Reference books provide background information on a topic, such as definitions of terms, key figures and events, and well written overviews. They can be a useful starting point for any research project, because they fill in missing knowledge about the topic or provide you with the language of the discipline.
Selected books from our Reference collection:
A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art
The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists by 
The Concise Dictionary of Art Terms by 
Historical Dictionary of Romantic Art and Architecture, 2nd ed. by 
Historical Dictionary of Baroque Art and Architecture
Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art
The Grove encyclopedia of materials and techniques in artSearch selected dictionaries and encyclopedias from Oxford University Press:
Examples:
Search Sage Knowledge for indepth, authoritative background information on social sciences topics.
"The Oxford English Dictionary is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past. "
This 34 volume encyclopedia is a great resource for background research in art history and visual arts.
Find it on the shelves in Reference at N 31 D5 1996.
