Museum Studies Resource Guide
Introduction
This guide provides an overview of tools and basic strategies for conducting library research in Museum Studies. Included is information on finding circulating books and reference sources, journals (both in print and online), databases, and major Internet resources. All collections marked VCU are available on both campuses OR off-campus with EZProxy.
Check the Catalog
Search the Library Catalog to determine what books, journals, and audiovisual materials the Libraries own and where they are located.
- General searching: When you are looking for books on a topic do a Words Anywhere search first. Example: Museum Exhibits
- Exhibition Catalogs: To locate exhibition catalogs in Cabell, simply use an Art Exhibition Catalog Search. (From the catalog, click "Advanced Search" then choose "Exhibition Catalog" in the "Format" box.)
- Browsing the shelves: Use the following sections of the Library of Congress Classes to browse the shelves for books.
- AM 1-501 -- Museums (General).
- AM 111-160 -- Museology. Museum Methods, Technique.
- N 400-3990 -- Art Museums, Galleries.
- Where do I find things: Check out where things are in the Cabell Library.
- Do other libraries have what you need?
- Interlibrary Loan: VCU Libraries will get the items that you need if they are not in the collections. You do not need to identify which library has the required item - we'll do that for you. See what you need to do. To search for materials in other libraries, use the Worldcat VCU database or check the catalogs of other Virginia Libraries.
Dictionaries
- Glossary of Museology.Cabell Library PC 2640 .C26a no.188
Bibliographies
- A Bibliography of Museum Studies. Cabell Library Reference Z 5052 .K64 1994
- Keyguide to Information Sources in Museum Studies. Cabell Library Reference AM 5 .W66 1994
- The Museum: A Reference Guide.Cabell Library Reference Z 5052 .M93 1990
Directories
- Art on Campus: The College Art Association's Official Guide to American College and University Art Museums and Exhibition Galleries. Cabell Library Reference N 510 .A786 2000
- Directory of Historical Organizations in the United States and Canada. Cabell Library Reference E 172 .D5
- Museums of the World. Cabell Library Reference AM 1 .M76 2004
- The Official Museum Directory. Cabell Library Reference AM 10 .A2 O4
Handbooks
- The Handbook for Museums. Cabell Library AM 5 .E73 1993
- Museum Basics. VCU
- A Museum Guide to Copyright and Trademark. Cabell Library Reference KF 2996 .A44 1999
Career Resources
- The International Directory of Museum Training. Cabell Library Reference AM 7 .E35 1995
- Museum Careers: A Practical Guide for Students and Novices. Cabell Library AM 7 .S27 2008
- Museum Careers and Training: A Professional Guide. Cabell Library Reference AM 7 .D34 1994
- Opportunities in Museum Careers VCU
Journal Finder
This will let you know if an electronic version is available from VCU. Links to journals are provided. Note: the search box only search the names of journals, not the subject content - use one of the research databases for this.
Alternative: Go to the VCU Libraries Catalog, select the Journals tab, and type in the title of the journal.
Selected Journals
Aviso. Cabell Library Bound Journals
Journal of the History of Collections VCU
Museum Cabell Library Current Periodicals
Museum International VCU Cabell Library Bound Journals
Museum Management and Curatorship VCU
Museum News Cabell Library Current Periodicals and Bound Journals
Most of these databases feature the "Get it @VCU" tab - 
. This service provides hyperlinks to a variety of options such as the electronic full-text (if available), the VCU library catalog, ILLiad, and Ask-a-Librarian.
ARTbibliographies Modern VCU (1974-present)
Abstracts of journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, PhD dissertations, and exhibition reviews on all forms of modern and contemporary art.
Art Full Text VCU (1984-present) AND Art Index Retrospective VCU (1929-1984)
Citations and some full text to articles from periodicals published throughout the world including yearbooks and museum bulletins. Also indexes reproductions of works of art that appear in indexed periodicals. Retrospective is an electronic version of Art Index, volumes 1-32, and contains all citations found in the print version.
ARTstor VCU
Curated collections of digital art images and associated data for noncommercial and scholarly, non-profit educational use. Select "Search and Browse for Images" to enter. Uses cookies and pop-ups.
