Research Degrees
Meet your Librarian – Kirsten Pairpoint
About Kirsten
Kirsten Pairpoint is the Subject Librarian responsible for Design for Publishing, Graphic Communication, Graphic Design, User Experience Design and Illustration, as well as Research Degrees. She studied Graphic Information Design at the University of Westminster and worked at the National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum where she curated the Annual Illustration Awards.
How can I help you?
You can book one to one tutorials with me to help you with your research or referencing, please contact me via email or you can drop into the library office (DS103) to have a chat!
I work Wednesday mornings and all day Thursday and Friday.
As a team, we also provide research and referencing drop-in sessions to assist you in the run-up to written work hand-ins, keep an eye on Instagram (@norwichuni_library) for times and dates.
Norwich University of the Arts Library holds:
- 38,000 printed items (including journal archives, special collections and exhibition catalogues)
- 500,000+ ebooks
- 3,000 journal titles (mostly electronic)
The Library is a repository for the University’s Special Collections and associated archives, which offer a wealth of source material for research purposes.
There are also a number of databases available covering a wide range of interests, including a searchable archive of over 2 million TV and radio broadcasts, access to BFI Films, statistics, images, OS maps and more.
Databases & Online Resources
Contained in our Journal Archives are back issues of currently received titles as well as those that are no longer published, such as the defunct, but still ground-breaking Émigré; Ray Gun; Dot, Dot, Dot; and Baseline. We also hold historical issues of beloved style magazines, including i-D and The Face; contemporary arts journals like Parkett and Freize and a selection of photography, textiles and fashion journals, with our fifty-year run of Vogue being a highlight.
Journals and MagazinesResources about Research
Have a look at our Researching for Your Studies page for resources that will guide you in developing your ideas.
Researching for your studiesRequesting books / journal articles from other libraries
The library is part of an inter library loan service with the British Library and participating universities, so if there is something that you need that isn’t in the collection, it can usually be borrowed for you from elsewhere or bought for our collection where necessary. This service is provided free of charge, please use the New Item Request Form.
New Item Request FormUsing other libraries
The SCONUL Access Scheme
This is a reciprocal arrangement between university libraries that allows you as a postgraduate research student to use study spaces, resources and borrow some books from other university libraries. Norwich University of the Arts Library is a member of this scheme which means you can sign up for a SCONUL card and gain access to other university libraries. For more details and to fill in an online application form, please see the SCONUL website.
SCONUL Access (opens in a new window)University of East Anglia
As well as access via your SCONUL card the UEA has walk-in user access to its e-resources.
Visit the UEA Library (opens in a new window) UEA Walk-In User Access (opens in a new window)Robert Sainsbury Library (Sainsbury Research Unit)
A specialised library in the indigenous arts and material culture of Africa, the Pacific Region and the Americas. Based on the UEA campus and allowing access via SCONUL.
Robert Sainsbury Library (opens in a new window)University of the Arts London
UAL is the validating body for PGR degrees undertaken at Norwich University of the Arts.
Please note UAL libraries may only be accessed via the SCONUL scheme.
UAL Research Online, their repository of research (including theses) in creative arts, design and media is open access and available to all.
Arts University Bournemouth
Browse research outputs from Arts University Bournemouth via their Research Excellence and
Impact repository:
University for the Creative Arts
View the online repository for UCA research outputs:
UCA Repository for Research Outputs (opens in a new window)Glasgow School of Art
RADAR is Glasgow School of Art’s Repository of Art Design Architecture Research:
RADAR (opens in a new window)University of Brighton
Search the University of Brighton’s Research Units:
Research Units (opens in a new window)Any Questions?
If you would like help with research, referencing or anything else library related please just ask:
Email: library@norwichuni.ac.uk
Call: +44 (0) 1603 751469
Research Degrees Recommended Reading List
This is a list of non-subject specific resources suggested by Research staff. This is recommended rather than required reading. We hope you find it useful.
