The Academy of Art Library subscribes to a small number of periodicals in print that are housed in two locations within the library, the Current Periodicals tower and the Bound Periodicals stacks. The Current Periodicals tower is located in the library's group study area. Periodicals are shelved alphabetically by title with the latest issue displayed. If you lift up the shelf that the latest issue is on, you will find the previous issues from the current calendar year. At the end of the year, periodicals are bound and placed in our Bound Periodicals stacks adjacent to the Current Periodicals tower. The periodicals are left intact and placed together in a single volume. Please note, many of the periodical titles the library subscribes to in print are available to read in full-text online using the library's databases.
The Library provides remote access to journals, magazines, newspapers, and Ebooks through our subscription databases. To access these resources from off-campus, when prompted, enter your name and the 8-digit student or faculty ID number located on the front of your AAU ID card.
A periodical is a term used to describe any publication that is issued periodically — daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or at some other interval. Examples of periodicals include newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals. It is important to understand the difference between types of periodicals in order to find the most relevant materials for your information need.
Popular: Popular periodicals are also known as consumer magazines. They are directed at the general public, and can cover a broad or narrow topic of interest. They usually contain short articles on a variety of topics written by various authors in an informal style. They are useful for their coverage of current events and popular opinion.
Trade: Trade periodicals are also known as professional magazines. They are geared towards the interests of a specific industry or occupation. Articles usually fall somewhere between popular and scholarly—short to medium in length, can contain some advertisements or illustrations, and may or may not contain a bibliography. They are useful for their “insider” coverage of industry trends, practices, and opinions.
Academic: Academic periodicals are also known as scholarly journals or peer-reviewed journals. Written by and for professionals in a particular field, usually employing industry jargon or sophisticated terminology. They consist of original research and commentary on current developments within a specific discipline. Articles are often lengthy, include minimal illustrations and advertisements, and almost always include a bibliography. Useful for their original and rigorous approaches to problem solving by experts in a particular field.