Compare and Contrast

Melissa Pepe
Sep 6, 2025
9 min read

Compare and Contrast the Art & Architecture Archive and Art Full Text Databases

Melissa J. Pepe

University of Arizona

Author Note

LIS 532 Information Intermediation Final Project Data Base Evaluation Paper

Abstract

The paper will explore two databases in the subject area of art and architecture. The databases are Art & Architecture Archive and Art Full Text. Each database will be discussed with regard to the creators and vendors that provide the services. Searches will be conducted to compare and contrast the functionality of the database search engines to evaluate the findings.

Keywords: database, search, evaluation, search, accessibility

Compare and Contrast the Art & Architecture Archive and Art Full Text Databases

Databases are used to search for information. The two databases I will be exploring cover the subject field of art and architecture. These search tools can be used to find relevant articles related to these subject areas for research purposes. I will conduct a boolean keyword search and a subject search to compare the results in order to determine some of the similarities and differences between the two resources. By evaluating different searches in the two databases, we can look at the similarities and differences in filters, terms, and results to determine if one works better for a project over the other, or if the library should subscribe to each of the databases. The accessibility of the articles will also be evaluated.

The Two Databases

The two databases I will be comparing are as follows: Art & Architecture Archive and Art Full Text database. Both databases are available with a UA NetID login provided by the University of Arizona and accessed through the University of Arizona Libraries webpage https://lib.arizona.edu/. Students within other colleges or universities may or may not have access to these databases depending on if the school includes these two resources with tuition or for a fee. The University of Arizona provides access to both these databases to students, however a user must login with their credentials through the portal provided by the University Library.

Art & Architecture Archive Database

The Art & Architecture Archive database is provided by a vendor called ProQuest, which provides access to various types of content.. ProQuest is part of a larger company called Clarivate, a global information provider which, in addition to ProQuest, has also created other services such as Web of Science, Ex Libris and Innovative (ProQuest). The Art & Architecture Archive database offers retrieval of archives from publications of trades in the field including digitized backfiles of magazines from the twentieth century. The collection has many primary sources on the subject of history within these fields of study. The magazines in the catalog of the database cover a broad scope of disciplines from fine art, applied art, interior design, industrial design and even landscape design. Issues are fully scanned in high resolution with color and full searchable text options. This shows the original layout of the publication along with photos, illustrations and other visual details that would have been included with the article at the time it was written and published. The database acknowledges some gaps may exist for rare publications, but strives to include all issues. The coverage range is from 1860 - 2015.

Art Full Text

EBSCOhost is the vendor that provides the Art Full Text database. EBSCOhost is a common online reference system that utilizes the internet to search within library collections and holdings. This database is also known as Art Abstracts, according to the Arizona University Library website, which describes the database as a way to “Find articles on art, art history, advertising art, painting, graphic design, architecture, and museum studies from 1984 to the present.” As described on the about page from EBSCO, the database is labeled as Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson) and described as follows: “Art Full Text includes 1,110 active indexed and abstracted journals. 778 of them are peer-reviewed. It also includes more than 14,000 indexed art dissertations and more than 230,000 indexed art reproductions”(EBSCO). The publisher elsewhere states: “Topics covered include art history and criticism, architecture and architectural history, archaeology, antiques, museum studies, graphic arts, industrial design, landscape architecture, interior design, folk art, painting, photography, pottery, sculpture, decorative arts, costume design, television and video, motion pictures, advertising art, non-western art, textiles and much more” (EBSCOhost). This seems to cover a wider range of topics within the field of subject of art compared to Art & Architecture Archive.

Reviews

According to the website Featured Customers, which collects reviews for software, both of the databases rank highly in customer reference ratings. ProQuest has a 4.8 rating of 5 stars from 2662 total ratings and EBSCO has 4.7 rating of 5 stars based on 1918 user ratings. Both of the database options contain scholarly articles, peer reviewed journals, and full text selections. The resources provided by the databases seem reliable, accredited, and have citations. According to EBSCO, the Art Full Text database is “the third largest art database within the Art & Architecture Source family and encompasses fine, decorative, and commercial art, as well as photography, film, and architecture” (EBSCO).

The Search

The search experience within these two databases shall provide insight on the key differences and similarities of the two sources of information. In an attempt to find scholarly journal articles that could be used for a research paper about architecture that would feature art deco elements of design, the first search phrase was created using the following boolean operators: “art deco” AND “architecture”. For the boolean search, the results from each database were as follows: Art & Architecture Archive yielded a total of 1,736 full text results, Art Full Text yielded a total of 90 full text results. As common with an initial investigation, additional searches may be conducted to refine the results by pulling descriptors or keywords from articles the user finds relevant and wishes to explore.

Compare

Both databases have filters for full text and peer reviewed articles, applying these to the search will help narrow and filter out unwanted results such as abstracts. Both databases have a date range limiter which is useful if the assignment requires articles within a certain time period, however Art & Architecture Archive only goes up to 2015 so newer articles would not be in this database. Each database has a space for boolean operators and multiple search boxes to build a more in-depth search using multiple terms. The two databases provided enough articles from a first boolean search to warrant a second search to narrow down the amount of results in the outputs. Each of the databases has ways to narrow by document type and publication, though the terminology differs slightly as EBSCOhost separates publications type from document type.

