RISD/Athenaeum Catalog online catalog

Providence Athenaeum & RISD Library share an online catalog. You can purchase a membership.
The Athenaeum is located on the corner of College Street and Benefit Street on College Hill. 

Providence Public Library is located at 150 Empire St. 

Worldcat.org - search library catalogs from around the world simultaneously.  Free and available to everyone.

Search the online catalog by keyword, subject, author, or title. Starting with a keyword search can lead you to appropriate subject headings.  First do a keyword search, and then browse the titles of the books retrieved. Select useful titles and look at the subject headings of the books selected.  These subject headings can lead you to further books on your topic.

Keyword Search: natural language searching (like google)

• art AND appraisal (can use AND, OR, NOT to combine terms)
• art* (retrieves art, arts, artist, etc...)

Subject Search: controlled vocabulary searching using Library of Congress Subject Headings

• Antiques.
• Art -- Collectors and collecting.
• Art -- Economic aspects -- United States.
• Art as an investment.
  
• Art auctions.  
• Art objects -- Collectors and collecting.
• Painting -- collectors and collecting.
  

Proper names:     

• Jones, Lois Swan                          

To browse the shelves (in person or online), check the Ns (fine art and art history), NDs (contemporary painting and folk painting), and NKs (18th and 19th century furniture, textiles, silver, decorative arts, porcelain, glass) or click the call number in the online catalog to find books on the shelf around the call number you clicked.