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Arts & Humanities Library
Oxford Art Online
-- Provides online access to the following reference titles:
Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals
-- 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).
Art Abstracts
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). However, this index can be helpful for those researching architectural history as some areas such as architectural ornament, etc., are covered by some of the 'arts' journals that are not indexed in the Avery Index.
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. However, you can combine them. After entering either one, select both databases from the "Database Menu" 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.
The CAT - Penn State Library Catalog
-- 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 the periodical indexes (Articles & Databases) listed above. If the book you want is charged out or at a distant location, click the "I Want It" button. A window will open instructing how to have the item retrieved for you within a few days.
Tips for finding books:
Most buildings do not have entire books 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 architectural firms may be known by multiple names. Try variant names. Be certain that you are spelling the names correctly. Many architects and firms do not have entire books written about them, but they will often appear in various periodicals. If The CAT does not provide what you want, try a periodical index (Articles & Databases) listed above or ask the library staff for assistance.
Library materials related to Architectural History are split between two different Subject Libraries:
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 over sized 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 web page.
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:
There are also many reference type books that contain a wide array of architectural images. Some of our most popular titles are:
"Indexes to Reproductions" are reference books that point to the exact page of sources where illustrations of architectural works can be found. Think of them as a phone book for locating images in other books.
Periodicals are also good sources of images. The Avery Index may also be used to locate specific types of illustrations of buildings (such as plans, sections, etc.)
Quick Guide to Art Research
-- Includes many art and architectural history information sources.
Biographical Resources: Architecture & Landscape Architecture
-- Biographical dictionaries for architects and landscape architects of all time periods.
Picture and Image Sources
-- provides tips on locating pictures from digital, paper, and microfilm sources.