Online Resources
As well as printed materials, the Library also has a wide selection of online resources to help you with your research.
Useful online resources for Research Degrees
Resource Type
E-JournalsLocation:
Off-campus On-campusArt & Architecture Source
Search here for articles from a variety of subjects including Art and Art History; Architecture; Graphics; Interior Design; Decorative Art; Commercial Art; and Film, TV and video.
Resource Type
E-JournalsLocation:
Off-campus On-campusArt, Design and Architecture Collection
Search here for results from current publications in the fields of visual and applied arts. You can find material on Modern and Contemporary Art, Artists, and Movements; Architecture; Design; Crafts; Photography; and Art History.
Resource Type
TV, Video and SoundLocation:
Off-campus On-campusBFI Player
Stream new, cult and classic films – instant access to exceptional movies hand-picked for you by people with a passion for cinema.Â
To create a new account follow the link and sign up using your university email address.
Step by step guidance to create an account can be found here (this link opens in a new window)
*** New BFI Player app*** information is available here.
As members of the BFI subscription service we also have access to free scans of chapters and articles, search the database here for a full list of what they have in their collections.
Resource Type
TV, Video and SoundLocation:
Off-campus On-campusBox of Broadcasts
BoB is an up to date television streaming service available to all students and staff. BoB allows you to view recently aired programmes from over 65 channels and there is a searchable archive of 3.3 million broadcasts. You can also record programmes aired in the last 30 days which will be stored on the service permanently, meaning you can watch them again and again. Best of all, you do not need a TV license to use this service.
This service is not available outside the UK. You will need to register with BoB when you first try and access it.
Video resources to support accessing and using BoB are available on the VLE.
Further resources on how to use BoB Â (opens in a new window)
Resource Type
E-JournalsLocation:
Off-campus On-campusBritish Periodicals 1681-1939
This database provides access to the searchable full text of hundreds of periodicals from the late seventeenth century to the early twentieth, comprising millions of high-resolution facsimile page images. Topics covered include literature, philosophy, history, science, the social sciences, music, art, drama, archaeology and architecture.
Publications
Publications, also known as magazines, journals or periodicals, are regularly published with up to date articles, images, and editorials. These can be available in print and online.
Useful online publications for Research Degrees
Resource Type
JournalLocation:
Off-campus On-campusWhere to access:
OnlineStatus:
CurrentDesign and Culture
Design and Culture reflects the state of scholarship in the field of design and nurtures new or overlooked lines of inquiry that redefine our understanding of design.
Resource Type
JournalLocation:
Free OnlineWhere to access:
OnlineStatus:
DIRECTORY OF OPEN ACCESS JOURNALS (DOAJ)
DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) contains almost 17 500 peer-reviewed, open access journals covering all areas of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, arts and humanities.
Resource Type
JournalLocation:
Off-campus On-campusWhere to access:
OnlineStatus:
CurrentDrawing: research, theory, practice
Promotes and disseminates drawing research with a focus on contemporary practice and its theoretical context.
Resource Type
MagazineLocation:
On-campusWhere to access:
PrintStatus:
CurrentHarvard Design Magazine
Probes beyond the established design disciplines to enrich and diversify current discourse. Scholarly, poetic, and visually lush, each issue triggers new interpretations of design’s defining role in today’s culture. Distinguished and unexpected voices from the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning meet those from the realms of art, science, literature, and beyond. Publishes twice yearly.
Resource Type
JournalLocation:
Free OnlineWhere to access:
OnlineStatus:
Open AccessInternational Journal of film and media arts
The International Journal of Film and Media Arts is an open access, subsidized by the Film and Media Arts Department of Lusófona University, Lisboa, Portugal. IJFMA is a semiannual publication focusing on all areas of film and media arts research and critique, namely animation, television, media arts and videogames, and their varied social and cultural forms of expression and materialization.