MoMA.org | The Museum of Modern Art  
Advanced Search  
 
  Research ResourcesDADABASE FAQ
 
Home Page
Calendar of Events
Exhibitions Schedule
The Collection
Visiting the Museum
About MoMA
Education
International Program
Research Resources
Library
Archives
Study Centers
DADABASE
Image Permissions
Publications
Support MoMA
Online Store
blank
E-News | E-Cards

   

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.

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 Web sites, 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?

Q. What's not in DADABASE?

Q. What does "Charged" mean in DADABASE?
A. Library materials may be checked-out to Museum staff or for preservation. "Charged" materials may be retrievable for consultation in the Library Reading Room. To consult a checked-out item, see the Reference Librarian.

Q. What does "Use Copy on Microfilm" or "Use Copy on Microfiche" mean in DADABASE?
A. For preservation purposes, request the microform copy of Library materials rather than the original. Examples:

Journal Title: Moving Picture News
Location: Microfilm (request this)
Call number: MFLIM 0094
----------------
Location: Offsite Annex (don't request this)
Call number: PER
Holdings: USE COPY ON MICROFILM

Title: [Matisse Exhibition catalogues, Exhibition Announcements, Press Releases...]
Location: Microfiche (request this)
Call number: 1 M87
----------------
Location: Scrapbooks (USE COPY ON MICROFICHE) (don't request this)
Call number: M28 N39

Q. Are periodical articles in DADABASE?
A. Periodical titles and holdings are listed in DADABASE, but not periodical articles or their citations (with some exceptions). 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. 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 Web sites in DADABASE?
A. Web sites 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 by returning to http://library.moma.org. 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.

  

  Copyright The Museum of Modern Art