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Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library
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This bibliography is intended to help those setting out to conduct library research in recent architecture or landscape architecture. Focus here is on the types of topics frequently chosen by students in Penn State's design programs. These topics tend toward the interdisciplinary. This is primarily a list of reference books, databases and websites. These items are not ones that you list in the footnotes or bibliography of a research presentation. Instead, they are tools which can help you improve your bibliography. The list is divided by tool-types. Each section begins with an explanation of the type. The names of these formats are not used consistently by publishers and librarians, nor are the names important. But understanding the type of tool, and how it can be used, is useful indeed.
People can give you two kinds of information at once: locations and facts. The faculty, other students, and librarians can be good sources. You will have many opportunities to get to know your faculty and fellow students as information sources, but you will probably need to initiate contact with your librarians. I am Henry Pisciotta, the Arts and Architecture Librarian. Contact me using the information at the side of this page. Librarians who specialize in other disciplines are listed on the Collection Development Specialists list. The staff of the Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library are also glad to help
Sociology: a Guide to Reference and Information Sources (book)
Aby, Stephen H.
-- Describes general resources (publications and web sites) for sociology in general, but also for many useful sub-topics such as community studies, demography, rural sociology, social change, urban sociology, etc.
Architecture Internet Resources (website - as viewed 08/2010)
Brown, Jeanne
University of Nevada, Las Vegas Architecture Studies Library
-- This web site selects, briefly describes, and links to web resources for most aspects of the built environment. It does not refer to paper resources. Spend some time browsing these well-selected links.
Environmental Design Library Research Guides List (website - as viewed 08/2010)
Environmental Design Library, University of California Berkeley
-- An extensive and useful guide to both paper and electronic resources on the built environment and related topics. Includes architectural, landscape, and urban design. Savvy of recent trends. Explore this rich resource.
The Social Sciences: A Cross-Disciplinary Guide to Selected Sources (e-book)
Herron, Nancy L. (ed.)
-- Introduces reference resources for sociology, anthropology, psychology, geography, economics, political science, and other social science disciplines. Includes handbooks for research methods. Electronic version downloadable.
Landscape Architecture Sourcebook: A Guide to Resources on the History and Practice of Landscape Architecture in the United States (book)
Vogelsong, Diana
-- An annotated bibliography of basic reference resources (including many electronic ones) and recommended texts. Includes general resources, practical handbooks, plant materials, important sites, recommended periodicals, organizations, and key topics in the field. Includes some coverage of Geographic Information Systems, restoration, conservation, waterfronts, and other aspects of recent professional activity.
Watersheds and Water Resources (website - as viewed 08/2010)
Penn State Earth & Mineral Sciences Library
-- Several good web sites on management of water resources selected by the folks at Penn State's Earth and Mineral Sciences Library..
Architecture Sourcebook: A Guide to Resources on the Practice of Architecture (book)
Wayne, Kathryn M.
-- Most useful for its well-selected readings on building types in 14 categories. Also good coverage of encyclopedias and periodical indexes.
The Penn State Librarians have tailored many other brief guides to research to the programs here. These are listed on the Find Research Guides by Subject page.
Specialized encyclopedias are fine places to get a quick start on solving many kinds of problems. They synthesize a lot of other published information. Reading a brief summary of a topic, at the beginning of your exploration, can help you make better choices as your research progresses. The best encyclopedias refer you to the essential literature on each subject (usually with brief bibliographies at the end of each entry.) Many large encyclopedias have entries on general topics, and access to more specific subjects through an index at the back. They usually feature writers who are recognized authorities.
AccessScience @ McGraw-Hill : The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology on the Web (database)
-- A high-quality encyclopedia containing articles on most aspects of science and technology. It is supplemented with image and media galleries and news items..
Encyclopedia of Hydrological Sciences (book)
Anderson, Malcolm (ed.)
-- Signed articles and bibliographies on an interesting selection of important ideas in recent architectural practice and criticism: space & knowledge, integrated systems, social activity in urban spaces, etc.
Cities of the World (e-book)
Gale Research Co.
-- Basic data and bibliography on the geographic, cultural, and political circumstances of major cities. Based upon U.S. Department of State reports.
Environmental Encyclopedia (e-book)
Gale Research Co.
-- Articles on technical terms, famous disasters, important people, and key organizations.
Companion to Cultural Geography (book)
Duncan, James
-- Features articles each reviewing the literature of some facet of cultural geography. Aspects treated are grouped under these categories: theories, identities, colonial/post-colonial considerations, and a variety of other disciplines (economics, religion, politics, film, child development, etc.) as they have been related to landscape.
