Getting Started
Not sure where to start?
Have a look at our How To... page for our three part tutorial on getting started with your library research. The Starting Your Research in Media and Communications tutorial (Part 2) has examples of searches related to School of Arts subjects such as media and film, but the advice is relevant for all subjects.
You will also find guidance on searching Library databases, from some of our database providers.
University Subscriptions - free with your Roehampton login.
Academic databases
Search these for journal articles, book chapters and other research papers in your subject. Most provide the full PDF text, but sometimes there may be just brief details (citation and abstract) of the articles, so click SearchFullText@Roehampton to see if we have it.
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
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A multi-disciplinary database, offering information in most areas of academic study.
- O'Reilly This link opens in a new window
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Thousands of e-books and videos in computer science, digital photography, technology, and business, accessible online and via the O'Reilly app. Also includes curated playlists, learning paths and case studies. Spotlight on O'Reilly blog post.
- Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
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The Oxford Handbooks series brings together the world’s leading scholars to write articles that survey the current state of scholarship in their field. The articles review the key issues, reveal original arguments and concepts, and set the agenda for new research.
- VLEbooks This link opens in a new window
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A large collection of eBooks in all subject areas.
Current newspapers and magazines
You can access photography magazines via PressReader.
- Nexis UK This link opens in a new window
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Worldwide news and business database. This content is unavailable in UR Library Search and can only be found here on the Nexis platform.
- PressReader This link opens in a new window
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Access thousands of current, international newspapers and magazines. You can also download the PressReader App. Note: To log in, click sign in at the top of the screen, select Library or Group, then find University of Roehampton and Sign In via Open Athens. Spotlight on PressReader blog post.
- Vogue Archive This link opens in a new window
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The Vogue Archive contains the entire run of US Vogue magazine, from 1892 to the current month, reproduced in images indexed by garment type, designer and brand names.
Newspaper and magazine archives
Explore digital facsimiles of print media from the earliest days of photography.
- British Library Newspapers This link opens in a new window
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The British Library’s archives of searchable facsimiles of regional and national newspapers from the 19th century.
- Gale Primary Sources This link opens in a new window
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A cross-searchable platform of eight databases containing digital reproductions of newspapers, periodicals, books and ephemera from the 17th to 20th centuries, including archives of the Illustrated London News, the Listener, Times & Times Literary Supplement (TLS).
- Guardian and Observer (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
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Local, regional and national UK news archive from 1791 - 2003. Note: to access current issues, see Pressreader.
- Illustrated London News This link opens in a new window
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A digital archive of the world's first weekly illustrated newspaper from 1842 to 2003, providing contemporary accounts and images of significant British and world events.
- John Johnson Collection This link opens in a new window
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Archive of printed ephemera covering everyday life in Britain in the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
- New York Times with Index (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
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Content from the New York Times (1851-2015) with index (1851-1993).
- Times Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
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The Times newspaper in facsimile from 1785 - 2019.
University subscriptions - free with your Roehampton login.
- ARTSTOR This link opens in a new window
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Provides access to curated high quality images from reliable sources that have been rights-cleared for use in education and research. It contains 300 collections composed of over 2 million images.
A handy guide to Photography resources on Artstor can be found here.
- BFI Player for Higher Education This link opens in a new window
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The British Film Institute's curated streaming service for higher education, with a focus on British and European independent films. Note: after logging in with your Roehampton email address, you need to create a personal user account for access. You may watch content on personal devices or in class, but BFI Player is not licenced for public screenings.
- Kanopy This link opens in a new window
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Streams thousands of films, documentaries and training videos across a wide range of subjects. Note: Click 'Log in to Roehampton' on the left side of the screen to gain access. Please note: BBC programmes may be available via Roehampton Online Broadcasts (ROB).
- ROB (Roehampton Online Broadcasts) This link opens in a new window
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Record and stream freeview TV and radio programmes for educational use, create clips and playlists, and access the archive of recorded programmes including BBC and Shakespeare Archives. ROB is managed by AVR, for assistance contact: avr@roehampton.ac.uk.
Open Access: Free to all on the Web
Photography: See Web and Open Access resources tab on this guide.
Films: See the Film subject guide for a list of good sources of free online films.
Roehampton staff web sites
General photography resources
- AnOther Art & PhotographyOnline art and culture magazine.
- ArtBabble photographyShowcases high quality art-related video content from more than 50 cultural institutions worldwide.
- British Photography HistoryInformation and discussion on all aspects of British photographic history.
- Eadweard Muybridge: Defining ModernitiesOnline research resource from Kingston University on the work of this pioneering 19th century photographer.
