P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
MoMA's Affiliation with P.S.1
Visiting P.S.1
The following Frequently Asked Questions have been compiled by the Museum Library. Questions about DADABASE that are not included here can be directed to library@moma.org. See also Art Research FAQ, MoMA Research FAQ, and Library FAQ.
- What is DADABASE?
- What is listed in DADABASE besides books?
- What is not in DADABASE?
- What does "Checked Out" mean in DADABASE?
- What does "Use Copy on Microfilm" or "Use Copy on Microfiche" mean in DADABASE?
- Are periodical articles in DADABASE? How can I find articles?
- How can I find periodicals in DADABASE?
- What periodicals do you have? What periodicals do you currently subscribe to?
- How can I find reviews of MoMA exhibitions in DADABASE?
- How can I find back issues of Museum bulletins, members magazines, and calendars in DADABASE? Why aren't they all together?
- What are the MoMA magazine citations in DADABASE?
- How can I find auction catalogues in DADABASE?
- How can I find catalogues raisonnés in DADABASE?
- How can I find Artists' Books in DADABASE?
- How can I find Franklin Furnace Archive materials in DADABASE?
- How can I find Political Art Documentation/Distribution (PAD/D) Archive materials in DADABASE?
- How can I find websites in DADABASE?
- How can I find Subject Files in DADABASE?
- How can I find Archives Pamphlet Files in DADABASE?
- I can't connect to DADABASE. What should I do?
- How do I request materials?
- May I request materials in advance?
- Will you ship materials between libraries?
- What is Arcade?
- What is NYARC?
Q. What is DADABASE?
A. DADABASE is the online catalogue of The Museum of Modern Art Library, Museum Archives, and Study Centers. It lists materials in diverse media. Except for links to websites, the materials themselves are not in DADABASE. Rather, DADABASE describes what the materials are and where they are in the Museum.
Q. What is listed in DADABASE besides books?
- Exhibition catalogues
- Files on individual artists
- Periodicals
- Auction catalogues
- Selected Museum Archives materials
- Museum newsletters, calendars, bulletins, and annual reports
- The Museum of Modern Art/Franklin Furnace Artist Books Collection
- The Political Art Documentation/Distribution (PAD/D) Archive
- Audiovisual materials
- Research-oriented websites
Q. What's not in DADABASE?
- Periodical articles
- Works in the Museum collections (or its Study Collections) such as paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, architectural drawings, posters, design objects, prints, illustrated books, films, and videos
- Films
- Circulating films
- Film stills
- Film program notes
Q. What does "Checked Out" mean in DADABASE?
A. Library materials may be checked-out to Museum staff, or for cataloging, preservation, or exhibition. "Checked out" materials may be retrievable for consultation in the Library reading rooms. To consult a checked-out item, ask at the reference desk.
Q. What does "Use Copy on Microfilm" or "Use Copy on Microfiche" mean in DADABASE?
A. For preservation purposes, microfilm copies are provided in place of fragile original materials. Staff will assist with microfilm readers and printers.
Q. Are periodical articles in DADABASE?
A. Periodical titles and holdings are listed in DADABASE, but not periodical articles or their citations (with one exception). To find which periodical titles are held by the Library, search DADABASE by Journal Title.
To find periodical articles, first use a periodical index to find citations. Note the citation, including author, article title, journal title, volume, number, and publication date.
Example:
Krauss, Rosalind. "The Originality of the Avant-Garde: A Postmodernist Repetition," October n.18 Fall 1981 p.47-66. (This citation describes an article by Rosalind Krauss in a journal named October, which was published in the Fall of 1981.)
Next find out if the Library has the issue correpsonding to each citation. To do this, search DADABASE by Journal Title. Examine the Holdings to see if the Library has the issue.
Example:
Journal title: October
Holdings: no.88-91 (1999); no.1 (1976)-no.88 (1999).
Location: Library Stacks
Call number: PER
(This DADABASE entry describes the Library's holdings for the journal
named October. The Library has issue number 1, published
in 1976, through issue number 91, published in 1999.)
See also How can I find Museum bulletins, members magazines, and calendars?
Q. How can I find periodicals in DADABASE?
A. For a periodical with known title: search by title. Example: revolution surrealiste
For a periodical with a common name: search by title, then click limit/sort by material type for serials. Example: arts
For periodicals on a topic: advanced search by subject
Limit search further by language, date, etc.
