The Art Abstracts database contains bibliographic contents of more than 552 leading art periodicals, journals, museum bulletins and yearbooks giving reference to articles, reviews, exhibition listings and many other types of material. Reproductions of works of art that appear in the periodicals are also fully detailed. Coverage is from 1984 as an index, with added abstracts from 1994 to the present day. Subject coverage spans all aspects of art, from visual to performing arts, and ranges from archaeology to television and video.
Content description
Art Abstracts is a bibliographic database that indexes and abstracts articles from periodicals published throughout the world. Periodical coverage includes English-language periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins, as well as periodicals published in French, Italian, German, Japanese, Spanish, Dutch, and Swedish. In addition to articles, Art Abstracts indexes reproductions of works of art that appear in indexed periodicals. Abstracting coverage begins with January 1994. The abstracts range from 50 to 300 words and describe the content and scope of the source articles.
Please note that the journals in Art Abstracts are the same as in Art Full Text, without the linking to the full text. For further information, please see: http://www.hwwilson.com/databases/artindex.htm
Please also see a full list of titles by subject area. The list also provides information on the indexing and full text start and end dates: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/Art_Journals_by_Subject_art_abstracts.xls
Main subject areas
Advertising Art, Antiques, Archaeology, Architecture and Architectural History, Art History, Computers in Art, Crafts, Decorative Arts, Fashion Design, Folk Art, Graphic Arts, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Motion Pictures, Museology, Non-Western Art, Painting, Photography, Pottery, Sculpture, Television, Textiles and Video.
Academic level
Suitable for Secondary through to Postgraduate levels.
Date range
Indexing begins in 1984 and abstracting coverage begins with January 1994.
Updates
Daily on WilsonWeb, monthly on WilsonDisc.
Additional content
Backfiles: Institutions can subscribe to Art Index Retrospective: 1929-1984, encompassing 55 years of art journalism. http://www.hwwilson.com/databases/artretro.htm
Publisher's selection policy
Journals were selected from a comprehensive survey of authoritative sources: ALA Committee on Wilson Indexes; consultants prominent in art librarianship; core lists such as Magazines for Libraries, 11th edition; and a review of the holdings of prominent art libraries and other important indexing services, including Art Bibliographies Modern.
Many journals are peer-reviewed. The peer-review policy can be found at http://www.hwwilson.com/databases/Peer_Reviewed.htm
Cost
Higher Education
Further Education
Notes
- Year One runs from 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2010
- Year One runs from 1 August 2010 to 31 July 2011
- Year One runs from 1 August 2011 to 31 July 2012
All prices are exclusive of VAT. Subscription fees will be pro-rated.
An administration fee of £50 per invoice will be charged on invoices in excess of £600. This fee covers JISC Collections' administration and invoicing costs.
Upgrade to Art Full Text: Institutions who subscribe to Art Full Text receive access to Art Abstracts automatically. Subscribers to Art Abstracts may upgrade to Art Full Text by paying an annual upgrade fee. For more information, please see the Art Full Text product information page.
How does JISC Banding and Charging work?
Subscription and licensing terms
The subscription runs for three years, from 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2012. Institutions can subscribe at any time, and may terminate the agreement on 31st July 2010 or 2011 by giving JISC Collections sixty days notice to that effect.
For instructions on how to subscribe and to access the sub-licence agreement, please go to the subscription page.
The agreement complies with the terms of the JISC Model Licence.
For further details of the JISC Model Licence please refer to the Guide to the JISC Model Licence.
Functionality and standards compliance
Full text linking
Article citations on any of the WilsonWeb periodical databases connect users to WilsonLink, a free, integrated SFX-powered link-server that provides a seamless search of any of the library's other OpenURL-compliant databases.
From WilsonLink, users can also launch an automatic internet search for information related to the cited article via any of 12 popular search engines, including Google and Yahoo. Technical information can be found at http://www.hwwilson.com/documentation/WilsonWeb/targetURL.htm
Federated searching
The advantage of the Z39.50 query is the detailed structure provided in the query response. A Z39.50 query request can be sent that returns only a hit count and no result records. Also the Z39.50 server allows greater control over the number of records returned and the structure of the records returned.
