Bits & Bytes

This is a new feature for The Medium. Each issue will highlight a few Web sites that our members might find useful. Future columns will focus on copyright issues, library sites, and more in the arts and culture fields. I'll try to keep it short. If there is a particular area you would like to see covered, please let me know.

Artcyclopedia is a new resource promising to become a definitive guide to museum-quality art on the web. Search by artist, or museum. Different topics are featured monthly (March was Van Gogh; April, Golden Age Illustrators). The search engine works quite well. I typed "Vermeer," and was told that while "Vermeer" usually refers to Jan Vermeer, their database included Jan Vermeer (Dutch, 1632-1675) and Jan Vermeer III (Dutch, 1656-1705). Choosing the first, led me to a list of 14 online exhibitions or articles, plus a bibliography. Each book title in the bibliography is a link to Amazon.com where you can more information about the book, including price and ISBN in one click. This site is recommended to librarians and patrons alike.

Built in America is one of the many wonderful sites going up (it seems) daily at the Library of Congress. Browse the Subject Index, search by Keyword, or use the Geographic Location Index. No matter how you use the site you can search the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER). These collections document achievements in architecture, engineering, and design in the US and its territories. Currently 25% or less of each collection is digitized, but this is a good site to keep an eye on.

Finally, spend some time in the Photography Collection of the Denver Public Library's Western History/Genealogy Department. Of the 600,000 item collection, 50,000 images are digitized and available over the Web. This is a fabulous (albeit somewhat slow) resource for anyone researching the American West.

Happy Surfing!