Encyclopedia of Urban Cultures: Cities and Cultures Around the World (book)
Ember, Melvin and Carol
-- Thematic articles (on space, migration, the Middle East, etc) only in the first portion of volume 1, then extensive articles on 237 major cities of the world – each focusing on the cultural distinctiveness of the city and the cultural variety within it.
Companion to Contemporary Architectural Thought (book)
Farmer, Ben and Hentie Louw (eds.)
-- Signed articles and bibliographies on an interesting selection of important ideas from the 1980s and 1990s in architectural practice and criticism: space & knowledge, integrated systems, social activity in urban spaces, etc.
Encyclopedia of Global Change: Environmental Change and Human Society (book)
Goudie, Andrew S. and David J. Cuff (eds.)
-- Current state of systems (e.g. mining) issues (e.g. water quality) and methods (e.g. sustainable development) described and followed by annotated bibliographies.
Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change (book)
Munn, Ted (ed.)
-- A thematic arrangement - each volumes covering a different part of the problem: physical and chemical dimensions, biological and ecological, causes and consequences, responses, and social and economic dimensions.
Oxford Art Online (database)
-- A huge compendium of historical information on people, places, major works, styles, periods, techniques, etc. Covers all of the visual arts including architecture and some landscape architecture. (Although it is stronger on historical than contemporary topics.)
Dictionary of Human Geography (book)
Johnston, R.J. et al.
-- Terms, concepts, and schools of thought on humans and their places.
Reader's Guide to the Social Sciences (book)
Michie, Jonathan (ed.)
-- Articles on broad topics in Economics, Human Geography, Psychology, Sociology and other social science disciplines.
Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World (book)
Oliver, Paul and Simon Bronner (eds.)
-- A fascinating array of information on the endless variety and revealing similarities in earth’s vernacular architecture – defined as the building of and by people using traditional and regional technologies. Some cultures offer inspiring perspectives on the relation of the natural to the built environment. Articles on broad issues, types, and materials in the first volume.
See also the supplement:
Atlas of Vernacular Architecture of the World (book)
Vellinga, Marcel and Paul Oliver and Alexander Bridge
International Handbook of Contemporary Developments in Architecture (book)
Sanderson, Warren
-- Most useful for its essays reviewing the mid-century history of architecture and urban planning in 32 countries. Less thorough on landscape architecture. Also contains directories of schools and organizations.
Encyclopedia of 20th Century Architecture (book)
Sennott, R. Stephen (ed.)
-- Substantial articles on people, firms, professional practice, building types, buildings, sites, cities, countries, influential unbuilt projects, materials, technologies, planning, movements, and styles.
Encyclopedia of Urban America: The Cities and Suburbs (book)
Shumsky, Neil Larry (ed.)
-- Articles for cities, people, and topics in urbanism (such as lawns, retailing, water, zoning, etc.) with a strong historical perspective but including history up to the 1990s.
International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences (database)
Smelser, Neil and Paul Baltes (eds.)
-- Articles reviewing scholarship on most major topics in an impressive array of disciplines.
Portal: Architecture (wiki - as viewed 08/2010)
Wikipedia
-- Wikipedia “portals” organize its million encyclopedia articles under broad subject groups. They use the term “architecture” in its broadest sense and include landscape and urban design in this portal. As with all social computing, go carefully. In addition to reading critically, check the “history” tab on each article you use. Generally the articles with a longer history are more reliable.
Encyclopedia of Architecture : Design, Engineering & Construction (book)
Wilkes, Joseph A.
-- The most versatile encyclopedia for architecture. It’s a bit weak in its historical and biographical entries, but there are plenty of other sources for those. Strongest on building technologies, types, materials, and issues of professional practice. Some inclusion of landscape and urban design.
Encyclopedia of Housing (book)
Van Vliet, Willem (ed.)
-- Issues, laws, and processes of housing in all its forms and settings (including rural).
Lexicon of Garden and Landscape Architecture (book)
Vroom, Meto
-- Well documented articles on types, concepts, and jargon all by one author.
Biographical dictionaries can be similar to encyclopedias, except that the only type of entries in biographical dictionaries will be the names of people. Like encyclopedias, many of the best ones refer you to some other sources of information.
The main biographical dictionaries for architects and landscape architects are list on our Biographical Resources: Architecture & Landscape Architecture research guide.
