Subject Guides
Art & Design
Guide Contents
Subject Librarian
BU Fine Arts Collection
Binghamton University Libraries houses our books on art and design in the Fine Arts Collection on the first floor of Bartle Library North.
You will find the Fine Arts Collection entrance behind the Innovation Lab and below the North Reading Room quiet study area.
Where to Search for Books and eBooks
- Find It!Our online catalog for almost everything available in the SUNY system libraries. To search only material held by Binghamton University Libraries, select the "Our Catalog" tab before entering your search.
- WorldCatMillions of records cataloged by libraries around the world.
- Finding and Using E-booksHow to use and download ebooks from the Libraries.
Library of Congress Subject Call Number Guide
Most of the print works for Art & Design reside in the Fine Arts Collection in Bartle Library North. The books will have call numbers that primarily begin with ‘N’ though other sections of interest will be Photography (TR), Handicraft (TT), and Costume/Fashion (GT). Exceptions will be works on interdisciplinary topics that could be housed elsewhere on campus (i.e. typography falls under Book Industries and Trade classed in Z, and works related to natural history illustration are classed in QH).
The Libraries use Library of Congress Classification, where works are shelved with an alphanumeric call number. You may find it helpful to be familiar with the main ‘subclasses’ of the ‘N’ class to have an idea where to find relevant books:
Visual Arts N
Architecture NA
Sculpture NB
Drawing, Design, Illustration NC
Painting ND
Print media NE
Decorative Arts NK
Arts in General NX
Photography TR
Handicrafts; Arts and Crafts TT
Costume, Dress, Fashion GT500
Typography, Calligraphy, Book Decoration and Book Making Z240-276*
*Please note that books classified in Z are currently located in the Science Library
- Library of Congress Classification-Class NA detailed list of what you will find under all Fine Art Class "N" subjects. Example: "ND1380-1383 Animals. Birds"