Contrast

The Art & Architecture Archive has a filter for document type, while the Art Full Text has this option either in the search bar noted as PZ(Document Type) or as part of the advanced search options. The Art & Architecture Archive also has a list of optional qualifiers, which allows the user to find articles that specifically include drawings, graphs, maps or illustrations, which is useful for any visual references if needed for the report. There is no language option for the Art & Architecture Archive in the filters, only an option for the country of publication. Art Full Text has a filter for language so one can choose only English articles if that is the language a user speaks. The Art & Architecture Archive results included articles in various languages so one would have to use a translator or avoid these sources for the research project. A language filter would be helpful in addition to the country of publication. If one wanted to limit the languages through ProQuest services, they would need to know the field line code LA(Language) and add it to the search. For a subject search I was unsure how to conduct one in the ProQuest database. In the EBSCOhost for Art Full Text it is easy to change the search to a subject search by selecting SU(Subject) in the search box options listed. However, in the Art & Architecture Archive, a user must do a subject search using a command line search. It is an additional step that users may not know to look for when trying to find a subject search option. I was unfamiliar with the codes so I had to use the help options within the database to explore this technique. The help options can be accessed from the Art & Architecture Archive by clicking the hamburger menu icon on the top right. For comparison, there are help options available in Art Full Text located in the top right of the menu bar at the top of the page. I did not see a thesaurus option for the Art & Architecture Archive database while Art Full Text has one available to search in the top menu bar.

Examples

For a comparison of articles, I used a subject search on both databases and selected the first result. For the Art & Architecture Archive, I had to use the command line code which I found using the help option from the website. The search terms I used were “SUBJECT (art deco architecture)” . This search had an output of 563 full text articles. The first article was LAVISH ART DECO: Art Deco, a two page spread from a 1981 magazine. I noticed that the Art & Architecture Archive database did not have a way to get just the text from the article in a HTML format, and this may cause problems for those users who struggle with vision problems or use a text to speech reader. In my preference, I prefer articles that have a text-only format to copy and paste for citations, and it is easier for me to read without unnecessary advertisements, layouts, or textures that can be included in scanned documents. It can also be difficult to print these materials as they take up more ink.

In the Art Full Text database I conducted the same search using the terms “SU art deco architecture” and the full text limiter. This yielded 21 results, which would be more manageable to sort through. The first result was a single-page article called Deco Design: Miami Beach Style from 2022. I found the formats presented were easier to access for readability as it provided HTML and a full text PDF which worked with my screen reader, unlike the article from the Art & Architecture Archive which I had to download from that database and then reupload for my screen reader to read the text. This would add an extra step for accessibility.

Conclusions

Both of the databases are useful sources of information in the subject field of art and architecture. The two databases can use boolean search terms and provide filters to narrow results. However, the Art & Architecture Archive uses exclusively full scans from articles, which may be difficult for some users to read, yet provides a way to filter for types of images which may be useful when visual references are required for a project. Accessibility limitations should be considered when a user has vision problems or needs a text to speech reader for digital information. I find it difficult to read articles in scanned format, and would utilize Art Full Text in favor of the Art & Architecture Archive. This is a personal preference as when I do research it is easier for me to gather and absorb information if it’s presented in a plain text format over a digital scan. As far as search results, however, both performed searches within a useful range and were easy to navigate. The Art & Architecture Archive had different command line searches that I had not done before, however the help option was easy to locate. I do believe that a language filter is more useful for my needs than a country of publication filter. When narrowing my search result, adding another search term just for language is an additional step with utilizing the command line search code. Although articles can be translated, it is not guaranteed that the translation will be accurate, which can potentially compromise the quality of the information and possibly skew context. In my opinion, the Art & Architecture Archive would be a useful source for building a timeline of references in a subject area. The range of articles goes back further than 1984, which is the oldest provided by Art Full Text. For a student looking for historical documentation of earlier art movements such as my search example “SUBJECT (art deco architecture)“, Art & Architecture Archive provides articles all the way back to 1860 in the database. However if the assignment requires articles within the last five years, Art Full Text would be the resource to use for research beyond 2015.

References

“Art Full Text: EBSCO.” EBSCO Information Services, Inc. | Www.Ebsco.Com, www.ebsco.com/products/research-databases/art-full-text. Accessed 21 Apr. 2024.

Deco Design: Miami Beach Style. (2022). Booklist, 119(2), 27.

EBSCOhost. (2024, April 10). EBSCO Information Services. Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson). https://support-ebsco-com.ezproxy1.library.arizona.edu/help/index.php?help_id=DB:874

Featured customers: Find B2B & Saas Software & services - reviews, Testimonials & Case Studies. Featured Customers | Find B2B & SaaS Software & Services - Reviews, Testimonials & Case Studies. (n.d.-a). https://www.featuredcustomers.com/vendor/ebsco

Featured customers: Find B2B & Saas Software & services - reviews, Testimonials & Case Studies. Featured Customers | Find B2B & SaaS Software & Services - Reviews, Testimonials & Case Studies. (n.d.). https://www.featuredcustomers.com/vendor/proquest

ProQuest Help - Advanced Search. (n.d.). https://www.proquest.com/help/academic/webframe.html?Advanced_Search.html

ProQuest | Databases, EBooks and Technology for Research. (n.d.-a). https://about.proquest.com/

Hillier, B. (1981). LAVISH ART DECO: ART DECO. Building Design (Archive : 1969-2014), (530), 18-19. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.library.arizona.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/lavish-art-deco/docview/2578990287/se-2

Markey, Knott, Knott, Cheryl, & EBSCOhost. (2023). Online searching : a guide to finding quality information efficiently and effectively (Third edition.). ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD.

University of Arizona Libraries |. (n.d.). https://lib.arizona.edu