It is more straightforward to page through the results one block at a time in Z39.50 and receive records in either brief or full format as desired. Technical information can be found at http://www.hwwilson.com/documentation/WilsonWeb/Z3950.htm
MARC records
All of the Art databases are available in MARC format. MARC records are available as a separate product, with weekly or monthly updates by FTP.
MARC records are not available as a display option in WilsonWeb. MARC displays provided by the Z39.50 service are not standard, although they use the MARC fields and subfields.
Metadata standards
The AACR2, a cataloguing standard, is followed. All subject headings are controlled. Art maintains its own Subject Authority File, with Name subjects maintained in a common Wilson Name Authority File.
Search options
Users can search by 30 different operators. In addition to the usual Proximity Operators, Concept Operators combine search terms with the capacity to turn relevance on and off. Relational Operators search document fields for string searches and allow numeric and data comparisons. Evidence Operators conduct intelligent word searches with wildcards, homonyms and synonyms, while four Score Operators allow researchers to change relevancy ranking. Natural Language Operators interpret text with a free-text query parser, searching for similar texts.
1. Basic Search
Searching automatically includes the All-Smart Search (a rules-based search).
Simply enter terms, or type in a more structured Boolean search.
2. Advanced Search
When searching in Advanced Search, users can select All - Smart Search. The All - Smart Search is the mode of searching on the screen unless users enter a Boolean search. To narrow this search, users either return to, or go to the Advanced Search screen that includes a variety of limiting options.
3. Search in the Browse Mode
WilsonWeb displays an alphabetical list with the term(s) users typed placed in the context of choices found in the Browse dropdown list. In the results screen, users click directly on the desired term or phrase to retrieve search results.
4. Searching from the Thesaurus
The Thesaurus is a controlled vocabulary list of subjects and related terms used to standardize the indexing in the database. Users can select and search for synonyms, related, and preferred terms.
5. Using Search History
The results screens report users' search(es) as Active Searches, with each search displayed in literal query syntax.
Post-search options
Users can export records to EndNote and RefWorks.
Users can also email results, save searches, and set up SDI search alerts.
Users are also able to format citation records automatically in a simplified form, using the MLA and APA standards.
Usage statistics
- Meets ICOLC Standards.
- Reports by overall consortium, aggregated at the consortium level.
- Month as the primary coverage unit.
- Summary data by hour of the day.
- Dynamic aggregation of multiple months or other time periods without preset annual or other collective periods.
- Number of searches initiated from the Browse Mode and database Thesaurus are tracked
- Non-textual resources are tracked (video, audio).
- Immediately repeated duplicate searches and double clicks are NOT counted.
- Separate ID and password for Statistics Reports and for Administrative Module.
- Ability to email, print and save reports.
- Automatic email reports can be sent.
- Session Usage Report.
- Number of Logins
- Number of Searches Submitted
- Number of Database Searches
- Number of 0 Result Searches
- Number of Total Items Retrieved
- Number of Citations/Abstracts Accessed
- Usage and Peak Usage by Day of Week and Hour
- Peak Simultaneous Usage Report
- Database Usage Report
- Number of Total Items Retrieved
- Number of Turn-aways
- Turn-away Report
- Turn-aways by Customer
- Turn-aways by Hour by Product
- ISSN
- Journal Name
- IP Usage Report
- IP address
- Customer ID
- Institution
Authentication
Authentication is via the UK Access Management Federation, Athens, and IP range.
Personalisation of the online resource
Personalisation is possible for:
- Screen display
- Results display
- Saved searches
- SDI article alerts
- Language preference
- Searching parameters
- Cross-database searching
Accessibility
WilsonWeb is compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, designed to improve access and functionality for individuals with disabilities. WilsonWeb also meets current international guidelines for user accessibility.
Library support information