LibGuides: BC3698 American Monument Cultures: Getting Started

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About this Guide | Background Research | NYC and National Parks Research

About this Guide

Research guide for American Monuments Cultures

This guide has a selection of key resources for doing research on historic monuments throughout New York City. In this guide you will find the following:

Resources to find background information on your topic (see boxes below
Places to find books in print and online
Databases for locating scholarly and peer reviewed journal articles, reviews, and newspaper articles
Sources for finding high-quality images
Resources for citing your sources and writing in architecture

Other Useful Guides:

You can book and appointment with me by using the "Book Now" button in my profile box on the left or go to https://mwisner.youcanbook.me/.

Image: Alison Saar, Swing Low [Harriet Tubman Memorial in Harlem New York], 2007. Bronze and granite. image by Jim Henderson. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harriet_Tubman_statue_morning_jeh.jpg.

Background Research

Encyclopedia of New York City by Kenneth T. Jackson (Editor); Nancy Flood (Editor); Lisa Keller (Editor)
Call Number: Online
ISBN: 9780300182576
Publication Date: 2010-12-01

Covering an exhaustive range of information about Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, the first edition of The Encyclopedia of New York City was a success by every measure, earning worldwide acclaim and several awards for reference excellence, and selling out its first printing before it was officially published. The Encyclopedia of New York City conveys the richness and diversity of its subject in great breadth and detail, and will continue to serve as an indispensable tool for everyone who has even a passing interest in the American metropolis.

Gale Virtual Reference Library
Gale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.
Oxford African American Studies Center
Comprehensive collection of scholarship focused on the lives and events which have shaped African American and African history and culture, coupled with precise search and browse capabilities. Features over 7,500 articles from Oxford's reference works, approximately 100 primary sources with specially written commentaries, over 1,000 images, over 100 maps, over 200 charts and tables, timelines to guide researchers through the history of African Americans and over 6,000 biographies.
Oxford Art Online
Oxford Art Online is the access point for Grove Art Online and the Benezit Dictionary of Artists, and other Oxford Art Reference resources. It contains subject entries, biographies, bibliographic citations, images, and image links. Created by scholars in the field, Oxford Art Online is a reliable and citable source for general research.

Wikipedia
While not a source appropriate for citing in your work, Wikipedia offers links and citations to other relevant sources online, can give a great overview of your topic, and is often be more up-to-date than scholarly encyclopedias.

Parks Department and National Register Background Research

New York City Parks Department Resources

NYC Parks Department Archive
The Parks Photo Archive is a repository of more than 200,000 images created by the Parks Department from 1856 to the present. The majority of the photographs were taken after 1933, and the collection is especially strong in representing the era when Robert Moses was Parks Commissioner (1934–1960). The Parks Photo Archive contains comprehensive images of parks acquisition, development and use, including design and construction improvements, special events, significant features, general park activities, and aerial views. The Archive additionally includes a small collection of color motion picture footage from the 1930s and 1940s.
NYC Parks Department Historical Reports, Press Releases, and Minutes
Official documents of the Parks Department.
NYC Parks Department Monument Catalog
Search the New York City Parks Department database of monuments by name, browse by subject, or view monuments on an interactive map. This database offers vital information about monuments including where the monument is located, when it was cast and dedicated, creator, foundry and donor.

If you are looking for more information, including you can also contact the archivist, or reach out directly:

Historical Information: Art & Antiquities, 212.360.3410
Historic Photographs: Olmsted Center, 718.760.6745
Contemporary Photographs: Press Office, 212.360.1311
Maps, Plans and Renderings: Olmsted Maps Division, 718.760.6798

National Park Resources

National Parks Service: New York State
A selection of national monuments in New York State, including Grant's Tomb and the African Burial Ground.

NB1-50	General
NB60-1115	History (Including collective biography)
NB1120-1133	Study and teaching
NB1134-1134	Competitions
NB1135-1150	Special materials
NB1160-1195	Designs and technique
NB1199-1200	Restoration of sculptures
NB1203-1270	Special materials
NB1272-1291	Mobiles ,color, sculpture gardens, etc.
NB1293-1895	Special forms
NB1293-1310	Portrait sculpture
NB1312-1313	Equestrian statues
NB1330-1685	Sculptural monuments
NB1750-1793	Religious monuments and shrines
NB1800-1880	Sepulchral monuments
NB1910-1952	Special subjects

BC3698 American Monument Cultures

Art and Architecture Librarian

Useful Call Numbers

NB1-1952 Sculpture