Through our library system, students and faculty have access to many Art and Architecture Databases. The following databases would be the most helpful when doing research on historical materials and processes.
If there is a book or other resource that our library system does not own, and if that book is unavailable through EZBorrow, WorldCat is a great option for searching libraries worldwide, who you can request the book from, have it sent to Pitt, and borrow it for a short amount of time.
One great way to search WorldCat for resources would be to compare subject headings by searching the same subject headings contained within our catalog that you used previously to search for materials in our library.
One technique for historical materials research is to expose yourself to the way materials were used by artists and artisans in the past. A great place to start is the Artstor database.
Example:
I'm just starting my research and want to see how lace was used in different ways throughout the Early Modern period before deciding on my research question.
Each image will have extra information regarding the object when you double click an image and click the small "i" button.