Searching for images? The SVA Library provides access for SVA students, faculty and staff to vast online collections of them, from stock images for your advertising campaign to reference images for your creative inspiration—and everything else in between. Some of the collections you have access to might even surprise you, so read on to discover the extensive image resources you have at your fingertips.

Artstor is one of the most robust image collections that we offer. It contains over two million images contributed by museums, galleries, universities and other institutions worldwide. Many are familiar with this resource but might not be aware of its tools’ full breadth. The SVA Library recently completed a migration of its entire SVA Image Library (formerly MDID) to the Artstor platform. Our “in-house” image collection has been curated by SVA faculty members and the Visual Resources Center (VRC) staff over many decades. And now, users can seamlessly search it alongside the millions of images available in the Artstor database. In addition to such extensive collections, Artstor hosts several other useful tools:

• Artstor Curated Groups are image groups assembled by Artstor staff that highlight special-interest content or particular collections or themes. These groups can be used as-is or as a starting point, which can be edited to suit individual needs. Browse the curated groups on this page.

• Virtual Reality Panoramas allow for 360-degree viewing around a central point. These are useful for showing works in situ, such as Titian’s Assumption of the Virgin as it appears in the apse in Santa Maria Gloriosa del Frari in Venice. You can find these panoramic views by typing “virtual reality panoramas” in the search bar.

• The “Related Media” icon appears as a row of black squares beneath an image. Clicking on this icon will lead the user to additional views of the image. This improvement can help find the best quality image available or important detail views.

• The “Others are Interested” icon appears as a multi-colored group of people under an image. Clicking this icon will lead the user to images that others have used in conjunction with the original. For example, clicking on Seurat’s Bathers at Asnieres will reveal other post-Impressionist works.

The VRC staff is available for help in navigating the new platform. Check out support.artstor.org for information on creating and sharing image groups, as well as tips for searching the collections. 

Do you need stock images, illustrations or videos for a project? Look no further than Colourbox. This stock image database contains over 25 million photos, vector illustrations and HD stock videos. Search by keyword or browse themed categories, like Food & Drink, Backgrounds & Textures, Animals, Holidays, People, and more. Colourbox images are royalty-free, and can be referenced, remixed or reused for non-commercial or educational projects. Create an account with your SVA email address to download 30 images per month for free. New or existing users who need to update their accounts with our current educational key may contact library@sva.edu.

Are you in the New York City area? The SVA Library stacks contain a wealth of visually rich books that include art monographs, scientific illustrations and historical costume surveys—to name just a few of the many image-saturated topics our collections cover. Find out more about reserving physical items for contactless pick-up on this page.

Don’t forget, librarians are here to help with your search! Whether you’re just getting started or hitting a snag in your progress, we are available via chat or email to help you find the images you need. 

Note: These resources are not available to SVA alumni. Click here to see alumni benefits and resources.

This article was written by SVA’s West Side Librarian Shea’la Finch, Visual Resources Curator Lorraine Gerety and Digital Services Librarian Phoebe Stein.