30,000 signed articles and images on visual arts, over 6,000 subject entries and 20,000 biographies, and 7,000 searchable images. This resource also includes the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics (2nd edition), The Oxford Companion to Western Art, and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. (NVCC)
Definitions for more than 3,600 terms used in discussing art / visual culture, along with thousands of supporting images, pronunciation notes, great quotations and cross-references.
Why to Use Reference Books
An encyclopedia is a type of reference book. Use a reference book to:
Defineimportant vocabulary words related to your topic,
Finda basic overview and main issues related to your topic,
Findreferences to additional resources, and
Discoverimportant background information related to your topic.
You will typically not use a reference book or encyclopedia as a source in your research. The information in these sources is for your own background knowledge.