Research

The following online tools can help you find the information you need electronically or assist you in preparing for a visit to one of our libraries.

Research Libraries Catalogue

Locate books, journals, videos and exhibition catalogues in our collection of more than 45,000 resources.

Wyckoff Teacher Resource Center Catalogue

Locate books, curriculum guides, videos, lessons plans and other materials specifically tailored to educators in the Wyckoff Teacher Resource Center’s collection of over 4,000 resources. You can narrow your search by format (books, prints, etc.), topic, grade level, and/or curriculum.

Electronic Resources for Art Research

The library has created these “self-help” research pages especially for our patrons. They provide broad information on particular historical periods and styles of art represented in the Seattle Art Museum's collection.

Bibliographies on the Collection and Exhibitions

These bibliographies, prepared by SAM Library staff, provide resources specific to past, present and upcoming exhibitions, as well as areas of the permanent collection. All resources are available for consultation at the SAM Libraries.

Journal Collection

The SAM research libraries currently subscribe to nearly 100 publications, with holdings of more than 200 additional publications. In addition to this list, you can also search the library catalogue by the title of the publication you want.

Object Collection

Looking for information on one of SAM’s art objects? This is a great place to start. Search SAM’s collection of more than 23,000 objects. Check out the Close Ups online collection for in-depth information on 100 of SAM’s favorite objects. Listen to curators and scholars discuss objects in-depth in the SAM Audio section.

Online Publications

The publications featured here spotlight objects from SAM's collection and are available for download, free of charge.

Northwest Oral History Project: Archives of American Art

This series of interview transcripts comes from the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution. 196 interviews of some of the most important people in Northwest art are transcribed here.

JSTOR Access: museum computers only
Search full-text files of more than 270 scholarly journals. Articles include images and date back to the 19th century.

AskART Access: museum computers only; requires login for auction data
Access biographical and bibliographical information on more than 100,000 American artists.

ArtNet.com Access: museum computers only
Through Artnet.com's Researcher subscription, access auction records from more than 500 of the leading international auction houses. Please note: this service provides no images, only auction data.