Research Guides: Where to Find Resources (by type): Books

Where to Find Books

The Library Search is a Great Starting Point for Books!

Use the search box below to search almost everything the library has to offer, or visit the library homepage. Check out the How to Find Books [link to guide page] page in this guide for step-by-step directions.

JFABC Digital Library
Use this to find artists' publications in the Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection in Flaxman Library's Special Collections.

Borrowing Books Beyond SAIC

If you are seeking books that are unavailable in the library catalog, we recommend first checking if it can be requested through I-Share (linked below). If that does not work, the next step is to fill out the Interlibrary Loan form (ILL). You can search WorldCat (link below) to find books from other libraries. Flaxman staff will do everything we can to get materials for current SAIC faculty, students, and staff through ILL when not available through I-Share.

Want to explore more books? Check out these catalogs and online platforms:

I-Share
Group of college & university libraries in Illinois; request & check out books.

WorldCat This link opens in a new window
Search the combined holdings of over 9,000 OCLC members, and over 57 million bibliographic records. Many items can be requested using Flaxman's interlibrary loan form.
Center for Research Libraries This link opens in a new window
Acquires and preserves traditional and digital resources (international newspapers, dissertations) for research and teaching and makes them available to member institutions through interlibrary loan. Please use Flaxman's interlibrary loan form to request items.

Internet Archive
Many digitized books can be checked out for a limited period. Continually growing collection offering permanent access for researchers, historians, scholars, people with disabilities, and the general public to historical collections that exist in digital format.
Google Books
Millions of books scanned cover to cover. To find fully scanned books that you can read online select Full view only in the Search: option.

Purchasing Books

Bookfinder
Searches at once: amazon.com, Alibris, Barnes & Noble, Powell's, and Advanced Book Exchange, and it has links to all of them
Worldwide Books
A large vendor of exhibition catalogs and art books
ABBA Antiquarian Booksellers Association
Antiquarian book dealers & associations
French rare booksellers
Mare magnum liborum
William Stout Architectural Books
Includes a large selection of out-of-print and rare books and magazines.

Visiting Other Libraries

There are other libraries in the Chicago area that allow visiting researchers. Below are the most commonly asked for libraries in our area. It is always best to check with them before visiting.

Chicago Public Library
8th floor, Visual & Performing Arts, Harold Washington Library Center (Van Buren & State Streets). Get your CPL library card -- it's not part of I-Share
Newberry Library
Has a large rare-book collection, some cataloged in I-Share; open to all once a reader's card is obtained
Northwestern University
Can visit but not check out materials; public access hours: Monday-Saturday: open - 6pm
Ryerson & Burnham Libraries
Research library of the Art Institute of Chicago; you cannot check out books but can make an appointment to use materials in their reading room. See this link for instructions on making an appointment.
University of Chicago
May visit but but cannot check out books. Read UofC's rules here before you go.