LibGuides: BC3698 American Monument Cultures: Getting Started

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

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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: Charley Lhasa, Frederick Douglass Memorial, 2013. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/charleylhasa/8430378177/in/photostream/

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.

New York Archives and Libraries

Brooklyn Historical Society
BHS's collection of archival materials document Brooklyn history.
Brooklyn Public Library: Brooklyn Collection
Similar to NYPL’s digital collection, the Brooklyn Collection offers images and maps (and other materials) related to sites in Brooklyn and beyond.
Museum of the City of New York
This database contains over 185,000 images (including photographs, maps, archival materials and multimedia) related to the history of New York City.
New York Historical Society: Digital Collections
Created as part of the library, this digital collection represents a small portion of NYHS' archival and photographic holdings. You can search the entire holdings of NYHS' library through their catalog.
New York Public Library: Digital Collections
Inclusive of libraries in Manhattan the Bronx and Staten Island, NYPL has a huge cache of historic photographs of the City of New York, (including Queens and Brooklyn). NYPL has a world class map collection, which includes street level maps across the five boroughs. The digital archives of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture are also a part of this collection.
Queens Library: Digital Archive
Digitized maps and and photographs, which are also searchable through an interactive map feature.

BC3698 American Monument Cultures

Art and Architecture Librarian

IMATS (Instructional Media and Technology)

Instruction Documents

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