There are many ways to locate books that are relevant to your research topic:

1. Search for books by doing a simple KEYWORD search in Catalyst (in the search box above). Enter words that describe your topic (names, places, events, etc.).
2. When you find a book on your topic, examine its subject headings for relevance to your topic. Click on a hyperlinked subject heading to perform a subject heading search.
3. Conduct a virtual browse at the very bottom of a book record in Catalyst, to discover related titles.
4. You can also look at the bibliography of books you have already identified as useful. 
5. You can also use the advanced search box below to search by subject.

Relevant Library of Congress Call Numbers

This is only a partial list of call numbers pertaining to the Fine Arts. For a more complete listing, go to the Library of Congress Classification Outline, provided by the Library of Congress.

N Visual Arts (General)
NA Architecture
NB Sculpture
NC Illustration, Design, Drawing.
ND Painting
NE Printing
NK Decorative Arts, Applied Arts
NX Arts in General

Subject Headings

Because subject headings are created according to a specific formula, and because it is unlikely that you will be able to guess what phrases this formula will generate, it is often helpful to do a keyword search on your topic, and, once you find an appropriate source, examine the subjects (usually found in the middle of the page as you scroll down). You may then conduct a subject search by clicking on the linked subject heading in the record. Keeping a list of the phrases you find in the subject headings can help you form more and more complex and effective searches as your research progresses.

As an example, although Art history is a Library of Congress Subject Heading, you will probably get better results if you are more specific. If you are interested in the art of a particular country and time period, use the subject heading art and the adjective describing the products of that country, combined with an uppercase AND. For example, use Art  AND American AND 19th century to search for works related to American art and The Gilded Age. You may also specify a state or even a city, but be aware that being that specific will greatly limit your results. Some art movements have been assigned Library of Congress Subject Headings; others have not. You may also search by the name of a particular artist (last name first). Be careful in your word choices--some words and phrases that may seem very natural to you will not be Library of Congress Subject Headings.