Photography Research Presentation

Created by Stacy Kitsis, AHS Librarian. Last updated: April 15, 2025. [notes]

Welcome to the Library

Today we will be researching your photographer and their work using a variety of sources. Before beginning any research project, it is helpful to review your assignment for details and even clues. Our goal for today is to begin to identify the four or more high-quality sources for your teaching presentation and to refresh your memories about source citation. We will take a two-pronged approach to library resources (both print and digital) and the open web.

Searching Library Sources

Artstor (via the Boston Public Library)

Over 1.6 million digital images in the arts, architecture, humanities, and sciences with contributions from international museums, photographers, libraries, scholars, photo archives, and artists and artists' estates. Look for the integrated JSTOR articles! Note: You will need a Boston Public Library eCard to access this resource.

Academic OneFile (Gale)

Quickly access articles from a database of scholarly journals and other trusted periodicals. Best for academic research.

eBook High School Collection (EBSCO)

More than 11,000 e-books across all academic subject areas, including history, language and literature, science and technology, math, performing arts, business and economics, foreign language study, political science, and more!

AHS Library Catalog

Check our print catalog for books.

Pro Tip: The Art and Architecture subject guide at the Boston Public Library has many other cool resources worth exploring.

Pro Tip: Take advantage of database tools like related sources and subject headings.

Searching the Open Web

Before you search the open web, try to visualize what kinds of results would be most helpful to you.

Your assignment will often give you some ideas!

For example: artist websites; agencies, representatives, cooperatives, or foundations; museums or galleries; reputable photography magazines and organizations like Aperture or The International Center of Photography.

Pro Tip: To decide if a publication or website is reputable you may need to look it up in another source entirely.

Pro Tip: Quotation marks tell a search engine you want to look for an exact phrase, for example, "Man Ray."

Citing Sources

Just a few thoughts at this stage in the game:

Library resources provide ready-to-copy citations so use them!
Keep careful track of all of your resources as you browse/research in a Google Doc or NoodleTools. If you can't cite it, you can't use it. This goes for images as well as information.
You will need to write your own citations for sources taken from the open web. Your AHS Library and NoodleTools can help! If you prefer to write them manually, the Purdue OWL is a great guide.

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