The University of Cincinnati Libraries contain a wealth of information in the field of architecture. A large percentage of the material is housed in the DAAP Library in the Aronoff Center for Design and Art. With over 60,000 books and 200 journal titles in the areas of historical and current architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design, this branch library can provide answers to a wide variety of questions.
However, the successful practice of architecture is becoming increasingly dependent upon information produced in subject areas outside the traditionally defined field of architecture. Technical research on alternate energy resources, psychological studies on the influence of the built environment on different groups, and reports dealing with the political aspects of urban planning are examples of the kind of resources that may be important to students and architects but may not be located in the DAAP Library.
Some of the frequently asked questions dealing with architecture are addressed below. Most can be answered with the resources of the DAAP Library alone; but, for a few, a trip to other UC libraries may be essential. If you have difficulty finding or using these materials, or if you need more specific information, do not hesitate to consult the library staff.
1. How can I find information on a specific architect?
If the library owns a book that deals entirely with the work of one architect, it can be found by doing a subject search in the online catalog, under the name of the architect or the firm with which he or she is associated. If you cannot find your architect in the library system, you can move on to biographical dictionaries and index journals.
Journal indexes help you find information published in architecture and design journals on both contemporary and historical architects. You can start with the Architectural Index, the Architectural Periodicals Index, the Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, and the Art Full Text.
To find a list of articles, look under the name of the architect or firm. The two exceptions to this are the Architectural Index, where all architects are listed in a section under "Architect or Designer." and the Architectural Periodicals Index, where they are listed under the term "Architects." Each index covers a different group of journals and a different time period, so if you strike out in one, try another.
Biographical dictionaries and encyclopedias provide succinct biographical information and pertinent dates, degrees and projects. The best dictionary or encyclopedia for you to use will depend upon your architect and his or her relative importance, country of origin, or period of activity. Check with the library staff for help in selecting a biographical dictionary, or start with something basic like the MacMillan Encyclopedia of Architects or Contemporary Architects.
2. How can I find information on a particular building?
In a few cases, an entire book has been written on a single building, and such books are listed under the name of the building in the online catalog. For example, under Kimbell Art Museum you can find a listing for the book Light is the Theme: Louis I. Kahn and the Kimbell Art Museum.
Most of the time, however, you will have to search under the name of the architect in the online catalog or in journal indexes to find a discussion of the building you are researching within the context of the architect's work. If you do not know the name of the architect and cannot find anything under the name of the building in library catalog or journal indexes, do not despair. Do a subject search using the term "architecture" with the name of the state and city in which the building is located.
Example:
Architecture - Ohio - Cincinnati
The library owns many architectural guides to cities that will give brief information about most of the important buildings in the city, including their architects and dates of construction.
3. How can I find information on the architecture of a specific country or historical period or type of building?
The procedure to follow is basically the same as that described above: use the library catalog to find books and the journal indexes to find articles. To identify the term used to designate the period or type of building in the catalog, use the Library of Congress Subject Headings. Since most of the architecture journal indexes do not have official lists of subject terms, you have to rely on the cross-references given within the indexes or think of other, similar terms. If you cannot find your subject term in an index, check with the library staff.
Art and architecture dictionaries and encyclopedias are a good starting place if you are unfamiliar with the period or subject you are researching. The articles in dictionaries and encyclopedias can supply a good background on a subject, related terms that may be useful in your search for more information, and lists of relevant books and articles. The Encyclopedia of Architects, the MacMillan Encyclopedia of Architects, and the Dictionary of Art are good encyclopedias for architecture, and other items shelved near them on the reference shelves.
4. How can I find plans of buildings?
The following books provide good plans and photographs of major historical buildings:
Sir Banister Fletcher's, a History of Architecture
DAAP Reference NA200.F63 1987
Encyclopedia of World Architecture: Design, Engineering & Construction
DAAP Reference NA31.E59 1988 (5 volumes)
Drawings of Great Buildings
DAAP Reference NA2706.U6 D72 1983
If your building is not included in the sources listed above, you may be able to find a plan in a book or journal article on the architect or period. Search the library catalog and journal indexes as described in Section 1 and 3 above.
5. How can I find information on technical aspects of buildings and materials?
Technical information on specific materials can be found in the various handbooks and manuals kept on the reference shelves. These can be found in the library catalog by doing a subject search under the name of the material discussed, for example:
Steel-Handbooks, Manuals, etc.
The architecture journal indexes discussed in Section 1 above can help you find articles in journals on specific technical subjects. There are also other indexes that can be helpful, Applied Science and Technology Abstract on and the Engineering Index in the Engineering Library. The Engineering Library and the College of Applied Science Library have a great deal of information on this aspect of architecture.
6. How can I find cost estimates for building materials or building construction?
Try searching "Building Estimates" in the library catalog to find current publications that give price estimates for specific construction items and entire buildings.
7. How can I find materials on energy and architecture?
You can find books on energy and architecture by doing a subject search in the library catalog under the following headings:
Architecture and Climate
Architecture and Solar Radiation
Solar Energy
Solar Houses - Design and Construction
You can find journal articles in the major architecture journals by looking in the Architectural Index under the heading ENERGY or SOLAR. To find articles in the technical and engineering journals, use the Applied Science and Technology Abstract or the Engineering Index.
8. How can I find copies of codes and standards?
The DAAP Library owns copies of the Cincinnati Building Code, the Uniform Building Code, and the BOCA Basic National Building Code.
If you need a copy of a standard, such as those set by the American National Standards Institute, go to the Engineering Library.
9. Is it possible to search any architecture journal indexes by computer?
The Art Abstracts and the Avery Index are both available in the library catalog/OhioLINK network. One advantage of computer searching is that abstracts and titles of articles can be searched for terms and concepts that are not in printed indexes. The computer can also tell you what is available on a subject involving multiple concepts, such as the preservation of metal in historic buildings.
10. Why are some of the architecture books locked up or non-circulating?
Some of the expensive and heavily illustrated architecture books are kept in the Rare Book Room to prevent theft and mutilation. Keeping these books secure and non-circulating is part of an effort to ensure that the books that you need will be available and intact when you need them.
Books can be used in the library if a valid UC identification card or driver's license is left at the circulation desk. Books in the Rare Book Room can be identified by the location status DAAP Rare Book in the library catalog. Please check with the library staff if you would like to look at a book from the Rare Book collection.
11. Other Questions?
If this guide still leaves you with questions or problems concerning research in architecture, please ask the library staff for help.