Archival materials are referenced in the online catalog, but the records there are brief and lacking the detail found in our finding aids and digitized image and media records. Although you can see the boxes that are available for an archival collection in the online catalog, in order to determine the location of the specific information you are seeking in the collection you will need to consult our finding aids.
There are several ways to locate our finding aids:
When you find the location of the material you need, keep note of its series, box, portfolio, flatfile or other container number so that you can request the relevant item in the online catalog.
A finding aid is an inventory or index to an archival collection. It will contain an overview of the collection, information on the original compiler of the records, a description of the contents, and information on how to locate specific materials within the collection.
Please note that because some archival collections are very large, finding aids do not necessarily describe every item or object within each collection. Therefore, description may only be offered at a more general level (e.g., “letters, 1940”).
If you have not used these tools before, an excellent explanation of how to use a finding aid is available here.
Input a keyword into the box and click Search to begin searching the online library catalog, including content from the Art and Architecture Finding Aids, Digital Collections, and Oral History databases.
Unfortunately, Institutional Archives resources (including the Imaging Archives) are not yet searchable here; please visit this page for more information.
A list of online guides and bibliographies developed by Ryerson & Burnham librarians to assist research on a variety of art historical and architectural topics, including provenance research, building history, appraisal and preservation resources, Chicago neighborhood research, and the history of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Digital collection catalogs available freely online. Catalogs offer detailed art historical context, provenance history, and scientific analysis of artworks in the Art Institute of Chicago's collections.
Ryerson & Burnham Libraries
For information on the museum collections, library collections, and library services, please contact Library staff at reference@artic.edu.
The Art Institute of Chicago Archives
For information on our collections, the history of the Art Institute and the School of the Art Institute, donation proposals, corrections, comments, and general questions, please contact Archives staff at archives@artic.edu.