Introduction

The Visual Resources Collection (VRC) provides digital images for classroom use in all areas of visual culture. The VRC Digital Library contains more than 250,000 images encompassing all areas of global art and architecture. Faculty in the Arts and Humanities are welcomed to submit requests for new digital content to be added to this collection. Please contact Robert Carlucci [robert.carlucci@yale.edu], Manager, Visual Resources Collection to learn more about request procedures or visit us in the Arts Library, 180 York Street, Room B33 on the lower level.

Image Resources

Accessing the VRC Digital Collection
There are multiple ways to access the VRC Digital Collection: via Metagallery, the traditional VRC Digital Library ("DL"), ARTstor, or cross search the VRC Collection with other Yale Digital Library Collections.

The VRC, under the auspices of Library Access Integration Services, recently collaborated with Yale’s Center for Media and Instructional Innovation (CMI2) to develop the MetaGallery, a new Web portal for the Visual Resources Collection. Current Yale faculty and students can search, view and retrieve images from the VRC’s Digital Library for classroom presentations or research projects using this program. Registered users have access to a suite of resource management tools for building customized groups of images drawn from both the VRC as well as non-Yale Web-based image resources such as museum, archive and library Web sites. Faculty are invited to contact Carolyn Caizzi or Robert Carlucci for assistance with this program.

Accessing other Image Resources at Yale
In addition to the Visual Resources Collection, there are additional Yale digital image resources including Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Manuscripts and Archives and the Department of Classics. Please visit the Library Digital Collections page for access to these resources.

ARTstor
ARTstor, an initiative of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, is a subscription-based digital image resource with more than 750,000 images of global art and architecture. The ARTstor Web site offers a variety of features useful for teaching support. In addition to content provided by ARTstor, the Yale Visual Resources Collection is also accessible through the ARTstor interface. The combined collections total more than 1,000,000 images

Teaching with Digital Media
The Visual Resources staff includes a Technology Specialist available to assist faculty with classroom presentations and strategies using digital visual resources. Please contact Carolyn Caizzi to arrange an appointment.

Visual Resources Collection Administration
The VRC is administered jointly under the supervision of Library Access Integration Services (LAIS) and the Arts Library reflecting the fundamental interconnections between academic content and technology in 21st-Century library services.

History of the Visual Resources Collection
The Visual Resources Collection (VRC) was established in the 1930’s to support the curriculum in the fine arts. Study photographs were purchased from the major European photo vendors including Alinari, Brogi and Anderson. The photograph collection eventually reached more than 190,000 items covering every aspect of global art and architecture with particular strengths in European architecture, sculpture and painting.

In the early days of the slide collection, 3.5 x 4 inch lantern slides, a technology invented in 1849, were the standard format used for classroom presentation. By the 1950’s, 35mm color slides began to supplant this mechanism. Over the decades, the slide collection grew to more than 320,000 lantern and 35mm slides with particular strengths in areas of faculty expertise such as Medieval and Renaissance art as well as the arts of Asia.

By 2002, the transition to digital technology was underway as new media formats were introduced in the Yale classroom. In 2007, the Office of the Provost provided major funding to digitize 100,000 slides and 30,000 photographs. In less than a decade, the VRC digital image collection has grown to more than 250,000 images of global art and architecture, one of the largest academic collections in the world.

Accessing the Analog Slide and Photograph Collections
The analog photograph and slide collections were transferred from Street Hall, the former office of the VRC, to the Library Shelving Facility in 2008 and are stored in optimal conditions for long-term preservation. Catalog records for these collections are available in ORBIS and include finding aids to assist patrons in locating materials. Please contact Robert Carlucci or Maria Zapata for assistance with the analog collections.

Using the Collection Off-Campus
The Virtual Personal Network (VPN) is a connection between your home computer or device and the Yale Network. This virtual connection is necessary to create a secure private connection between your computer and the Yale Network. VPN is recommended for more secure communications over a wireless network and is required for Yale wireless connections. Please visit the VPN Web page for instructions to install and use the VPN client on your computer.

VRC Hours
Monday - Friday 8:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Closed Saturday and Sunday