All Things Visual: The University of Chicago Visual Resources Center

ARTstor recently updated features for the Fall 2011 quarter:

• Filter search results by Time Period, Classification, and Geography
• Choose the number of thumbnails displayed
• Mouse-over to view larger images
• Compatibility with Firefox 5
• ARTstor Mobile for iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone
• Batch download to PowerPoint

Additionally, new image collections include:

• The Freedman Gallery at Albright College
• Special Collections from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Thomas K. Seligman: Photographs of Liberia, New Guinea, Melanesia, and the Tuareg People
• Works by Andrew Spence

Check the ARTstor blog’s release page for more new releases, or see their Collections page for a full collection list. If you need help making the most of these collections and features, please contact the VRC to schedule an ARTstor training session.

UPDATE: ARTstor has also changed their download policy so that users must be logged in to download images. To register for ARTstor, click here and then select “Register” at upper right. If you choose to use your Cnet email address, do NOT use your Cnet password (for security reasons).

Are you looking for images to include in a class presentation or paper? The VRC is here to help!

ARTstor is a subscription library of nearly one million digital images from all disciplines. To access this database, click here. Next, click the orange Go button in the upper right corner.

You will need to login to access all of ARTstor’s features. If you have never registered with ARTstor before, click Register. You will need to provide an email address and a password. If you choose to use your UChicago email address, please do NOT provide your Cnet password (for security reasons). Select a password that you will remember.

ARTstor’s keyword search is available from the homepage. The default is to search all ARTstor collections at once.

You may want to conduct an advanced search. Under the keyword search box, click Advanced Search. You may search here by title and/or creator. Adjust Boolean operators at the left to narrow (“and”) or broaden (“or”) your search. You may also specify the geography, classification, and collection of sought images. You may specify date, but please keep in mind that art historical dates are not always included or accurate.

If you have found a relevant group of images but would like to further narrow your search, enter additional terms in the search box from the results page. Then be sure to select “Within this search result.”

You can also browse for images in ARTstor. One way to do this is by collection. From the homepage, under Browse click on Collection. Scrolling through the collections, you will get an idea of the kinds of images available in ARTstor. Click on the green folder with a plus sign next to each collection to further browse by classification. Keep clicking through to open a group of images in ARTstor.

You can also browse by Geography, Classification, or Featured Image Groups.

To search within a specific collection in ARTstor, you must browse to that collection, open the images, and then enter additional terms in the search box from the results page. For example, you might navigate to the Islamic Art and Architecture Collection by browsing, and then enter “technique” in the search box and specify “Within this category” to see images from the collection which illustrate technique.

Now that you’ve found some relevant images, you may want to return to them later. Use the Share > Generate image URL function to email yourself a link to individual images, or create an image group to access at a later time.

If you have any questions or would like to explore ARTstor further, helpful YouTube tutorials are provided. ARTstor’s Digital Library Help is always a good place to start when having technical difficulties.

To learn more about searching for images in ARTstor, please feel free to contact the VRC to schedule an appointment.

Have you ever had trouble accessing LUNA or ARTstor off-campus? Try using the University of Chicago VPN. The VPN (virtual private network) allows UChicago faculty, staff and students access to restricted services from any computer. Logging into LUNA or ARTstor after connecting to the VPN ensures access even if your ARTstor 120-day off-campus “grace period” has expired.

To connect to the VPN, just point your browser to http://cvpn.uchicago.edu. You will need a Cnet ID and password. The first time you connect, the VPN will install some software; you will need administrative privileges on your computer to complete this process.

Via IT Services.

Wishing you the best during this holiday season and a very happy new year!

For a year-end ARTstor roundup, see their 2010 Collections Summary.

Please note: links to images above are viewable only by members of the University of Chicago community.

ARTstor is now available to registered users on mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad equipped with Safari 4+. ARTstor Mobile features include keyword search, image group access, flashcard view, and collection browse. For more information about ARTstor Mobile, click here and be sure to register for ARTstor.

ARTstor has partnered with the Visual Resources Collections at Skidmore College’s Lucy Scribner Library to digitize approximately 850 images of Pre-Columbian objects and sites from the Southwest United States, Central America, South America, Europe, and Egypt. These images were selected from a collection of over 8,000 slides created by alumna Moreen O’Brien Maser (Class of 1926). From 1938-1970, Maser traveled with her husband, Herman, to various archaeological sites and modern cities in the American Southwest, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Greece, Italy, and Egypt. Of particular note are the Mesoamerican images, which provide documentary evidence for sites that have been more fully excavated and/or damaged due to environmental and human degradation since being photographed by the Masers more than 50 years ago.

To browse the Moreen O’Brien Maser Memorial Collection, click here.

…back upstairs, and down the hall! Please come visit us in Suite 257 of the Cochrane-Woods Art Center.

The beginning of fall quarter is quickly approaching. Need help using ARTstor? Finding what you need in LUNA? Creating presentations? As a reminder, VRC staff are available for individual or group training sessions. We also provide in-class image searching orientation for students in the humanities. If you are interested in scheduling a session, please contact us.

Earlier this month, ARTstor released updated and redesigned subject guides. These tools, in PDF format, provide subject-specific search strategies for twenty-two areas: African and African American Studies; American Studies; Anthropology; Architecture and the Built Environment; Asian Studies; Classical Studies; Design; Decorative Arts; Fashion and Costume; History of Medicine and Natural Science; Languages and Literature; Latin American Studies; Maps and Geography; Medieval Studies; Middle Eastern Studies; Music History; Native American Studies; Photography; Religious Studies; Renaissance Studies; Theater and Dance; and Women’s Studies.  You can view and download these subject guides here.

Some new features and updates were recently released from ARTstor, including an Export to Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 feature for all registered users. From the ARTstor blog:

When viewing an image group, look for the Export to PowerPoint icon in the utility bar or click Tools > Export to PowerPoint. The resulting PowerPoint file will include:

• A title slide displaying the name of the image group
• Individual slides for each image in the group, in the order in which they appear in the image group
• ARTstor descriptive data for each image, appearing in the notes field of each slide
• Embedded hyperlinks in each image that will launch the ARTstor Image Viewer when clicked in presentation mode (requires web access)

Learn more about Export to PowerPoint.

ARTstor has collaborated with the School of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Planning at Dalhousie University to make available approximately 250 images of architecture by Le Corbusier in the Digital Library. The images have been selected from a collection of slides donated to Dalhousie University by the family of Paul Jobin, which are housed in the School of Architecture’s Slide Library.

To view the Corbusier (Dalhousie University) collection, go to the ARTstor Digital Library (select on or off-campus here), browse by collection, and click on “Corbusier (Dalhousie University);” or search the keywords: corbusier dalhousie.

For more detailed information about this collection, visit the Le Corbusier (Dalhousie University) collection page.