There are hundreds of other biographical dictionaries. A handy way to figure out which one to use is to search Biography and Genealogy Master Index (one of the University Libraries databases). It doesn’t tell you anything about the person, but it will tell you which biographical dictionary contains the information. As a matter of fact, it points to about 10 million brief biographies.
Handbooks are manuals that attempt to summarize good practices as they are observed in some professional or scholarly endeavor. They usually describe a process functionally, so that even an outsider can understand the basic procedures. These explanations are usually documented with citations to published case studies or methodological discussions.
Planning and Urban Design Standards (book)
American Planning Association
Doing Urban Research (book)
Andranovich, Gregory, and Gerry Riposa
Dissertation: An Architecture Student’s Handbook (book)
Borden, Iain, and Katerina Ray
-- A guide aimed at students in British architecture programs that require a formal dissertation. Includes general advice about possible research methods, phases in the writing process, typical features, and lots of examples from good dissertations.
Landscape Architect's Portable Handbook (book)
Dines, Nicholas T. and Kyle D. Brown
Practice of Local Government Planning (book)
International City Management Association
HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design (book)
Mendler, Sandra, and William Odell
Handbook of Research Design & Social Measurement (book)
Miller, Delbert C., and Neil J. Salkind
-- Describes approved methods of data collection such as surveys, interviews, modeling, etc.
Handbook of Urban Studies (book)
Paddison, Ronan
Site Planning and Design Handbook (book)
Russ, Thomas H.
Graphic or Design Standards are a special type of handbook for design data and typical design solutions. For a good list of them see our Research Guide on: Design Standards & Rules of Thumb
The CAT (database)
-- The Penn State Libraries’ catalog (The CAT) contains virtually all of the holdings of the University Park Libraries as well as those of the other campuses of Penn State. Note that most library catalogs only have a single record for each magazine title; they do not include records for each of the articles in a magazine. (For that, see "Periodical Indexes & Abstracts") As with any database, you may need to try several methods of searching in order to get good results. If the book you want is charged out, or owned only at another campus, click on the “I Want It” button and fill out the form. The book will be retrieved and held for you at a library service desk. If you want to find materials not held at the Penn State Libraries, try:
World Cat (database)
-- A combination of the data from most of the automated library catalogs in the United States and some from other countries as well. It includes over 60 million records for books, periodicals, magazines, and any other type of material cataloged its member libraries. While in this database, you can request to borrow an item from another library via Interlibrary Loan.
Periodical indexes are designed to direct readers to articles and reviews in magazines and journals. Each of the ones listed here can be used to find articles on a particular topic or by a particular author.
Abstracts are simply periodical indexes which include a few sentences summarizing the contents of each article indexed.
Once you select articles that you want to read, you can use the "Get It!" button to see if there is an electronic version of the article or to see if a paper copy is held in our library. If in paper, you will need the call number, volume, issue, and page numbers so that you can find it on the shelves.
The databases below marked “ProQuest” may be combined and searched as a set. Enter any of them, pull down the menu in the upper right corner after “ Searching:1 database”, and select your preferred combination.
ABI/Inform (database) ProQuest
-- A business-oriented database to articles in 1400 trade, popular and research journals for subjects such as company information, consumer products and services, industry trends, economic policy, real estate development, marketing, etc. from 1986 to the present.
AGRICOLA (database)
-- Produced by the U.S. National Agricultural Library and covering agriculture and related subjects including animal and plant science, entomology, agronomy, horticulture, rural sociology, agricultural economics, family living, food and nutrition. 1970 - present (some older materials). Choose the "Article Citation Database" to find journal articles and the "NAL catalog" to find books or videos.
America: History and Life (database)
-- Annotated or abstracted references to American and Canadian history from more than 1700 journals and some dissertations and collections of essays. Indexing began in 1964. This system has exceptionally good features for searching date ranges in history. Select “Choose Databases” to combine this with Historical Abstracts.
Anthropology Plus (database)
-- Anthropology Plus brings together into one resource the highly respected Anthropological Literature from Harvard University and Anthropological Index, Royal Anthropological Institute from the UK. Anthropology Plus provides extensive worldwide indexing of journal articles, reports, commentaries, edited works, and obituaries in the fields of social, cultural, physical, biological, and linguistic anthropology, ethnology, archaeology, folklore, material culture, and interdisciplinary studies. The index offers excellent coverage of all core periodicals in the field in addition to local and lesser-known journals. Coverage is from the late 19th century to the present.
Artbibliographies Modern (database) ProQuest
-- This indexes publications about modern art -- beginning with Impressionism in the late 19th century, up to recent trends. It covers land art, public sculpture, and some other types of built works. Indexing began in 1974 and includes more than just articles – some books, dissertations, etc.
Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals (database) ProQuest
-- Selectively indexes journal articles and reviews on architecture and landscape (including archaeology, decorative arts, interior design, furnishings, landscape design, city planning, and housing) which appear in more than 2,500 journals in these fields. Indexing is fairly up-to-date and goes back to 1919 (and some scattered items from even earlier). Illustrations are categorized by type so this can be often used to find a section of a sectional drawing of a specific building, etc.
CAB Abstracts (database)
-- A comprehensive file of agricultural and biological information (plant sciences, animal sciences, entomology, soils and fertilizers, forestry, agricultural economics, nutrition, agricultural engineering, rural recreation and tourism, the management of natural resources, and tourism) from over 8500 journals as well as conference proceedings, theses and annual reports. Coverage goes back to 1900.
CenStats (database)
-- A suite of databases of statistics supplied by the U.S. Census Bureau. Demographics, numbers of building permits, etc.
CumInCAD (Computer-Aided Architectural Design)
-- 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.
-- Guide to CumInCAD (pdf format - 174 kb)
Engineering Village (database)
-- The most comprehensive source for journal articles, conference proceedings and technical reports in most areas of science and technology (including computing, materials, structures, building systems, etc.) Coverage is from 1884 to present. Many of these articles are highly technical.
Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management (database) ProQuest
-- Abstracts and references to the literature covering all areas of air, land, water, and noise pollution as well as bacteriology, ecology, toxicology, risk assessment, environmental engineering, environmental biotechnology, waste management, and water resources from 1981 to the present.
ERIC (database) ProQuest
-- A huge collection of abstracts of education literature. Plenty on learning environments. Topics can be broken down by educational level. Uses a sophisticated hierarchical vocabulary.
GeoRef (database) ProQuest
-- GeoRef contains over 2 million references to geoscience journal articles, books, maps, conference papers, reports, theses and dissertations.
Guide To Computing Literature (ACM Digital Library) (database)
-- More than 750,000 abstracts from 3,000+ publishers of computing literature (books, journal articles, conference proceedings, doctoral dissertations, master's theses, and technical reports. Many are full text.
Historical Abstracts (database)
-- Annotated or abstracted references to world history from 1450 to the present in about 2,000 journals and some dissertations and collections of essays. Indexing began in 1954. This system has exceptionally good features for searching date ranges in history. The United States and Canada are excluded, but click "Choose Databases" to combine this with America: History and Life.
NTIS (database) ProQuest
-- Indexes reports on research (mostly government sponsored research) in a variety of fields including, but not limited to: agriculture, business, computer sciences, energy, engineering, environmental sciences, natural resources & earth sciences, technology, telecommunications , transportation, etc. 1964-present.
PsycINFO (database) ProQuest
-- The literature of psychology and related disciplines. Contains a few studies of design decision-making processes that have been published outside the world of design magazines.
RIBA British Architectural Library Catalogue (catalog)
-- To be thorough, you might want to check this source after using the Avery Index . Included in this book catalogue is indexing for the individual articles in hundreds of architectural journals that was once known as Architectural Publications Index. You can search for both books and journals at the same time in this database. Or you could limit your search to either type. You might also discover unique drawings, photographs, and biography files in their collection, but those cannot be borrowed.
Sage Urban Studies Abstracts (book)
Sage Publications
-- Abstracts of a useful selection of articles, books, and documents on urban policy and other areas of urban studies, including planning. Coverage is from 1977 to date.
Sociological Abstracts (database) ProQuest
-- Index for English language journals in sociology and other social sciences from 1954 to date.
Statistical Insight (database) ProQuest
-- A huge index to statistical tables and abstracts from statistical studies from governmental and private sector sources.
TRIS (Transportation Research Information Services) (database)
-- Provides access to transportation research published in journals, books, technical reports, and other media. It is produced by the Transportation Research Board and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Urban Forestry (database)
-- Indexes about 85 journals for their coverage of urban forestry, including the history of urban forestry; urban forest legislation; the benefits of urban forests; selection and planting of trees; maintenance of the urban forest; its planning and management. Includes some books, conference proceedings, and government documents. From 1980 to the present. Produced by the University of Minnesota Forestry Library.
Citation indexes are a special type of periodical index. They index articles in magazines three ways: by its author, by the keywords in its title, and also through each of the footnotes from the article. If you have a publication which is important to your research, you could use a citation index to find more recent articles which have cited your publication. These are a little tricky to use. It’s a good idea to ask for help the first time you try one.
