bibliography, some illustrations. Dates from the late 50's, but still considered an important reference publication.

Encyclopedia of Latin American and Caribbean Art -- Birnbaum Ref N6502 .E53 1999

A spin-off of the 34 volume, Dictionary of Art, this encyclopedia duplicates many of the entries from the larger work. Its single volume status, however, makes it easier to use.

Archaeology

The Encyclopedia of Ancient Civilizations -- Birnbaum Ref CB311 .E53

Covers the social, cultural, religious and technological aspects of ancient civilizations from around the globe.

The Oxford Companion to Archaeology -- Birnbaum Ref CC70 .O96 1996

Includes entries on the history of the discipline, the development of techniques and major the discoveries which have been made around the world. Seven hundred articles contributed by over 300 experts include charts, cross-references, and important basic information.

Terminology

A Dictionary of Art Terms -- Birnbaum Ref N33 .H25

A good source for looking up short definitions of art terms and practices.

Artspeak -- Birbaum Ref N6490 .A87 1990

Provides definitions to words prevalent in the modern and contemporary art scenes.

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Finding Books in the Pace University Library

You can find other books on your topic by searching the online Pace Library Catalog by subject or keyword. Subject searches target the specific Library of Congress Subject Headings that have been assigned to the books that the Pace Library owns.  Unless you know the subject headings that pertain to your topic, you may want to begin with a Keyword search. 

For additional tips on searching the catalog, see the library's guide to Using the Pace Library Catalog.

Typical Subject Headings for your project:

Finding Journal Articles on
Latin American Art

To find journal articles by topic, use a periodical index or database.

Many periodical indexes are still in book format, including the following important resource:

Art Index 1929-2002  Birnbaum Ref Z5937 .A78
Indexes articles from art journals from around the world. Each volume covers a range of two to three years.

To access online periodical indexes, go to the library home page (http://library.pace.edu), click on Databases, and use the pull-down menu labeled "Complete Alphabetical Database Listings." 

Art Abstracts
Annotated references to articles in art journals and dissertations covering the years 1984 to the present.  

JSTOR
Contains back issues of scholarly journals.  For a list of journals included in JSTOR, visit our E-journal List.

Academic Search Premier
Provides citations and/or full text articles from more than 3,430 scholarly publications covering academic areas of study including the social sciences, humanities and arts.  

Research Library

Contains citations and/or full-text articles from more than 1,800 general-interest periodical articles. Included are over 500 periodicals related to the social sciences and nearly 400 related to the humanities.

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NYC Art Libraries Open to Undergrads

New York Public Library

Mid-Manhattan Library

Humanities and Social Sciences Research Library

Online Catalogs

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Uris Center

Central Catalog Room

The Met's Recommended Latin American Art Websites

Citing Your Sources

Once you have finished your research and written your paper, you will need to prepare your bibliography and cite any sources you have referenced within the text. The library has prepared some information on citation styles for print and electronic resources. You can access it on the Pace Library web site at http://www.pace.edu/library/pages/instruct/citing.html.  Please check with your instructor if you are unsure of which citation style to use.

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