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Visual Resources Guide: Image and Video Sources

Find Images and Video

Interested in finding still and moving images? This guide includes:  Metropolitan Transportation Authority - New Artwork in Bensonhurst Subway

  • Examples of high-quality image collections, for general "royalty-free" images, Open Access Images, Subscription Databases, and notable Digital Collections. 

  • Visual Media collections include films, virtual reality, and 3D Image and Point Cloud collections

  • Tips for effective image search, evaluation, and interpretation in subscription databases and on the open web.

  • Image Citation Examples

  • Information on Maps/GIS and Data Visualization

  • Learn more about the foundations of Visual Literacy

  • Virtual Reality Workstation

Metropolitan Transportation Authority. (2012). A detailed photograph of Entitled “Tree of Life,” by Xin Song. The artwork is a combination of a contemporary photo collages and traditional Chinese paper cuts to evoke the historic status of the Bay Parkway Station. (https://flic.kr/p/cJP8SY) Accessed October, 2023. 

Museums and Institutional Collections

PRIMARY SOURCES: Museums support digitial access to exhibitions, digital collection images, primary sources of museum records, and ephemera. These are some exceptional examples. Contact a Librarian to further your search. 

Recommended Image Collections by Topic

Art & Art History

Architecture & Interior Design

Searching for Images

Interpreting Images

Visual Literacy

The Association of College Research Libraries (ACRL) Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education defines 'Visuals to include but are not limited to charts, drawings, graphs, icons, maps, memes, paintings, photographs, symbols, or other visualizations, as well as multimodal texts with visual elements.' 

"ACRL Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education", American Library Association, October 27, 2011. http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/visualliteracy (Accessed October 31, 2023) Document ID: 4d02961f-23ff-b874-7d6d-9f8d0b87e7c2

Visual Literacy

Virtual Reality Workstation

The Art and Architecture Library Virtual Reality Workstation

includes an HTC Vive Pro and software for design, collaboration, and development.

We use the STEAM platform to load programs such as  Arkio, Google Earth, Wander, Museum Tours and Open Brush.

Read more in the manual and reservation links below.

General Stock Images

Subscription Databases

Multi- media & Images

Film and Video for Design

3D Model Collections (OA)

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