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Art: Books

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How do I find art books in the Library?

Art books are shelved on the 2nd floor of the library and will have a shelf number, visible on the spine of the book from 700 - 779. Shelf numbers are assigned according to subject area using a Library classification system called Dewey Decimal. You can use Library Search to locate print and electronic books. Note the class mark, including the letters to find books on the shelves.

eg. Practice makes perfect by Rosa-Johan Uddoh (2022) has a classmark of 709.2 UDD

The 'oversize section' is for books that are too large to fit on the shelves in the main sequence. They will have ‘Q’ (Quartos), ‘F’ (Folio) and ‘E’ (Elephant) before the Dewey number on the spine. You'll Find these books on the second floor, running parallel to the beginning of the 700s, along the window.

If the book you are looking for is out on loan, you can log in to the library catalogue to reserve a book. 

If the book you are looking for is not available in the library at Goldsmiths, expand your search to include Senate House books by checking the box which says 'include other libraries'. All Goldsmiths students can borrow books from Senate House library after completing a short online registration form. To register for Senate House library follow the instructions here.

Useful shelf numbers for Art

First Floor 

006 Digital imaging
100 Philosophy
303.4833 Digital Culture
306 Cultural studies

Second Floor

701 Art theory
707 Art Education
707.4 Biennale Catalogues
708 Curating
709 Art History
709.04 and 709.2 20th/21st Century artists (alphabetical by artists last name)
709.04063 Surrealism (and other art movements shelved from 709.040....)
709.0408 Sound and electronic art
730 Sculpture
741 Drawing
759 Painting
770 Photography
791.4301 Film theory
Arts Research Room Art Writing Collection, Zines, Kathy Rae Huffman, pamphlets & current journals

eBooks

Library Search will return results for both print and electronic books. When a book is electronic you will see a link for online access. You can also visit our eBook platforms directly, via the links below, to browse through our eBook collections.

Free Online eBook Collections

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