Q. What periodicals do you have? What periodicals do you currently subscribe to?
A. The collection includes over 4,000 periodical titles dating from the nineteenth century. Approximately 250 of these are current subscriptions.
- For a particular periodical, search by Journal Title. Example: Artforum
- For a periodical about a particular topic, search by Subject. Example: photography periodicals
- For a very long list of periodicals about modern art, search by Subject for art modern 20th century periodicals
Q. How can I find reviews of MoMA exhibitions in DADABASE?
A. For some MoMA exhibitions, the Library has publicity reports compiled by the Communications Department. To find these in DADABASE, search by Keyword for +"publicity report" +"museum of modern art". Occasionally reviews can be found in the Library's Archives Pamphlet Files. Otherwise, use periodical indexes to locate exhibition reviews.
Q. What are the MoMA magazine citations in DADABASE?
A. Articles in the members publication MoMA are indexed in DADABASE for 1989 - 2000. To consult the article represented by a citation, see the publication itself in the Reference Area. A printed index to a preceeding magazine, the Bulletin (published June 1933 - 1963), is also available in the Reference Area.
See also How can I find Museum bulletins, members magazines, and calendars?
Q. How can I find auction catalogues in DADABASE?
A. To find general holdings, search by Author for the name of the auction house. To find individual auction catalogues:
- Keyword search for the auction house and the date of the sale, in the form yyyymmdd, where yyyy is the year, mm is the month, and dd is the day. Example: +christies +19981105 will search for the catalogue of a sale at Christie's on November 5, 1998
- Keyword search for auction house and sale number. Example: +sothebys +1631
- Advanced search by date in the field Auction or Event Date, in the form yyyymmdd. Example: 199811? will retrieve catalogues for all sales held in November 1998
- Keyword search for collector. Example: +saatchi
Q. How can I find catalogues raisonnés in DADABASE?
A. To find a catalogue raisonné (a comprehensive catalogue of works by an artist, sometimes limited to one medium such as prints or painting), search by Keyword for the artist's name and the phrase catalogues raisonnes. Example: +miro +joan +"catalogues raisonnes".
Q. How can I find Artists' Books in DADABASE?
A. Do an Advanced search for the phrase artists books in the field Form/Genre. To find materials about artists' books in general, such as surveys and exhibitions, search by Subject for artists books or artists books exhibitions.
Q. How can I find Franklin Furnace materials in DADABASE?
A. For artists' books, see How can I find artists' books in DADABASE? For non-artists' books in the Franklin Furnace collection, do an Advanced search for the phrase franklin furnace in the field Donor. See also What is the Franklin Furnace Artist Book Collection?
Q. How can I find Political Art Documentation/Distribution (PAD/D) Archive materials in DADABASE?
A. Do an Advanced search for the phrase political art documentation distribution in the field Donor. See also What is the Political Art Documentation/Distribution (PAD/D) Archive?
Q. How can I find websites in DADABASE?
A. Websites about modern art and artists are selectively cataloged in DADABASE. To find them:
- Keyword search for +http
- Advanced search for the phrase web sites in the field Form/Genre
Q. How can I find Subject Files in DADABASE?
A. Search by Keyword for your topic and the phrase subject file. Example: +"art thefts" +"subject file". Because Subject Files tend to be very brief, see if there are additional materials on you topic through a DADABASE search by Subject, or ask a librarian for assistance. Please note that Subject Files are stored offsite, requiring at least one week's notice. See also What is in a Subject File?
Q. How can I find Archives Pamphlet Files in DADABASE?
A. Search by Keyword for your topic and the phrase archives pamphlet file. Example: +"barr" +"archives pamphlet file". See also What is in an Archive Pamphlet File?
Q. I can't connect to DADABASE. What should I do?
A. First, try reconnecting to DADABASE. If unsucessful, try again several minutes later–Internet traffic or a failed connection may be preventing access. If that doesn't work, please let us know. Please note that DADABASE is unavailable between approximately 4:00 and 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time for system backup.
Q. What is Arcade?
A. DADABASE is a subset of Arcade, the combined library catalogs of the New York Art Resources Consortium (NYARC). Arcade includes the holdings of the MoMA, Frick, and Brooklyn Museum Libraries—over 700,000 titles. Searches can be limited to DADABASE, or expanded to include all three libraries.
Q. What is NYARC?
A. NYARC, the New York Art Resources Consortium, is comprised of the libraries of The Museum of Modern Art, The Brooklyn Museum, the Frick Collection, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.