BHA: Bibliography of the History of Art VCU (1973-present)
Citations and abstracts of books, conference proceedings, dissertations, catalogs, and journal articles. Covers European and American art from antiquity to the present.
America: History and Life VCU (1963-present) AND Historical Abstracts (1970-present) VCU
Article abstracts and citations of books and dissertations covering American and world history, respectively, from ancient times to the present.
ERIC VCU (1966-present)
Abstracts of articles, books, and Department of Education publications including links to some full text reports. There are three versions of ERIC including EBSCO, FirstSearch, and Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA), as well as the freely available database at http://www.eric.ed.gov. For older articles, see the Education Index (Cabell Library Reference L11.Z994), covering education literature from 1929 - 1997.
JSTOR VCU
Searchable backfiles of core journals in the humanities, social sciences and sciences. (Backfiles end 3 - 5 years prior to current date).
Professional Associations and Organizations
American Association of Museums (AAM) (http://www.aam-us.org/)
AAM sets the standards and best practice guidelines for museums in America. Their website contains a searchable directory of more than 3,000 museums, as well as a subset directory of more than 750 museums, which have been accredited by the organization. The latest AAM Code of Ethics for Museums and full-text Ethical Guidelines are also available.
American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) (http://www.aaslh.org/)
This organization serves professionals and volunteers who preserve and interpret state and local history across the United States. Includes information on the Federal Formula Grant Initiative to bring federal grant opportunities to states for their museums and archives.
Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) (http://www.aamd.org/)
Membership in this association is strictly limited to directors of museums in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, but the Web site contains a valuable resource in its collection of position papers and reports of the association. These documents give insight into museum operations and how leaders of art museums deal with sensitive topics, such as Nazi-looted art, sacred objects, and corporate sponsorship.
Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) (http://www.astc.org/)
ASTC is an international organization of science-technology centers and science museums, as well as nature centers, aquariums, planetariums, zoos, botanical gardens, space theaters, and natural history and children’s museums.
International Council of Museums (ICOM) (http://icom.museum/)
ICOM is an international organization for more than 21,000 museums and museum professionals, which helps set minimum standards of professional practice and performance for museums and their staff by publishing and maintaining the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums.
National Trust for Historic Preservation (http://www.nationaltrust.org/)
The National Trust is a nonprofit organization devoted to saving and preserving America’s historic buildings and neighborhoods. Links for educational, advocacy, and funding resources are provided, as well as links to current lists of America’s most endangered and distinctive historic sites.
Web Indexes and Directories
Conservation OnLine (CoOL): Resources for Conservation Professionals (http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/)
From Stanford University, CoOL is a full-text library of conservation literature for libraries, archives, and museums. Includes information on pest management, digital imaging, and even disaster planning for a variety of media, including video and audio materials.
The Getty (http://www.getty.edu/)
The Web portal for the J. Paul Getty Trust provides a gateway to a wealth of information for museum studies-related research, particularly the databases produced by two of its main programs: the Getty Research Institute and the Getty Conservation Institute. Users can freely search conservation literature abstracts, a provenance database, and structured vocabulary databases for art, architecture, and material culture.
The Museum Studies Bibliographies (http://sirismm.si.edu/siris/siris-museum-studies.htm)
Made available through the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS), the Museum Studies Bibliographies portion of the database indexes more than 1,200 articles, theses, and conference proceedings dealing specifically with the role, function, history, philosophy, nature, and structure of museums. Once connected to SIRIS, search for “museum studies” as a keyword to most efficiently search and retrieve the Museum Studies Bibliographies’ entries.
PACIN: The Packing, Art Handling and Crating Information Network (http://www.pacin.org/)
PACIN's website provides a forum for an exchange of ideas related to methods and techniques and materials used for packing and transporting works of art and museum artifacts. The archives of articles and electronic list discussions uncover tricks of the trade such as how to hang a large, heavy painting or how to most effectively use box tape and bubble wrap.
Steve.Museum (http://tagger.steve.museum/)
An art museum social tagging project.