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Milner Library

Art

Resources to support research in art and design at Milner Library and beyond

What's in this Section

In this section, find a variety of tools and strategies for finding, editing, and storing images.

Image Databases

Get Started with These Milner Databases

  • American Broadsides and Ephemera
    Searchable image database of rare printed items from 1749 to 1900 including historical menus, invitations, advertisements, broadsides, trade cards, and theater, music, and traveling entertainment (including circus) programs.
  • American Memory Project
    Database of digitized images, sound recordings, movies, and manuscripts representing American history, life, and culture.
  • Artstor Recommended

    Digital image collection of leading museums, photo archives, scholars, and artists covering topics such as architecture, art history, fashion & costume, design, and more. As of August 2024, Artstor is accessed through JSTOR. 

    Optional: To use Workspace to save and organize content, create a personal JSTOR account using an @ilstu.edu email address.

  • Illinois State University History Digital Collection
    Primary resource database focusing on Illinois State University's history and includes campus history books, proceedings of the first university governing board, and photographs of campus activities and buildings.
  • MasterFile Complete
    Full text multi-disciplinary database includes journals, magazines, primary source documents, reference books, videos and digital images.
  • Oxford Art Online Recommended
    Compilation of art reference sources and includes full text articles, artist biographies, and digital images. Limited to eight simultaneous users.
  • Passion for Circus: The Photography of Sverre Braathen
    Digital image database from the slides of Sverre "Bex" Braathen highlighting circus life outside the big top tent from the early 1940s to the late 1950s.
  • Presidential History
    Portraits of Illinois State University presidents. Also, available are links to artifacts and papers created by or associated with each president.
  • Saskia Art Images
    Searchable digital images of paintings, sculpture, and architecture with a special emphasis for teaching Western Art history.
  • Science Reference Source
    Full text for hundreds of science magazines, journals, reference books and high-quality videos. The database also contains science experiments, curriculum-aligned lesson plans, and a vast image collection.
  • World War I Posters
    An online collection of over 50 World War I posters held in Milner Library's Government Documents World War Poster Collection. Federal agencies and national organizations created these posters after the United States entered the war in 1917.
  • World War II-Era Posters and Propaganda

    An online collection of over 170 World War II-era posters and related material created by the United States and other international entities. The digital versions were scanned from the physical primary sources held in Milner Library’s Government Documents World War Poster Collection.

Using Images from Milner Databases

Images in Milner Library image databases have some restrictions on use.

Typically, images can be used for:

  • student papers
  • student presentations or multimedia projects
  • faculty classroom presentations
  • course online environments restricted to Illinois State University users only

You must get permission, to use images for:

  • the open web such as websites or blogs regardless of status: personal, non-profit, or commercial
  • commercial or for-profit products or projects
  • faculty publications
  • print brochures for public distribution

Each image database has slightly different use requirements. Read the database's conditions-for-use statement to determine acceptable use.

Fine Arts Librarian

Profile Photo
Heather Koopmans
She / Her
Contact:
525 Milner Library
(309) 438-3950

Additional Links