book, desktop in VRC
Cochrane-Woods Art Center, photograph by David Hartt, 2015

Welcome to the Visual Resources Center

The Visual Resources Center provides imaging and research support for students and instructors in the Humanities. We help develop high-quality images for teaching and research make make art historical tools and materials available for classroom use through the Joel Snyder Materials Collection. If you’re photographing work in the field, managing a personal archive, or looking to publish with images, ask the VRC about how we can help with these projects.

lobby space of the VRC, with doors to separate offices and a long table with chairs against the wall

If You’re Looking for:

Imaging Services

The VRC manages LUNA—the main database for art images used for teaching at UChicago—and maintains several collections of art images for teaching and research. VRC staff also provide access to our digitization lab equipment and consultations for image-based reference questions, photography and scanning advice, personal image management, fair use and copyright concerns, and visual literacy.

Pedagogy Support

The VRC can help support course projects using images through reference services, instructional sessions, and platform recommendations. Please contact the VRC to discuss your project and how we can customize our services to fit your needs. We also offer instructions on connecting to CWAC classroom projection and video conferencing equipment.

Personal Archiving

If you’re photographing work in the field or managing images for a dissertation, the VRC can support your work through camera lending, platform and metadata recommendations, and copyright advice.

Join a Workshop or Consultation

The VRC provides workshops on personal archiving, field photography, publishing, and more during the academic year. See upcoming workshops on the Art History Department events page and view notes from past workshops. If you would like to meet to discuss tailored strategies for managing your images and research, please email visualresources@uchicago.edu or book an appointment online to meet with a VRC staff member.

Upcoming Exhibitions