Heather Gendron
Art Librarian
hgendron@email.unc.edu
919-962-1061

Josh Hockensmith
Art Library Assistant
hockensm@email.unc.edu
919-962-2397

Can't find the article, book, or report you need at our library? You can request it from another library through interlibrary loan.

Off-campus access is limited to UNC faculty, students, and staff, unless otherwise noted.

Artists' Books in the Sloane Art Library's Collection (publicly available)
The art library has a growing collection of over 400 artists' books. Our artists' books are kept in cabinets behind the circulation desk, and can be pulled by request for use in the library. Follow the link above to see a complete list of artists and titles in our collection. If you're interested in seeing a selection of highlights, contact us and we'll be happy to arrange it with you.

Artists' Books Online (publicly available)
"Artists' Books Online is designed to promote critical engagement with artists books and to provide access to a digital repository of metadata, scans, and commentary. The project serves several different communities: artists, scholars and critics, librarians and curators, and interested readers."(From the web site)

Journal of Artists' Books
"The Journal of Artists' Books provides a platform for both theoretical and creative expression. As a forum for the study of artists' books, JAB publishes critical and theoretical articles, reviews of artists' books and exhibitions, and commentary on conferences and and other book art-related activities. JAB also regularly showcases creative work in the form of artists' statements and artist-designed pages and covers."
(from the JAB web site)

The print edition -- which often features letter-press printed covers and supplemental artworks -- is also available in the Sloane Art Library's periodicals collection.

Art Full Text
A core database for art and art historical research. Art Full Text indexes and offers full text for a wide array of journals in the fields of art history, architecture, craft, design, landscape architecture, museology, photography and video, and much more.

Art Full Text indexes several major artists' book journals, including Bonefolder, Journal of Artists' Books, and Umbrella. [more info]

Most books on artists' books are located in the Sloane Art Library, although some can also be found in the Rare Books Collection and the SILS Library. Most will have a call number beginning with N7433.3 or N7433.4 (Art Library, 2nd Floor).

Begin searching the catalog with a simple keyword search:

Keyword Search: Artists' books

Once you have located a relevant title, look at the Subject links in the item's Full Record. Follow the relevant subject heading links to find other, similar books.

The most common subject heading is "Artists' books" or a more specific version of that (e.g. "Artists' books--Great Britain").

UNC Libraries' online catalog can also be searched by author, title, subject, and call number. Here are a few examples:

Author search: Drucker, Johanna

Title search: when will the book be done

Subject search: artists' books

Call Number search: n7433.4

Worldcat To see what books and other materials libraries around the country own related to Artists' Books, search the Worldcat database. Request materials not owned by UNC Libraries via Interlibrary Services.