Penn State Mark    Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library

111 Stuckeman Family Building, University Park, PA 16802-1921
phone 814 865 3614 - fax 814 865 5073 - email arch@psulias.psu.edu

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Intro for Undergraduate Architecture Students

This guide to library and Internet resources for first-year architecture students focuses on finding information on a particular building or architect.
  • THE SHELVES
  • THE CAT
  • PERIODICAL INDEXES
  • SURVEYS
  • ENCYCLOPEDIAS
  • BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARIES
  • DIRECTORIES
  • GUIDEBOOKS
  • IMAGE SOURCES

    • THE SHELVES

    The arrangement of the Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library is explained in two paper guides that may be picked up in the reading room or at the service desk: a map and “The Browsers Guide to the Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library.” Remember that many important materials for architecture are found in other libraries at Penn State, including the many items on the history of architecture before 1850.

    THE CAT

    The CAT is the online library catalog for the Penn State University Libraries and contains bibliographic records for materials owned by the Libraries in all formats -- books, videos, etc. It tells you which journals the Libraries have but does not list the articles in the journals. For that see PERIODICAL INDEXES, below. If the book you want is charged out or at a distant location, click the "I Want It" button and it will be retrieved for you within a few days.

    Tips for finding books:
    Most buildings do not have entire works written about them. Search the library catalog by the building name. If that doesn’t work, search by the architect’s name (for a book on the architect’s works). Many buildings and even architects and architectural firms may be known by multiple names. Try variant names. Be certain that you are spelling the names correctly. If The CAT doesn't provide what you want, try a PERIODICAL INDEX or ask the library staff for assistance.

    PERIODICAL INDEXES

    Periodical indexes point you to articles in journals. The most important index for architectural literature is:

    Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals.
    A database guide for Avery is posted here.
    -- Selectively indexes journal articles and reviews on architecture and landscape architecture (including archaeology, decorative arts, interior design, furnishings, city planning, and housing) which appear in more than 2,500 design journals. Indexing is fairly up-to-date and goes back to 1919 (and some scattered items from even earlier).

    Other useful Periodical Indexes:

    CumInCAD (Computer-Aided Architectural Design).
    A database guide for CumInCAD is posted here.
    -- CumInCAD is a cumulative index of publications about computer aided architectural design. It provides abstracts to thousands of papers in journals and conferences and it provides the full text and illustrations for more than half of the papers. When asked to logon, create your own ID and password.

    Art Abstracts and Art Index Retrospective.
    -- The most commonly used periodical index for the visual arts (painting, sculpture, graphic arts, photography, decorative arts, crafts) and, to a lesser degree, related disciplines (including some urban design, architecture, design, cinema, scenic design, museology, cultural criticism, and critical theory). This index has been divided into two separate databases: Art Abstracts, which covers roughly 1984 to present (and adds brief abstracts for literature indexed since 1994), and Art Index Retrospective, covering 1929 to 1984.But you can combine them. After entering either one, click on "Change." Choose both databases from the list and click on "Start Searching."

    Tips for finding journal articles:
    When you have chosen articles in a PERIODICAL INDEX, click the "Get It" button. A window will open that finds an electronic version of the article or searches The CAT to find a paper version. For articles on paper, be sure to note the call number of the journal and location as given in The CAT and also the volume number and year from the PERIODICAL INDEX.

    SURVEYS

    Surveys are books that discuss architecture over broad periods of time and can be helpful in understanding how buildings fit into other historical developments. The surveys listed below focus on recent architecture and contain numerous pictures and plans.

    Contemporary world architecture

    Pearman, Hugh
    NA680.P427 1998 - Reference Collection -
    Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library - 111 Stuckeman

    Twentieth-century architecture : a visual history - Millennial ed.

    Sharp, Dennis
    NA680.S517 2002 - Reference Collection -
    Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library - 111 Stuckeman

    Architecture in Europe since 1968 : memory and invention

    Tzonis, Alexander
    NA958.T96 1992 Q - Reference Collection -
    Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library - 111 Stuckeman

    Architecture in North America since 1960

    Tzonis, Alexander
    NA703.T98 1995 Q - Reference Collection -
    Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library - 111 Stuckeman

    ENCYCLOPEDIAS

    Specialized encyclopedias can help you get the quick information you might need during several stages of your project. They cover broad topics (such as "office buildings") very concisely, but also explain more specific subjects (such as "tube in tube structures"). The entries are written by noted authorities and provide references for further research.

    Grove Art Online.

    -- A compendium of historical information on all aspects of the visual arts, including entries for people, places, major works, styles, periods, techniques, etc.

    Encyclopedia of architecture : design, engineering & construction

    Wilkes, Joseph A.
    NA31.E59 1988 v.1 - v.5 - Reference Collection -
    Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library - 111 Stuckeman
    -- The most versatile encyclopedia for architecture, with some inclusion of landscape and urban design. Strongest on building technologies, types, materials, and issues of professional practice. Refer to Grove Art Online. and other sources for historical and biographical entries.

    BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARIES

    Biographical dictionaries can be similar to encyclopedias, except that the only type of entries in biographical dictionaries will be for people. Like specialized encyclopedias, the best biographical dictionaries refer you to additional sources of information.

    Contemporary architects - 3rd ed.