Arts & Humanities Citation Index (database)
-- Indexes about 1200 journals in these disciplines back to 1976. Works of art or architecture described or illustrated in an article are treated the same way as footnotes and may be found with the "Cited Reference" search. When you enter, select "Web of Science." Can be combined with Social Sciences Citation Index, below.
Google Scholar (search engine)-- In the description of an article in Google Scholar, you can click on “Related Articles” to find other works in Google Scholar that have footnotes to the one you selected.
Social Sciences Citation Index (database)
-- Covers about 2000 journals in all social science disciplines (including planning, the societal impact of technology, etc.) back to 1956. When you enter, select "Web of Science." Can be combined with Arts and Humanities Citation Index, above.
Getting the meaning of a specialized term often requires a specialized dictionary. There are many for environmental design and related disciplines.
Illustrated Dictionary of Architectural Preservation (book)
Burden, Ernest
A Visual Dictionary of Architecture (book)
Ching, Francis
-- This one uses the “pictures first” approach.
Dictionary of Landscape Architecture and Construction (book)
Christensen, Alan Jay
Dictionary of Architectural and Building Technology (book)
Cowan, Henry and Peter R. Smith
Dictionary of Urbanism (book)
Cowan, Robert
Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (e-book)
Curl, James Stevens
A Planners Dictionary (book)
Davidson, Michael and Fay Dolnick
Dictionary of Architecture and Building Construction (book)
Davies, Nikolas, Erkki Jokiniemi
The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (book)
Fleming, John, Hugh Honour, and Nikolaus Pevsner (eds.)
-- Styles, periods, countries, building types, and elements. Previous to the 5th edition, this book was titled The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture, and did not cover landscape architecture.
Dictionary of Computer Graphics and Virtual Reality (book)
Latham, Roy
Dictionary of Environmental Legal Terms (book)
Lee, C.C.
A Dictionary of Landscape Architecture (book)
Morrow, Baker H.
The Illustrated Book of Development Definitions (book)
Moskowitz, Harvey S., and Carl G. Lindbloom
Historical Dictionary of Architecture (book)
Palmer, Allison Lee
Dictionary of Environmental Science and Technology (book)
Porteous, Andrew.
Archispeak: An Illustrated Guide to Architectural Terms (book)
Porter, Tom, et al.
Encyclopedia of Community Planning and Environmental Management (book)
Schultz, Marilyn and Vivian Kasen
-- Includes names of important court cases, laws, and many other terms.
Oxford Companion to the Garden (e-book)
Taylor, Patrick
--Articles on nearly 1000 famous gardens worldwide, from ancient legend to recent land art. Also designers, themes, etc.
Glossary of Art, Architecture, and Design Since 1945 (book)
Walker, John Albert
-- An excellent vocabulary of critical terms such as “brutalism” or “post-modernism.” In addition to a clear explanation of each concept, one or two articles are listed by a critic who was instrumental in coining the term.
World Architecture 1900-2000: A Critical Mosaic (book)
Frampton, Kenneth (ed.)
-- A visual compilation of major buildings of the century with location, key credits, dates, and a few paragraphs explaining significance. Very unusual for its thoroughly international scope with separate volumes on North America, Latin America, Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East, Africa, Russia, South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia and Oceana.
Polyglot dictionaries translate words from one language to another (sometimes to many). For a good selection of electronic ones (and also free online translation machines) try the University Libraries Research Guide to Dictionaries. But for a specialized vocabulary it may be better to use a dictionary designed for one field, like these:
Elsevier's Dictionary of Environment in English, French, Spanish and Arabic (e-book)
Bakre, M.
Dictionary--Landscape and Urban Planning: Multilingual Dictionary of Environmental Planning, Design and Conservation (book)
Lexikon--Landschafts- und Stadtplanung: Mehrsprachiges Wörterbuch über Planung, Gestaltung und Schutz der Umwelt (book)
Evert, Klaus-Jürgen
-- German, English, French, and Spanish.
GEneral Multilingual Environmental Thesaurus (GEMET) (website)
-- Environmental terminology in 19 languages. Search or browse categories. A project of the European Environment Agency.
Multilingual Dictionary of Architecture and Building Terms (book)
Grech, Chris
-- French, English, German, Italian, and Spanish.
Means Spanish/English Construction Dictionary (book)
Georges, Danielle Legros
Dictionary of Architecture and Building Trades in Four Languages (book)
Zboinski, A. and L. Tyszynski
-- English, German, Polish, and Russian.
the most important items in this long guide are summarized in these shorter guides:
