W320 Pattee Library
865-6778
henryp@psu.edu
Sometimes a teacher or another student suggests that you “Look at the work of ____.” [insert name of an architect.] Sometimes you’ve become interested in a designer on your own and want to learn more about the person or the work. This guide is intended to make that type of search easier by suggesting some electronic (and a few paper) information sources. So when you want...
If you want to borrow books on a specific artist you’ll need to use the library catalog (The Cat). Going straight to the shelves and browsing is not usually very effective for this purpose because the books on a single architect might be scattered around under different building types, or periods, or countries, etc. It’s easier to use:
The Penn State Libraries’ catalog ( "The CAT" ) contains virtually all of the holdings of the University Park Libraries as well as those of the many other campuses of Penn State. Like most library catalogs it list the titles of books, magazines, and other publications held by the library – but only has a single record for each magazine title; they do not include records for each of the articles in a magazine. (For that, see "More! Journal Articles!" below.) As with any database, you may need to try several methods of searching in order to get good results. If your architect has an unusual name (like Rem Koolhaas) it is easiest to search using the “Keyword” search screen, which is the default screen. Just type in name in any order in a “Keyword” box. However, if the architect has common names (such as Peter Cook) you’ll often get too much garbage with this type of search. Then it’s better to choose the “Browse” search screen, type the name in inverted order (Cook, Peter), then click “LC Subj Headings.” (And sometimes, if you repeat this search and click “Author” you’ll get a few more books, because with some heavily illustrated books the designers are sometimes listed only as the authors.) Remember that architects are often listed only by the name of their firm and that firm names often change, so there may be several names that you should try. If you get no results at all, check the spelling of the name (perhaps by using one of the biographical dictionaries listed under "Just a Little Info," below.) You may print or email the catalog records that you have chosen.
Once you find something you want to use, you will need to note three bits of information in order to fetch it: the name and portion of the library, the floor, and the classification number. For example:
NA1011.5.L6A4 1989 Pattee - Stacks 1A
If the book is not on the shelf, but should be, please ask at the nearest service desk. If a book you want is charged out, stored in “the annex”, owned only at another campus, or on order, click on the “I Want It” button and complete the brief form. Then the book will be retrieved and held for you at a library service desk.
If no books are available or if you want more information, try finding articles in journals. You can do this using a “periodical index.” This type of database indicates which articles are in what journals. The best periodical index for architects is:
Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals.
A database guide for Avery is posted here.
Selectively indexes journal articles and reviews on all periods of architecture (including archaeology, decorative arts, interior design, furnishings, landscape design, city planning, and housing) which appear in more than 2,500 journals. Modern architecture and current practice are covered more thoroughly that pre-modern eras. Indexing began in 1934, but certain important journals were indexed back to their beginnings in the 1860s. Recently, the old Burnham Index to Architectural Literature was added to the Avery database, extending the coverage for many journals back to 1919. You seldom need to worry about common names (like Peter Cook) since everything in the database is limited to the architecture and related design work.
After you have identified an article that you want you will need to return to The CAT to determine whether or not the University Libraries has it and in order to get the information needed to locate it on the shelves. Search using the title of the magazine (given in the Avery Index after the word "In:"). Since you know the exact title of the journals it will be more efficient to search in The CAT using the "Browse Tiles and More" tab. Then type in the first part of the name of the magazine and click "Journal Title." If you want an article that is not held at Penn State, copy the details from the Avery Index and submit them with the online ILLiad Request Forms and a photocopy or image file will be obtained for you, usually within a few days.
Sometimes you don’t need a whole book or article on the architect. Maybe you just have specific questions such as these: How is the name spelled? When was this person alive and who did he study with? What style was the designer known for? Why is she important? Of all of these books and articles on the architect, which are the important ones? Biographical entries in encyclopedias or dictionaries can help with these questions.
Oxford Art Online (electronic resource)
-- This electronic encyclopedia contains an enormous amount of information on art and architecture of all times and places. Every word may be searched and printed or downloaded. This is much more comprehensive and authoritative than any other electronic source of information on arts (though it is a weaker on recent architecture). If you don’t find your artist’s name, use the “Advanced Search” because it searches more of the text of the encyclopedia. The “Advanced Search" is also the best way to find the right spelling of a name – the “Pattern” feature can find most misspellings.
Contemporary Architects (book)
Emanuel, Muriel (ed.)
-- Selects major living architects and working firms as well as a few influential architects from the past. Entries include biographies and complete lists of projects, and are often accompanied by architects' statements and critical excerpts.
Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects (book)
Placzek, Adolf K. (ed.)
-- 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.
There are many ways to find pictures of the artist’s work (in books magazines, etc.) but the digital image databases below are very convenient ones to try. The licenses for these images permit you to download, print, and use in your assignments, but they may not be posted on unrestricted web sites.
Newspaper Photos (AccuNet/AP Photo Archive) (electronic resource)
-- This database only works for “newsworthy” architecture. It consists of half-a-million newspaper photos of all subjects from the Associated Press (which includes some materials from its beginning 150 years ago).
Digital Collections of Images at Penn State (electronic resource)
-- This Penn State web site contains 4 locally produced databases: The Art History Department Visual Resources Selections (roughly 5000 slides which have been scanned at Penn State's Art History Department Visual Resource Centre and posted for course review in recent years), the O'Connor-Yeager Collection (more than 300 prints of Pennsylvania in the 19th and early 20th centuries held at the Palmer Museum of Art), the University Park Campus History Collection (hundreds of images of designs and historic photos of Penn State's largest campus), and Worldwide Building and Landscape Pictures (roughly 11,000 images of major monuments of landscape and architectural history).
Well, most of the electronic sources above are available via the Internet because the University Libraries has paid fees so that you may use them. But of course there are many free sources of information on artists on the Internet. Some of the best ones are recommended on Penn State’s Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library web pages (at: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/architecture/). A more detailed guide to architecture web sites is:
Brown, Jeanne. Architecture and Building.
Available on the web at: http://library.nevada.edu/arch/rsrce/webrsrce/contents.html
This web site selects, briefly describes, and links to web resources (directories or architects, electronic publications, databases, picture sites, discussion groups, guides, etc.) for all aspects of the built environment. It does not refer to paper resources.
WEB SEARCH ENGINES
In a few short years Web search engines have become one of the most popular tools for finding information because they are convenient, can be used without much skill, and frequently produce useful results. But, remember these three important points about search engines:
Search engines cannot see the contents of databases. They are only designed to find html and similar “pages.” They can’t retrieve the contents of databases such as library catalogs or the Avery Index or any of the nearly 400 databases that the University Libraries subscribes to.
Searching them well requires skills that are very similar to the ones needed for the databases. Because search engines scan millions of items, they almost always return some results even if very simple search statements are entered. But all search engines have powerful features that are not invoked unless you specify them. There is a lot to learn about any search engine. One easy way to learn these tricks quickly is to use the guide posted by a non-profit group called Infopeople. Their Search Tools Chart (at http://www.infopeople.org/search/chart.html) selects the best search engines, explains what they are searching, and describes the search features of each. Try opening this chart in one window and experimenting with different search engines and techniques in another. Never settle for just one search. Experimentation is very important in web searching. For example, type 3 unrelated search terms (perhaps “frog metal wheat” as a search statement in Google (http://www.google.com/) then change the order of the three terms a few times and see how the results of the search change.
If you get stuck with any type of search for art information please ask. Ask someone as any library service desk or use the “Ask” button on many of the Libraries web pages. It connects you to email or chat services for general library questions.
You can also contact the Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library staff directly at arch@psulias.psu.edu
