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Individual Databases

Use these resources on any Chicago Public Library computer or on non-Library computers with your Chicago Public Library card.

Art Index/Art Index Retrospective »
Use this resource to indentify magazine and journal articles of interest (back to 1929) in the substantial print journal collection of the Visual and Performing Arts Department (8th floor) of the Harold Washington Library Center. Full text is available in the database for some recent articles (1997–present).

ARTbibliographies Modern »
Use this index to find journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, PhD dissertations and exhibition reviews in the print collections of the Visual and Performing Arts Department (8th floor) of the Harold Washington Library Center. The index covers all forms of modern and contemporary art with entries dating back to 1974.

Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals »
Use this database to locate articles of interest on architecture and design in the Harold Washington Library Center’s collection of architectural journals and magazines. Coverage begins in the 1930s (with selected journals indexed back to the 1860s).

CAMIO (Catalog of Art Images Online) »
Search for images of fine and decorative art from museums.

Design & Applied Arts Index »
Use this index to find articles of interest in the print journal collections of the Harold Washington Library Center. The index covers over 500 journals from 1973 to the present in all areas of design, from fashion to web design.

Fashion Reference Collection »
Find scholarly articles from the Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion or general overviews for students in Fashion, Costume and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations and Footwear through the Ages.

International Index to the Performing Arts »
The International Index to the Performing Arts helps one find articles by subject, author, etc., in the print journal collections of the Harold Washington Library Center. Subjects covered include dance, film, television, drama, theater, musical theater, circus performance, opera, pantomime, puppetry, magic and performance art.

Oxford Art Online »
Find articles and definitions from several sources: Grove Art Online (based on the 34-volume Dictionary of Art and regularly updated), Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, The Oxford Companion to Western Art and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. Scholarly and authoritative, this resource is a great place for background information on a wide variety of topics in art.

ProQuest Newspapers »
Find articles from hundreds of newspapers and newsfeeds from around the world. Papers covered include the Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald (Arlington Heights), New York Times, USA Today, Globe and Mail (Canada), The Times (London), The Times of India and Daily Yomiuri (Japan).