Library Research Guides: Merchandising and Interior Design: Getting Started

Starting Your Research

In order to do a successful search for your topic, you need to understand the basics. Think about the "who, what, why, when, and where" aspects of your topic.

Use resources such as Oxford Art Online and Berg Fashion Library to find background information.

Berg Fashion Library
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Includes the Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion
Content includes: articles from the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion and other reference works, a museum directory, 100+ academic e-books, museum exhibitions, 14,000+ color images from partner institutions, and research and learning tools.
WGSN Fashion
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5 million images and 600,000 pages of online trend-analysis that provides creative and business intelligence for the apparel, style, design and retail industries.
To access some features of the site, users need to register for an individual account. You must be on campus to register. Use your iu.edu email to create an account. Accounts expire every 90 days a require reactivation while on campus.

Council of Fashion Designers of America - Member Directory
Browse over 1000 contemporary designers.

The Complete Costume Dictionary by Elizabeth J. Lewandowski
ISBN: 9780810877856
The Encyclopedia of National Dress by Jill Condra
ISBN: 9780313376368
Ethnic Dress in the United States by Annette Lynch et al
ISBN: 9780759121508
Publication Date: 2014

Fashion and Race Database
The Fashion and Race Database provides a library of sources, highlights individual objects, profiles designers, and publishes essays and news.

Oxford Art Online
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Provides access to Oxford’s art reference works, including the Grove Art Online, the Benezit Dictionary of Artists, the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms, the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, and the Oxford Companion to Western Art.