    Emanuel, Muriel
    NA680.C625 1994 Q - Reference Collection -
    Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library - 111 Stuckeman
    -- Selects major living architects and working firms as well as a few influential architects from the past. Entries include biographies and complete lists of works, and are often accompanied by architects' statements and critical excerpts.

    Macmillan encyclopedia of architects

    Placzek, Adolf K.
    NA40.M25 1982 v.1 - v.4 - Reference Collection -
    Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library - 111 Stuckeman
    -- 2400 solid biographies of architects born before 1931, covering all periods of Western architectural history and including many lesser-known architects. Entries are accompanied by complete lists of projects and selective bibliographies.

    DIRECTORIES

    Directories list addresses, phone numbers, and other contact information for architects and architectural firms.

    AIA Architect Finder

    http://www.aia.org/architect_finder/

    Reed Design Registry

    http://www.reedfirstsource.com/profile/index.asp

    GUIDEBOOKS

    Guidebooks provide the basic facts for a building -- the architect, name, date, and other details. Most guidebooks focus on a specific place, whether country, state, or city. You can find guidebooks by searching "buildings" as a keyword in the CAT and combining it with the name of the city, state, or country also as a keyword. Her are a few samples that include more than one location:

    The architecture traveler : a guide to 250 key twentieth-century American buildings

    LeBlanc, Sydney
    NA712.L44 2000 - Reference Collection -
    Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library - 111 Stuckeman

    Great Buildings Collection

    http://www.greatbuildings.com

    Sourcebook of contemporary North American architecture from postwar to postmodern

    Wright, Sylvia Hart
    NA703.W75 1989 - Reference Collection -
    Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library - 111 Stuckeman

    100 of the world's tallest buildings

    Zaknic, Ivan
    NA6230.O54 1998 Q - Reference Collection -
    Engineering Library - 325 Hammond

    IMAGE SOURCES

    Pictorial collections focus on high-quality graphics. For example, books in the various Global Architecture (GA) series have lots of excellent color photos and useful drawings. Nearly all of the books and journals in the Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library are well-illustrated. However the oversized books (with a “Q” at the end of the call number) often have the best quality illustrations. Some good advice on finding pictures in any format is on the Picture Sources webpage at:
    http://www.libraries.psu.edu/artshumanities/art/images.html

    Image Databases at Penn State

    http://www.lias.psu.edu/entry/image.html
    -- The University Libraries maintain and subscribe to several digital image databases. Together they provide Penn State people with nearly 2 million images – all considerably larger than the average size posted on free web sites and with more reliable descriptions.

    One that has lots of architecture images is:

    Worldwide Building and Landscape Pictures

    http://apps.libraries.psu.edu.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/content/wblpp.cfm

    Of course there are many free sites where you can find digital images, but many of them have the images in databases that cannot be found through Google or Google Images. Here are two (of several) good ones for architecture:

    SAH Net Resources

    http://www.sah.org/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=Net%20Resources&category=Resources&submenu=Resources
    Society of Architectural Historians
    -- Includes a selective list of image sites for architecture, including the Society's own "Image Exchange."

    Cities and Buildings Image Archive

    http://content.lib.washington.edu/cities/index.html
    University of Washington Libraries - Digital Collections
    -- Scans from old lantern slide images from 1850 to 1920, representing the work of an assortment of landscape architects throughout the United States.

    Drawings of great buildings

    Blaser, Werner
    NA2706.U6D72 1983 - Reference Collection -
    Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library - 111 Stuckeman
    -- Plans, sections, and elevations of 180 major architectural works, mostly pre-20th century, all drawn 1:800 scale.

    Precedents in architecture : analytic diagrams, formative ideas,
    and partis - 3rd ed.

    Clark, Roger H., and Michael Pause
    NA2750.C55 2005 - Reference Collection -
    Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library - 111 Stuckeman
    -- Tiny plans, sections, and elevations of the major works of 23 architects, mostly 20th-century but with a few greats from history. Entries always feature multiple drawings of a single building, though scale is never indicated. Also analytical drawings by the authors.

    Key buildings of the twentieth century

    Dunster, David
    NA680.D86 1985 v.1 & v.2 - Reference Collection -
    Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library - 111 Stuckeman
    -- House and apartment designs in chronological order, usually represented by a few drawings and a photo. In the second volume (covering 1945 to 1989), all drawings are in 1:250 scale.

    "Indexes to Reproductions" point to the exact page of sources where illustrations of architectural works can be found.

    Index to Italian architecture : a guide to key monuments and reproduction sources

    Teague, Edward H.
    NA111.T4 1992 - Reference Collection -
    Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library - 111 Stuckeman
    -- Indicates exterior view, interior view, plan, section, elevation. Indexed by location, architect, type, and building name.

    World architecture index : a guide to illustrations

    Teague, Edward H.
    NA202.T4 1991 - Reference Collection -
    Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library - 111 Stuckeman
    -- Same as above, but for Western cultures of all periods (with no chronological index).

    The Avery Index may also be used to locate specific types of illustrations of buildings (such as plans, sections, etc.)

    This guide created by:
    Henry Pisciotta and Tim AumAn
    Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library
    Pennsylvania State University Libraries
    865-3614
    henryp@psu.edu
    10/00 (updated: 01/21/08)

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    Last Updated May 15, 2008
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