Resources
Marquand Library
Marquand Library of Art
& Archaeology is a non circulating research library intended for art
and architectural historians, archaeologists, historians, classicists, and
other humanities scholars. Though the initial intent of the library was
to support Princeton University patrons, it now attracts scholars from around
the world. We collect in all fields of art and architectural history, artistic
photography, and several fields of archaeology including Islamic, pre Columbian,
and Asian. We collect in most languages, and several different formats including
microforms, online databases, and CDs. We now buy more materials in modern
and third world art, while maintaining our strengths in the fields of classical
archaeology, Renaissance, baroque, and medieval. The collection has grown
to nearly 300,000 volumes on site and over 100,000 volumes in the Annex.
The new facility, opened in the fall of 2003, has been transformed into
a tranquil space filled with light. There are many different venues in which
to work, from the tables overlooking the center of campus to the many public
computer stations and scanners. One can view a rare book in our rare book
reading room or peruse a favorite journal in the comfort of an overstuffed
chair. The building is equipped with wireless technology as well as numerous
computer outlets. The library is open year round and during the academic
year it is open 101 hours a week. Library staff members are eager to assist
you with your research needs, whether it is to find an illusive citation
or a specific image.
Visual Resources Collection
The Department slide and photograph collections have existed in various forms
since the end of the nineteenth century. Materials are held in a variety
of formats: slides, photographic prints, and digital images. The slide collection
numbers about 500,000. The primary mission of these collections is the provision
of visual materials to support the departmental teaching curriculum, as
well as to provide resources for research. Holdings also document the history
of Princeton archaeological expeditions. Princeton faculty, students, and
staff from outside the Department of Art and Archaeology are also welcome
to use these collections for the purpose of preparing classroom presentations.
The collections consist of three divisions: Western, East Asian, and Research
Photographs. The Visual Resources collection management database has more
than 145,000 image records. Images and other digital media are available
through the Almagest software developed by ETC (the Educational Technologies
Center) which is accessible to the Princeton University community for teaching,
research and study purposes. More than 30,000 images from the
Visual
Resources Collection are available in the Almagest system. An instruction
program for graduate students on image use has been developed.
Technology
Over the past decade, in partnership with the staff of the
Educational
Technologies Center, members of the department have developed creative
applications of digital technology to teaching and research in the history
of art (links). Students are encouraged to use these tools, to participate
in the development of new projects, and to acquire the skills necessary
to advance projects of their own.
The Index of Christian Art
One of the little known resources of the Department of Art and Archaeology has
to be the
Index of Christian
Art, which was founded in 1917 by Charles Rufus Morey, chairman of the
Department of Art and Archaeology. It is a unique repository which is of
considerable use especially for those studying Western art history. It offers,
in text and image formats, an unrivalled analysis of over 27,000 subjects
which are found in medieval art from the Early Christian period to the end
of the fifteenth century. The Index is currently available in both manual
and electronic formats, with approximately 25 percent of the holdings available
on the electronic database. The Index also offers a small non circulating
library as well as several electronic publications not available elsewhere
on campus. The Index is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5.00
PM.
The Princeton University Art Museum
The permanent collections of the
Art
Museum range from ancient to contemporary art, and concentrate geographically
on the Mediterranean regions, Western Europe, China, the United States,
and Latin America. There is an outstanding collection of Greek and Roman
antiquities, including ceramics, marbles, bronzes, and Roman mosaics from
Princeton University's excavations at Antioch. Medieval Europe is represented
by sculpture, metalwork, and stained glass. The collection of Western European
paintings includes important examples from the early Renaissance through
the nineteenth century, and there is a growing collection of twentieth century
and contemporary art. Significant loans amplify the collection in many areas.
Among the greatest strengths of the Museum are its collections of Chinese
art, with important holdings in bronzes, tomb figures, painting, and calligraphy;
and pre Columbian art, with remarkable examples of the art of the Olmec
and Maya. The Museum also has important collections of old master prints
and drawings and a comprehensive collection of original photographs. African
art is represented, as well as Northwest Coast Indian art, the latter on
loan to the Museum from the Department of Geology.
