Searching for Articles at the CCA Libraries printer icon

» Article Search

When you don't have a citation, and are doing basic or beginning research, you can use the Article Search feature to search a number of article databases at once.

» Journal Finder

If you already have a reference or citation to a specific article, you can use the Journal Finder to search by journal title and find whether or not CCA has the journal online or on the shelves.

» CCA Library Catalog

If you already have a reference or citation and want to find a hardcopy of an article search the CCA Library Catalog under the journal title to see if the periodical is owned by the library. Note which volumes and issues the library has, and whether it is bound or unbound. Periodicals are shelved alphabetically by title.

Online article databases

When you don't have a citation, and are doing comprehensive or in-depth research, you should search an online article database.

» ArtFullText

Indexes over 400 leading art and design journals from 1984 to the present, with full-text of over 100 journal titles since 1997.

» ARTbibliographies Modern

Provides abstracts of journal articles, books and essays on all forms of modern and contemporary art dating from the late 19th century onwards.

» Avery Index of Architectural Periodicals

Offers a comprehensive listing of journal articles on architecture and design, including bibliographic descriptions on subjects such as the history and practice of architecture, landscape architecture, city planning, historic preservation, and interior design and decoration.

» Design & Applied Art Index

Provides access to journal articles published in over 450 international craft and design journals since 1973 and includes data on over 50,000 designers, craftspeople, studios, workshops and companies.

» JSTOR

Find full-text scholarly articles from arts and humanities journals. Coverage varies by journal: from 1903 to present.

» OmniFile Full Text Select

Full-text database providing full text articles in all subject areas. Coverage begins in 1994.

» Literature Resource Center

Offers full-text access to articles from over 280 literary journals, Miriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature, as well as over 140,000 author biographies and bibliographies.

» The Directory of Open Access Journals

Contains full-text articles from scholarly and scientific journals that are available freely online.

» Encyclopedia Britannica

Contains select full-text articles from EBSCO and ProQuest databases as well as encyclopedia entries and other reference materials.

[For step-by-step instructions on searching these online indexes, visit the Article Database Search Help Page.]

Locating Articles on the Library Shelves

Identify the relevant article(s) and source

If a full-text article is not available online, write down the journal title, volume/number or month/year, and page number(s) of the desired article so that you can find the printed version. You will also need this information to cite the article in a footnote or bibliography.

Check if CCA Libraries have access to the journal

Search for the title of the journal (not the article title!) in Journal Finder. Follow the links to see if the article is available online or on the library shelves.

Locate journal on library shelves

If you the journal is available in the "CCA Print Holdings", hit the CCA Print Holdings link to check the details in the library catalog. In the catalog note its LOCATION (Oakland or San Francisco Periodicals) and whether it is shelved in the BOUND (older issues) or recent periodical section. Recent periodicals can be checked out, however, bound periodicals are library use only.

General Tips

  • Ask a librarian if you need help finding articles prior to the 1980s.
  • Older issues and bound periodicals do not circulate; read them in the libraries.
  • More recent unbound periodical issues may be checked out for 2 days and renewed up to 3 times. No more than 2 issues of the same periodical maybe checked out at the same time.
  • Patrons are also allowed to page periodicals from the other campus library.

For questions regarding the periodicals collection, contact either:

CCA Libraries Periodicals Collection

Periodicals in Print Form

The CCA Libraries have 600 periodical titles in their general collections: 373 in Meyer Library (Oak) and 227 in Simpson Library (SF); over 250 are current subscriptions.

Subjects include magazines and journals on art, architecture, design, art history and theory, creative writing, as well as general titles for the humanities and sciences. Meyer Library concentrates on fine arts and art history; Simpson Library concentrates on architecture and designs. Popular art magazines and literary magazines are available in both libraries.

Periodicals in Electronic Form

Full-text articles from over 2,000 periodical titles are available online in Wilson Web, a commercial database from which you can download and print html or pdf copies of individual articles. The library currently subscribes to the ArtFullText and OmniFile Select sections of Wilson Web, both linked from the library homepage - library.cca.edu.

Print and Electronic Form

Some periodicals are available in both print and electronic form; if you look for one of these in the CCA Libraries Catalog, you will find a list of print issues, plus a link to the electronic texts.

Electronic Periodicals at Other Libraries

Additional online periodical articles are available through public library websites. We encourage you obtain a free library card from the San Francisco Public Library and/or the Oakland Public Library.