Integrative Studio and Seminar Faculty Guide

Use the Instruction Request Form to reserve tables in the library for your class.

• Browse the current periodicals section at the University Center and find one scholarly periodical and one popular periodical on the same topic (art, architecture, fashion, or design).  Compare the type of content, level of writing, use of illustrations, and use of footnotes, in the journal vs. magazine.
• Find a book with a bibliography.  Then look up one of the sources listed in the bibliography and determine if it is available through The New School Libraries.
• Go to one of the sections in the University Center Library and explore the books that are there.  Find a book you are interested in.  Find a new book on the same topic (using the publisher's website, Worldcat.org, or Amazon.com) and check the library catalog to see if we own it.  If you think we should purchase it for the New School libraries, complete the Purchase Request form.

Websites

• Find five reviews on a museum exhibition.  Who are the authors of each of these reviews?  Are they art critics, bloggers, journalists, scholars, or anonymous?  How do they compare with each other?  Do you think any of them are more informed or authoritative than the others?

Library Databases

• Use the Dissertations and Theses database to locate a paper on any topic.  Then go to our list of Databases and identify the subject(s) where you would perform the majority of your research for that paper.
• Research a topic using two comprehensive periodical databases, ProQuest All Subscribed Content and EBSCO Academic Search Complete, and compare results from the two databases.  Refine results to only articles from Scholarly Journals, Magazines, or Newspapers.  Then compare the types of results from each type of periodical.
• Research a topic using a specialized database and research the same topic JSTOR, an interdisciplinary database.  Compare your results.

Encyclopedias

• Find an entry on a topic in Wikipedia, then find an entry in Credo Reference or Gale Virtual Reference Library.  What is the difference between the entries?

Images

• Go to ARTstor and perform an Advanced Search using a Classification that fits in with the type of work you would like to create.  Zoom in on the area of the image that is most interesting to you.  Then click on the (i) icon to learn more about the work.  Who is the Creator?  Title?  Year of creation?  Materials used?  Write a citation for this image.
• Go to AP Images, perform a keyword search for a city or country.  Find one image that you like, then find another image that is related to the first one in any way.  Be literal or figural - the images can be by the same photographer, be taken on the same date, depict the same thing, or are related in a conceptual way. 

Ebooks 

• Search Ebook Central and find a book on any topic.  Now find it in Google Books.  Compare and contrast the two sources.  

• Find a book on an artist or designer whose work is similar to, or inspires, your own work.  Incorporate a citation from that book into your artist's statement.
• Find several books and articles on artists, designers, movements and concepts related to your own work, and write an annotated bibliography for these sources.

• Create a presentation or a collage using only images found through the library's Image Databases.
• Use one of the library's Audio databases or Video databases to find an multimedia work that inspires one of your own artworks.  
• Learn something new using Lynda.com.

Please contact the New School Archives and Special Collections to discuss incorporating archival resources into student assignments.

1. Step one is to test the assignment using our system to determine if needed relevant materials are available. By doing so, you'll ensure students have a positive research experience. (Recommend materials with the Request a Purchase form.)

2. Feel free to email your syllabus or assignment to a Subject Librarian for feedback or suggestions. The librarians are also available to meet with you for a one-on-one consultation (in-person, over the phone, or online via Zoom). 

3. Encourage your students to use a variety of library and archival resources, including books, encyclopedias, periodical articles, images, videos, and primary source materials.

4. Prompt students to find suitable, reliable, and appropriate sources for a research question from physical and electronic sources, primary and secondary sources, scholarly and popular sources, and sources from the library or elsewhere.

5. Encourage students to plan ahead.

6. Refer students to campus resources such as librarians, archivists, computer labs, and University Learning Center.