- Fast Forward: Women in PhotographyShowcases the best of emerging and established photography by women.
- Fox Talbot Catalogue RaisonnéIndex and information on the printed works of William Henry Fox Talbot, inventor of photography.
- The Gender Spectrum Collection.The Gender Spectrum Collection is a stock photo library featuring images of trans and non-binary models. These photos can be used under CC BY-NC-ND license. Please read the guidelines.
- Photography CommonsOpen access articles.
- Photography LifeArticles, news and reviews from professional photographers.
- PhotomonitorImages and articles from contemporary British and Irish photographers.
- Places Journal - PhotographyFree online journalism, criticism, and photography from the US. Includes reading lists on decolonisation and black history.
- Screening the PastOpen access journal for the history of photography, film, television and multimedia.
- Spruce Crafts Photography pageA DIY craft and hobby site full of helpful tips, step-by-step tutorials, and historical information.
- VADS (Visual Arts Data Service)Over 140,000 images from over 300 art collections, free for educational use.
Professional organisations and services
- The Independent PhotobookA free distribution tool for independently published photo books or zines that have no other standard outlets.
- Parasol Foundation Women in Photography ProjectAn international curatorial programme that supports women in photography, based at the V & A.
- PhotofusionBased in Brixton, south London, this exhibition space and training centre provides support and career progression to photographers of all abilities.
- Photo LondonAnnual trade fair of international photography held in the UK capital.
- Press Photo History ProjectAims to record every news photographer and agency operating in the UK since 1904; explores the working relationship between photographs, agencies and newspapers.
Roehampton collections
Print books on Photography can be found at the following Library shelf marks. Most are on the 2nd floor, but larger photobooks are in the Oversize section on the ground floor.
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770-779 |
PHOTOGRAPHY |
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770.9 |
History of photography |
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770.92 |
Photographers |
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771 |
Techniques, procedures, apparatus |
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771.3 |
Cameras and accessories |
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771.4 |
Darkroom and laboratory practice |
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772-773 |
Printing processes |
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776 |
Computer and digital art |
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777 |
Cinematography and videography |
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778 |
Specific fields and types of photography |
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778.3 |
Special kinds of photography |
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778.5 |
Film and TV photography |
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778.9 |
Specific subjects (portrait, child, landscape etc.) |
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779 |
Photographic images, Photobooks |
Other Physical and online collections, archives, galleries, museums...
- Art360 FoundationAims to preserve and promote previously overlooked aspects of the UK’s cultural heritage, including the work of Vanley Burke, known as the “Godfather of Black British photography.”
- Bishopsgate Institute Photographic CollectionsOver 1,000,000 images relating to London and protest, in both physical and digital format.
- British Culture ArchiveWeb presence of the crowdsourced People’s Archive, recording British society and subcultures through documentary photography since the 1930s.
- British Photography: The Hyman collectionA private collection based in London and open to researchers by appointment.
- Eadweard Muybridge: Defining ModernitiesOnline research resource from Kingston University on the work of this pioneering 19th century photographer.
- Europeana Photography CollectionsMixture of public domain and under copyright photos from several European heritage collections
- Center for Creative PhotographyMuseum and study centre for the history of photography, based at the University of Arizona.
- Fast Forward: Women in PhotographyShowcases the best of emerging and established photography by women.
- London Photography DiaryOnline guide to London’s photography scene, with details of exhibitions, events, and reading material.
- Luminous LintIndexes and collates material relating to the history of photography (requires a subscription).
- Martin Parr FoundationSupports photographers whose work focusses on the diversity of everyday life in the British Isles.
- National Portrait Gallery photograph collectionThe UK's national gallery, based in central London, houses over 250,000 portrait photographs.
- Parasol Foundation Women in Photography ProjectAn international curatorial programme that supports women in photography, based at the V & A.
- PhotofusionBased in Brixton, south London, this exhibition space and training centre provides support and career progression to photographers of all abilities.
- The Photographers GalleryThe UK's first public gallery dedicated to photography is in London's West End.
- Photography NowEstablished 1998 in Berlin, a leading international online portal for photography and video art.
- Sands FilmsIndependent film studio, costumier, cinema club and picture library in Bermondsey, south London.
- Science and Media MuseumThis Yorkshire museum's collections are dedicated to the science and history of images and sound.
- Tate Digital ArchivesBrowse the digital archive of items in the Tate's collections (you can refine by Format > Photograph).
- UNESCO digital archives projectFilms, photographs and sound recordings from the United Nations.
- V & A Museum Photography collectionFounded in 1852, now one of the largest and most important collections in the world.