Bloomsbury

Content Bloomsbury Visual Arts (BVA) serves as a one-stop digital hub for visual arts research and learning, bringing together the combined resources of Bloomsbury Design Library, Bloomsbury Applied Visual Arts, the Bloomsbury International Encyclopedia of Surrealism, the new Bloomsbury Art Markets, the Bloomsbury Architecture Library, and Architecture Design and Practice Online collections.

Featured collections cover animation practice, design studies, applied gaming, ceramics, photography, printmaking, and game development. Teaching and learning resources include subject guides, bibliographic guides, lesson plans, access to webinars, and the Bloomsbury International Encyclopedia of Surrealism timeline. The full title list for the Bloomsbury Visual Arts hub includes over 5,000 titles.

Usability The BVA hub is designed with exploration in mind, providing a visually attractive display that allows users to intuitively engage with the content. Users can search for keywords, themes, or related topics using basic or advanced search options or explore the collection via a visual, subject-based menu. The visual menu allows users to engage quickly with materials on art and visual culture, design and fashion, architecture and interior design, craft and decorative arts, film and media, and teaching and learning resources. A secondary menu also makes it easy to access the main collections from Bloomsbury Applied Visual Arts to the Packt Game Development and Animation collection.

Other points of entry include the “explore by” menu, which allows users to explore by people, period, place, schools, movements and style, and more. The collections menu provides similar access, while a content types menu allows users to explore based on material type (books, reference works, images, learning resources, etc.). Like the visual menu, each of these breaks down subjects into a range of subcategories; for instance, design and fashion leads to fashion and textiles, graphic design, illustration, and more.

Search results are displayed by relevance by default, with image results appearing in a box above text-based results. Users can refine results by access (including open access), collection, content type, article type, period, schools, movement, styles, themes, materials, objects, and other categories relevant to the industry and history.

Materials are displayed in high-quality, text-searchable PDF format with a linked content menu that makes it easy to navigate sections of a text. Users can download, print, save, share, or copy citation information. Recently viewed and related content lists offer links for further exploration and allow users to return to a previously viewed title.

Pricing Bloomsbury Visual Arts digital hub currently comprises 14 collections. Each individual collection has its own separate pricing. Collections are available for perpetual access (ranging from $1,346 to $45,707). This includes four years of updates, with an optional annual content update fee beginning five years after purchase. BVA is also available by subscription (from $224 to $7,618 per collection). Pricing is based on the size and type of institution; discounts may be available from consortia.

Verdict Bloomsbury Visual Arts hub is a comprehensive resource covering all aspects of the visual arts, from the art to the artist to the industry. The resource provides easy access to exclusive, high-quality content for students, practitioners, and educators, all with interdisciplinary research in mind. It is an essential, top-tier resource for the study and practice of the visual arts across all areas.