PROFESSOR SARAH COHN
REFERENCE & INSTRUCTION LIBRARIAN
March 16, 2026
ART
RESEARCH
IN
AGENDA
What are you looking for?
Library databases
Getting help
TODAY'S
Searching as Strategic Exploration
Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative.
You might not find the exact 'answer' to your questions.
Think of your sources as puzzle pieces, each with their own bit of information or context that work together to provide a complete picture.
NEEDS
INFORMATION
Contextual Analysis:
Use research to ground your analysis in specific historical, social, or political contexts relevant to your photograph.
Research & Citations:
Your paper must include at least 2 scholarly sources* that provide background on your photograph, the cultural context of the the time it was made, art historical interpretations of his style, or related topics.
*Scholarly sources are generally defined as peer-reviewed academic articles and books
For this assignment, we're broadening the category to mean high quality sources from the library or a museum.
What information you need determines what type of source to look for.
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Artist biography
- Encyclopedia, exhibition catalog
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Movement history or overview
- Encyclopedia
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Contemporaneous accounts
- Newspapers, documentaries
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Social, political, cultural environment
- Scholarly article, encyclopedia, newspapers, exhibition catalog
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Historical perspective
- Scholarly articles, obituaries, books
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Scholarly analysis
- Scholarly articles, books
DATABASES
LIBRARY
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OneSearch
- Books (print and electronic), scholarly articles
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JSTOR
- Scholarly articles, book chapters, images
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NYT Historical
- Newspaper articles
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Art Full Text
- Scholarly & non-scholarly articles (only 8 ppl at a time)
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Wikipedia
- Background, themes to look into, references
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Met Musuem
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MoMA
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Whitney
library.ccny.cuny.edu
library.ccny.cuny.edu
OneSearch
Databases link
- Access to all 200+ databases at CCNY
- Alphabetical or filter by subject
- Simple search bar option
- Multi-disciplinary
- Casts a wide net
- Print books, ebooks, articles
HELP
GETTING
Professor Sarah Cohn
Reference & Instruction Librarian
scohn@ccny.cuny.edu
Reference Desk
Monday-Thursday 10am-7pm
Friday 10am-4pm