Berlin: The 1920s //


This is a guide on how to begin research related to Berlin in the 1920s, using selected resources in the Greenfield Library and Music Library at the University of the Arts. Use it as a jumping-off point in your research. Once you have found names, places, titles, etc., you can consult many additional sources not listed in this guide. Send any questions about this topic to Sara MacDonald, Reference Librarian, SMacDonald@uarts.edu.

You may also be interested in the subject guide, Protest & Propaganda.

FOR THE FIRST ASSIGNMENT: find out what field or discipline your person was in. Search the library for your person, then, if you need to broaden your search, search for that discipline in Germany. For Lotte Reiniger, for example, motion pictures--germany--history is probably a good search.

Timelines and Reference Materials

REF before the call number indicates location in the reference section and library in-use only.

Oxford Art Online
This collection of art encyclopedias is a great place to start any art-related research. Search for people, art terms, art movements, countries, etc. Most entries will include a bibliography to guide you to additional sources. You can find Oxford Art Online under Reference Sources, or search it right here:

Search Oxford Art Online

Looking for a music topic? Try Oxford Music Online:

Search Oxford Music Online

Timelines of the Arts and Literature.
David M. Brownstone. HarperCollins, c1994.
REF NX447.5 .B76 1994

Chronicle of the 20th Century.
John W. Kirshon, editor. Dorling Kindersley, c1995.
REF D422 .C53 1995

The New York Times Guide to the Arts of the 20th Century.
Fitzroy Dearborn, 2002.
CONTENTS v.1. 1900-1929 --v.2. 1930-1959 --v.3. 1960-1979 --v.4. 1980-1999.
REF NX456 .N49 2002
Contains full-text reprints of reviews and articles from the New York Times. Use the index in volume 4 to look for your topic.
The Wilson Chronology of the Arts.
George Ochoa and Melinda Corey. H.W. Wilson Co., 1998.
REF N5306 .O26 1998



Our Times: the Illustrated History of the 20th Century.
Lorraine Glennon., editor in chief. Turner Pub., c1995.
REF D422 .O89 1995



International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers.
Editors, Tom Pendergast, Sara Pendergast. Detroit, MI: St. James Press, c2000.
REF PN1997.8 .I58 1990
V. 1: Films; v. 2: Directors; v. 3: Actors and Actresses; v. 4: Writers and Production Artists. An excellent source for notable films. All entries include basic facts, a brief essay, and a bibliography.


Magazine and journal articles will always be the best place to look for current information on your topic. Periodical indexes are research tools that allow you to search for articles in journals and magazines.

Go to the library's Find Articles page for a list of the UArts Libraries' subscription databases. EBSCOhost, ProQuest: The Arts, and JSTOR are probably best for this class.

You can also try OneSearch from the library home page to look for all material types and then limit to articles.

I've found articles I want to read. Now what?
There are different ways to find an article once you retrieve a citation in the index:

  • See if there is a link in the index you're using to a full-text article online and download it or e-mail it to yourself.

  • Check to see if our library holds the journal title. Look up the journal title or the ISSN*** in the catalog and look at the holdings.

    • ***What is an ISSN? ISSN stands for International Standard Serial Number and is a unique number for a magazine or journal (not individual articles, but the magazine/journal title itself). You can use it in the UArts Libraries catalog and in many periodical indexes and databases. Searching with a number is much more precise than typing out a long title.

  • Use WorldCat to make interlibrary loan requests for materials not owned by the UArts Libraries. Please ask staff if you have questions.

Photos, Films, and Artwork: Primary Sources

Would photos, artwork, or films enhance your research and studies? Check out the following sources.

  • Academic Video Online. More than 23,000 complete streaming videos. We recommend using Advanced Search.

  • AP Images. AP Images is a database of news photos dating back to 1826 and is updated constantly. Access is limited to on-campus only. We recommend using Advanced Search.

  • ARTstor. ARTstor is a huge database of art images, including photography, city planning, architecture, and archaeology. Check out the features in Advanced Search.

  • Kanopy. More than 23,000 complete streaming videos. We recommend using Advanced Search.

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