EDF 6481
Library Research in Architecture
Librarian: Ken Frankel
October 5, 2005

An architecture library research guide including both electronic and print resources is available at: http://www.library.fau.edu/depts/ref/rsguide/archgu/Main.htm

I. Locating books in the Library:

1. WebLUIS (the Library's catalog): click on Catalog or Books. The following types of basic searches are available:

A. Keywords: This search looks for a word anywhere in the record. Keywords can be truncated with a ? For example, architect? will search for architects, architecture, architectural etc. Also, you can search for 2 keywords next to each other this way: research adj methods (adj stands for adjacent)

B. Author's Name: last name first, you don't need to capitalize

C. Title: if a title starts with "The," "A," or "An," omit that and skip to the next word.

D. Subject: This search looks for items classified by a subject heading and organizes the results into sub-topics. Subjects must be entered in a specific manner according to the Library of Congress subject headings. You may get a cross-reference to the preferred subject heading, for example: baroque architecture gives a cross reference to use “architecture, baroque.” If you’re not finding anything with a subject search try a keyword search instead.

E. Journal/Magazine Title: be sure to check the "Library Has" link to see which dates the Library owns. (Note: not all electronic journals we have are cataloged in WebLUIS. There is also a link to a list of all electronic journals available at FAU.)

Note the location box, which can be used to limit your search to sections of the library such as the Reference, Curriculum, Children’s Literature or Government Documents Collections, or to a particular campus library.

The Advanced search screen allows you to combine terms using “and, or, not” as well as limiting a search by location, date, format, or language.

II. Searching for articles in databases

To search for articles click on "Indexes/Databases" or "Articles." There are both alphabetical and subject listings of databases. The following are a selection of some databases with architectural content.  Depending on the focus of your research, other databases may be appropriate to use including those with a business, engineering, urban planning, public administration or legal emphasis.

Note: when using these databases from off-campus you must log in through the EZ-Proxy link. You will need to enter the number from your Owl Card in order to do this. The SFX system allows you to link to external sources such as other databases holding the full text of the article, the Library's catalog, the list of FAU's electronic journals, ILLIAD requesting, etc.

 Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals
Covers the current literature of architecture and design, indexing more than 1000 US and foreign journals. Covers 1930s-present, with select coverage from the 1860s onward.

 Art Index Full Text
Subjects include Advertising Art, Antiques, Archaeology, Architecture and Architectural History, Art History, Crafts, Decorative Arts, Folk Art, Graphic Arts, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, etc. Covers 1984-present.

 Art Index Retrospective
Subjects include Advertising Art, Antiques, Archaeology, Architecture and Architectural History, Art History, Crafts, Decorative Arts, Folk Art, Graphic Arts, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, etc.  Covers 1929-1984.

 ARTstor
A repository of hundreds of thousands of digital images and related data and tools to actively use those images.

 Design & Applied Arts Index (DAAI)
Contains references from more than 500 design and craft journals and newspapers published from 1973 onwards, and data on over 50,000 designers, craftspeople, studios, workshops, firms etc. Subjects covered include architecture, interior design and environmental design.

 JSTOR
Journal Storage. Contains backfiles of more than 500 scholarly journals, including some on architecture and architectural history.

 Oxford English Dictionary (OED Online)
The Oxford English Dictionary is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past.    

 Web of Science
Three unique citation databases which allow searching cited references as well as traditional searches independently or in combination: the Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Arts and Humanities Citation Index.                                            

 For further assistance contact: Ken Frankel, Reference Librarian, frankel@fau.edu, 561-297-0079