What is ARTstor?

ARTstor is a digital library of images, their associated information, and software tools designed to enhance teaching, learning, and scholarship. The ARTstor Digital Library contains approximately 400,000 images from a wide range of cultures and time periods, including images of architecture, painting, prints, drawings, sculpture, decorative arts, design, archeological and anthropological objects.

How do I get to ARTstor?

You may go to the University Library web site http://www.lib.unc.edu and select ARTstor from the list of Article Databases. After clicking on the appropriate link, you will see the ARTstor home page. While on campus, you may also point your web browser directly to http://www.artstor.org to go to the ARTstor home page.

Once you are there, click on the link to "Search and browse for images." After a few seconds, you will see the ARTstor Welcome Page, which provides you with a Keyword Search field, as well as descriptions of the various collections that make up ARTstor.

What can I do in ARTstor?

• Search for images
  While on the Welcome Page, you can search ARTstor immediately by using the Keyword Search box in the upper left corner of the screen. Enter a search term or phrase in the blank field. There is no need to use "AND" in between words since ARTstor will automatically combine your terms. Select the collection you wish to search from the drop-down menu below, or choose to search across "All Collections." Click on the "Search" button and your search results will appear on the Thumbnail Page.


• View images and data
  Once you are on the Thumbnail Page, you may begin viewing images and their associated data records. You may display your search results or Image Group in Thumbnail or List Mode. Toggle between the two by going to View and selecting "Display images in Thumbnail Mode" or "Display images in List Mode." To view the data for an image, click on the caption beneath the thumbnail. This will open the Data Information window. To view an image, double-click on the thumbnail image itself. This will open the Image Viewer window.
  
  While in the Image Viewer, click the Zoom Mode button amongst the top right group of icons, and then anywhere on the image to zoom in for details. To zoom out, click the zoom out button , located in the top left group of icons. If you would like to view the image full-screen, click on the Maximize Window icon amongst the icons in the lower row. You may also use these icons to print or download a copy of the image that you are viewing. Once you download a copy of an ARTstor image and save it locally, you can import that JPEG into a Word document or a PowerPoint presentation just like any other image file.

Why should I register for an ARTstor account?

If you have found images that you would like to save into a group for future use, you will have to register for an ARTstor account. Remember, registering for an account is completely optional. If all you would like to do in ARTstor is search and view images, you do not have to register.

To register, go back to the Welcome Page by clicking on the "Home" toolbar button in the upper left corner of the Thumbnail Page. Then, click on the "Register" button on the right-hand side of the Welcome Page. A Registration Form will open, prompting you to enter a valid email address and a password of your choice. When you are done, click on the "Register" button and you will automatically be registered and logged onto your new account. From this point forward, whenever you return to ARTstor, you can log onto your account by clicking the "Logon" button immediately below the "Register" button on the Welcome Page. Make a note of the email address and password that you've used to register, so that you can remember it for the next time that you logon.

How do I use my ARTstor account?

Once you have registered an account and are logged onto it, you have access to the following features:

• Saving image groups
  Find your images by keyword searching or browsing collections. When you locate an image that you would like to save, single-click the thumbnail so that it becomes highlighted in yellow. To de-select an image, simply single-click on it once more so that the highlight disappears. Once you have selected all of the images that you want to save, click on the "Image Groups" toolbar button and choose the option to "Save" selected images to new group."
  
  A new window will open, giving you the option to save an Image Group into a personal, private folder, called "My Work Folder," which was automatically created for you when you registered an account. Enter a name for your Image Group in the appropriate field, and click the "Save and Open" button (the "Create new group" radio button will be preselected). Your new Image Group will open on the Thumbnail Page. You may drag and drop the thumbnails to rearrange them. You may toggle between List and Thumbnail Mode by going to the View menu in the toolbar and selecting "Display images in thumbnail mode" or "Display images in list mode." You can continue to add images to this group by conducting more searches and selecting new images. To save these new images to your existing group, highlight the images you want, go to Image Groups in the toolbar, and select "Append selected images to existing group." The appropriate radio button will be preselected so you need only choose which group to save to, and then click "save."


• Adding Peronal Notes to images
  Registered Users may also add Personal Notes to any image in ARTstor. These notes are private and only you may view them when you log onto your ARTstor account. To add a personal note, double-click on the caption beneath the thumbnail image of choice. When you are logged onto your account, you will see an additional tab in the Data Information window marked "Personal Notes." Click on this tab to access a free text field where you may key in any commentary that you wish to attach to an image. You may also cut and paste text from another electronic document. Click the "Save" button to preserve your personal notes.


• Downloading the Offline Image Viewer
  The Offline Image Viewer is a presentation tool that Registered Users can download by going to the "Tools" toolbar button and selecting the "Download Offline Viewer" option. You may use the Offline Image Viewer to give presentations using images that you found in ARTstor and saved into an Image Group. You can also incorporate any local images that you may have saved, so that you can present them alongside the ARTstor images. For more information, please see: http://www.artstor.org/webhelp/Offline_Image_Viewer.htm.