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John M. Flaxman Library SAIC School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Visual & Critical Studies Research Guide

Where to Find Visual & Critical Studies Books

The Library Search is a Great Starting Point for Books!

Use the search box below to find almost everything the library has to offer, or visit the library homepage. Checkout the Websites + Suggested Readings page in this guide for a list of essays and books to get you started in Visual and Critical Studies.

Consider these pre-made searches for Visual & Critical Studies: visual studies | art and politics | queer theory | the gaze theory

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 you aren't sure how to request books from I-Share, follow these instructions. If that does not work, the next step is to fill out the Interlibrary Loan form (ILL). Library staff will do everything we can to get materials for current SAIC faculty, students, and staff through ILL when not available through I-Share. You can also explore this full list of locations (both near, far, and online) where you can find books.

Theses @ SAIC

To browse Visual and Critical Studies theses in the Flaxman Main Stacks, see Visual & Critical Studies (M.A.) -- N7475.1Visual & Critical Studies (B.A.) -- N7475.2, and Visual & Critical Studies (B.F.A. & B.A.) -- N7475.21

View current VCS theses in the SAIC Digital Thesis Repository here. Click LOGIN upper right corner of the page with your ARTIC credentials to view theses.

Dissertations + Theses Beyond SAIC

Check out our Where to Find Dissertations + Theses page for a full list of databases and tools for finding materials beyond SAIC theses.

Found a dissertation or thesis but can't access the full text? A copy may be obtained through interlibrary loan; however, sometimes you can only get a copy by buying one. Check with Flaxman librarians (flaxman@saic.edu) before you buy!