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Research Guides

Eastern Washington University Libraries

History of Photography

Introduction

This section of the research guide walks you through locating a photographer's body of work -- primarily in monograph form. See the final section for suggestions for locating a body of work that is not in monograph form (ie, digitized images).

Please don't hesitate to be in touch with me to request assistance with research for this project.  Please email me or message me through Canvas.

Best of luck with your assignment!

Rose Krause, Librarian for Art

What is a "Body of Work"? What is a Monograph?

A "body of work" is similar to an intentionally-created "series" of images. For example, the photographer Cindy Sherman has created multiple series of work, including Untitled Film Stills, Rear Screen Projections, Centerfolds, Fairy Tales, Disasters, Hollywood Types, and Clowns. Tracking down the individual images from each series can be is time-consuming; therefore, in order to access a curated series of work by Sherman, we focus on locating and requesting published monographs of her series, such as Cindy Sherman: The Complete Untitled Film Stills (New York, 2003).  (See the Cindy Sherman entry in Grove Art for additional series and publications.)  A retrospective of a photographer's work is too extensive for this assignment.

Other examples of focused "bodies of work" by photographers include Riis' How the Other Half Lives or Lewis Hines' photographs for the National Child Labor Board.  Some photographers may not have published a monograph of their work, so you may need to rely on collections of digitized images instead; see the section on Other Options - Locate Digitized Body of Work for suggestions.

Option 1 - Search and Find Physical Items in EWU Library or Request Physical Items through Summit Libraries

SEARCHING

 

Open the EWU Library Catalog. Change the "Search Scope" drop-down to "EWU and Summit Libraries".

 

 

 

 

 

 

OBTAIN APPROVAL FROM YOUR INSTRUCTOR

 

LOCATING THE BOOK IN THE EWU LIBRARY

Identify the call number (book number) in the brief record or the detailed record's Get It section. Use the JFK Floor Map for the Upper Level to identify where the book is located. Retrieve the book and bring to the Circulation Desk with your Eagle Card. EWU books circulate for 12 weeks, with the option to renew for an additional 12 weeks.

REQUESTING THROUGH SUMMIT

 

 

 

You will receive an email to your EWU account alerting you that your item is ready to pick up. Bring your Eagle Card to the Circulation Desk in the lobby of the JFK Library to check out your items. Summit items circulation for 12 weeks with the option to renew for another 12 weeks.

Option 2 - Search for and Request Physical Items Using Interlibrary Loan

Use the WorldCat database to search for and request items using the Interlibrary Loan system (materials from libraries around the world).

Enter the name of your photographer in the "Author" field of the Advanced Search screen.
 

 

In your results window, go to the left navigation area and  scroll down to the "Refine Results" section and the "Topic" section.  In the "Topic" section, click "Art & Architecture." The window will reload with a smaller set of results.

 

 

Scroll down to the "Topic" area again and click on "Photography."  Allow the window to refresh to see a smaller set of results that include works on the topic of photography and that are by your photographer.

 

 

Review the list of results and click on titles to see more information about each item.

 

OBTAIN APPROVAL FROM YOUR INSTRUCTOR

 

REQUEST

 

Once you have chosen the monograph (and obtain approval from your instructor), scroll down to the "Find a copy in a library" section and click on the button called "Request Item through Interlibrary Loan."

 

A new window will open and you may be prompted to sign in using your EWU Single Sign On (SSO).  You should then see a page for requesting your item.  The information about the item should have pre-populated many of the fields.  You will need to select the date needed by (give at least 2 weeks as the item will need to be shipped from another library) and select your "Pickup/Delivery" option.  Click the "Submit" button.

 

When your item arrives at EWU, you will receive an email message to your EWU email account. Bring your Eagle Card to the Circulation Desk in the lobby of the JFK Library to check out your items. Return dates and possibility for renewal vary by lending institution. Contact the Interlibrary Loan office with questions.

Questions about Interlibrary Loan?  See the Interlibrary Loan information pages.

Option 3 - Locate Online Copy through Internet Archive

Some photographers' monographs are available to borrow for free online through the Internet Archive's "Books to Borrow" program.

Use the Advanced Search function to search for the name of your photographer, then limit to books available to borrow for 14 days.

LINK TO VIDEO TUTORIAL

 

WRITTEN DIRECTIONS WITH SCREENSHOTS ARE BELOW

SEARCH

Go to the Internet Archive Advanced Search.  Type the name of your photographer in the "Creator" field and click the "Search" button.

 

 

In the left menu area, underneath the number of results, go to the "Availability" section and click the check box for "Borrow 14 days".  Wait for the page to refresh.

 

 

In the left menu area, underneath the number of results, go to the "Topics & Subjects" section and click the check box for your photographer's name.  Wait for the page to refresh.

 

 

 

 

Click on the title of the work you to see a more detailed description and a preview of the first few pages.

 

 

OBTAIN APPROVAL FROM YOUR INSTRUCTOR

 

BORROW

 

Use your EWU or personal Google account to create an Internet Archive borrower account and borrow the book for 1-14 days.

Click the "Log In and Borrow" button.

 

Sign in by clicking on the "Sign In with Google" button.

 

 

On the "Welcome to Internet Archive" screen, uncheck the boxes for subscribing to the IA newsletter and events list (unless you want more email!).  Click "Continue".

 

 

 

In the screen for the book you want to borrow, click the "Borrow" button and select either "Borrow for 1 hour" or "Borrow for 14 days".  You can return the item anytime.

 

 

Once you've borrowed the item, you'll see a red "Return Now" button instead of the blue "Borrow" button.  Use this button to return the item anytime.  Navigation buttons will also be available in the viewer window.

 

Use the Internet Archive Help pages for additional support issues.

Other Options - Locate Digitized Body of Work

This option applies for a photographer like Dorothea Lange, whose body of work with the FSA is housed at the Library of Congress, and who only produced one monograph in her lifetime.

Dorothea Lange:  Farm Services Administration photographs at Library of Congress.  In "Collection Items" tab, limit "Contributor" to Dorothea Lange and date to 1930-1939.

Lewis Hine:  National Child Labor Board photographs at Library of Congress

Julia Margaret Cameron:  Photographs at the Victoria & Albert Museum