Belzberg Library welcomes students in the Undergraduate Semester in Dialogue to SFU Vancouver. This guide will help you to use our library to find and evaluate research material for your projects.

If you need help, please contact Jorge Cárdenas, Head, Belzberg Library at 778.782.5054 or jorgec@sfu.ca or Ask a librarian

Research Sources for Art in Community: Creating Cultures of Ingenuity and Innovation

Library research involves selecting your topic, identifying the best sources and appropriate research tools, accessing the items found and evaluating your results. Start Your Research Here is a brief guide that will help you with this process.

Start your hunt for information "at home" by visiting the SFU Library home page. This gathers all the best research tools, guides and research help in one place.

Books, articles and websites on your course reading list or course outline can also provide a good starting point, particularly if the items include bibliographies, references or links to related material.

1. Books, Ebooks, Films, Music, Sound, Slides

Search the catalogue to find all books, reports and media materials in the SFU Library at all three campuses (Belzberg - Vancouver; Bennett - Burnaby; Surrey - SFU Surrey).

• Searching by KEYWORD is generally the best way to start. Once you have found some good results with your keyword searches, use the subjects on those items to focus your search.
• Try the following SUBJECT headings: (To search for books by subject heading, use the Browse Search option in the SFU Library Catalogue, then select Subject browse from the drop-down menu.)
• Boys -- 11 Related Subjects
• • Art and Society
  • Artists and Community
  • Arts - Political Aspects
  • Arts and Society
  • Creative Ability
  • Creative Thinking
  • Public Art
  • Social Problems in Art
  • Technological Innovations

  Limit your search to items at Belzberg Library by selecting Belzberg Collection from the main search screen. You can also use ADVANCED KEYWORD search. Select Belzberg Library in the COLLECTION field to include online resources. Select Belzberg Library (Downtown/Harbour Centre) in the LOCATION field for items physically at Belzberg Library.

  • If the item is not available at Belzberg Library, or is out on loan, please request it!
  • Find electronic books, films, DVDs, CDs or slides on your topic by searching specific collections or by using ADVANCED KEYWORD search and selecting the appropriate format in the FORMAT field.
  • For a step-by-step interactive guide to searching the SFU catalogue, see the SFU Library Catalogue Search Guide.

  2. Journal and Newspaper Articles

  • All print and electronic journals subscribed to by the SFU Library are listed in the catalogue. Electronic journals are also listed in the Electronic Journals Database by title, subject and by the association/organization who publishes the journal.
  • Connect to Journal Articles and Databases to find articles in academic journals, trade magazines and newspapers, as well as financial and statistical data. Many indexes provide online access to the full text of the articles or allow you to directly request photocopies of articles through the "Where Can I Get This?" link. Browse by subject area to identify useful databases for your topic.
  • Suggested article databases for Art in Community:
    • Academic Search Premier - multidisciplinary index to academic & popular journals.
    • Alternative Press Index - alternative & radical media.
    • Art Full Text - all aspects and periods of art.
    • Business Source Complete - business aspects of the arts and creative industries.
    • Canadian Newsstream - fulltext of major Canadian newspapers and Canwest's small market BC papers.
    • Geobase - community development and cultural spaces.
    • International Index to the Performing Arts - a comprehensive multidisciplinary index to scholarly and popular journal literature on the performing arts -- dance, film, drama, theater, broadcast arts, stagecraft, and related subjects.
    • PsychINFO - psychological aspects of art and creativity.
    • Sociological Abstracts - sociological aspects of art in community.
  • Try the same subject terms as suggested for books, or check the thesaurus or list of subject terms within the database. For help with searching databases, check Finding Journal Articles and/or Moving From Citation to Article.
  • For books and articles not online or at SFU, request an Interlibrary Loan.

  3. Selected Internet Sources

  In addition to the library catalogue and databases, you will find much good information on the web. Governments, research institutes, non-profit organizations, industry and other associations and companies all have web sites - many with publications freely available. Use one of the web search engines such as Google, Google Scholar, or Ask.com to find additional information, including the web sites of interest groups and other organizations. Check the library's World Wide Web Research guide for additional help in finding and evaluating web sites.

  • Alliance for Arts and Culture - Vancouver-based non-profit organization advocating for artists and arts organizations.
  • Americans for the Arts - non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the arts in America. Includes Institute for Community Development and the Arts.
  • Canada Council for the Arts - encourages and promotes the study, enjoyment and production of works in the arts through financial support to artists and art organizations, including aboriginal arts.
  • Center for the Study of Art and Community - association dedicated to building bridges between the arts and a wide range of community, public and private sector interests.
  • Centre of Expertise on Culture and Communities - although now concluded, this project of SFU's Centre for Policy Studies on Culture and Communities includes useful links, publications and bibliographies on culture, sustainability and creative cities.
  • Creative City Network of Canada - an organization of municipal staff in communities across Canada on arts, cultural and heritage policy, planning, development and support.
  • Culture Plan for Vancouver - strategic culture plan for Vancouver 2008-2018.
  • Community Arts Network - promotes information exchange, research and critical dialogue within the field of community-based arts, now available through facebook. The original website is archived though Indiana University.
  • Creative Cities Network - UNESCO program to promote the social, economic and cultural development of cities.
  • International Network for Cultural Diversity - worldwide network of artists and cultural groups dedicated to countering the homogenizing effects of globalization on culture.
  • Project for Public Spaces - non-profit organization helping people create and sustain public places.
  • Vancouver Public Space Network - advocacy, education and outreach in support of Vancouver's public spaces.
  • W2: Community Media Arts - arts and cultural centre in the Downtown Eastside.

  4. Research guides for related subjects

  • Research guides are produced by SFU liaison librarians to point you to the best external sources as well as providing information about publications available in the library. Try these guides for further suggestions.

  Contemporary Arts Dance Dialogue Film Government Images

  Interactive Arts and Technology Music News Sustainable Community Development Theatre Visual Arts

    Ask Us!
  • If you would like any further assistance or information about the library or your research, don't hesitate to Ask a Librarian in person, by phone, email or interactive reference.