Online resources available to SCI-Arc students and faculty, plus open access resources, are described in this Guide and the other Research Guides.
When accessing proprietary online resources (like Jstor or ArtStor) be sure to access EzProxy first. Use your MySCI-Arc name and password.
For help with research email kappelibrary@sciarc.edu
GENERAL RESEARCH TIPS
The basic guidelines for all research remain valid:
1. Schedule a block of time.
2. Use encyclopedias and dictionaries to clarify your search.
3. Use specialized architecture resources.
4. Study relevant documents for the content, but also for citations and links.
5. Evaluate the documents in terms of Currency, Relevance, the Author, Accuracy, their Purpose (Yes, this is a C-R-A-A-P Detector)
6. Note your sources.
7. Keep focused! Distractions and tangents are inevitable, but don’t let yourself wander off.
THE KAPPE LIBRARY ONLINE
THE KAPPE LIBRARY HOME PAGE (library.sciarc.edu) provides links to all the databases described here. When accessed from any computer on campus no login or passwords will be necessary.
EZPROXY (sciarc.idm.oclc.org/) provides access to the databases when you are off-campus. To activate, enter your MySCIArc username and password.
KAPPE LIBRARY RESEARCH GUIDES provide tips on how to research architecture efficiently and effectively, and recommend print and digital resources on building types, global design traditions and other architecture and design issues. Created at SCI-Arc and reflecting the SCI-Arc curriculum, but intended for everybody, these guides have been continuously updated and reformatted since 1995. If you don’t see one on a topic you need, ask!
REFERENCE ASSISTANCE. Email your questions to kappelibrary@sciarc.edu
EBOOK CENTRAL (via ProQuest) An ebook library, providing access to over 180,000 books from over 425 publishers, including architecture resources (from MIT and Princeton Architectural Press), and extensive coverage of the sciences and humanities. Install the Ebrary Reader and set up an individual account—all you need is an email address. This enables you to set up your personal online Bookshelf and print and download portions of books (rules vary). Tip: Ebrary Central ebooks can also be accessed through the Kappe Library book catalog records. Their call numbers end with “eb”, and they contain a URL beginning “ebookcentral…” that links directly to the ebook.
BIRKHÄUSER ARCHITECTURE BASICS ebooks. These 32 volumes offer concise, clear presentations of key subject areas, including design, architectural presentation, construction, professional practice, building services, landscape architecture, and urbanism.
LE CORBUSIER LIBRARY includes De Gruyter/Birkhäuser’s Cobusier publications, including the Œuvre complète / Complete works, 1910-1969 and The Foundation Le Corbusier monographs on individual buildings. Each chapter of each book is presented as an individual PDF. Note: many of the PDFs are very large and download slowly.
JSTOR open access books. In addition to the article database, Jstor also offers access to 6000+ academic books in PDF format. Before searching, selection the option “Narrow by / Item type / Books”
SPRINGERLINK. Over 1600 ebooks on architecture, construction and technology from the publisher Springer. By default the website includes more than the Kappe Library has access to. Use Advanced Search to unclick “Include Preview-Only content”: this will ensure that all results can be accessed. Tip: SpringerLink ebooks can also be accessed through the Kappe Library book catalog records. Their call numbers end with “eb”, and they contain a URL beginning “springerlink…” that links directly to the ebook.
See also these useful open access ebook collections:
Getty Publications Virtual Library. More than 300 books published by Getty Publications available as downloadable, free PDFs.
Getty Research Institute collections, on the Internet Archive. Ebook versions of rare books and printed matter from the GRI's collections.
LibriVox free audiobook collection on the Internet Archive.
Luminous Open Access offers ebooks published by the University of California Press.
EL CROQUIS is available via El Croquis Digital from issue #103, 2000. Selected earlier issues from 1987-2000 are also available via El Croquis Digital:
#30 : Enric Miralles & Carme Pinos 1983-1990
#45 : Frank O. Gehry 1987-1989
$52 : Zaha Hadid 1983-1991
#53 : OMA Rem Koolhaas 1987-1992
#60 : Herzog & de Meuron 1983-1993
#65/66 : Jean Nouvel 1987-1994
#68/69 : Álvaro Siza 1958-1994
#71 : Toyo Ito 1986-1995
#73 : Zaha Hadid 1992-1995
#74/75 : Frank O. Gehry 1991-1995
#77 : Kazuyo Sejima SANAA
#79 : OMA Rem Koolhaas 1992-1996
#84 : Herzog & de Meuron 1993-1997
#86 : MVRDV 1991-1997
#95 : Álvaro Siza 1995-1999
#99 : Kazuyo Sejima SANAA 1995-2000
DETAIL INSPIRATION is Detail magazine’s online database. It includes detail design drawings and project descriptions of over 3000 significant buildings. The database is updated with new projects after every new print edition of Detail. All projects are available for download as PDFs.
JSTOR ARTICLE ARCHIVE is a digital archive of almost two million articles from scholarly journals, with 4000 institutions and 500 publishers participating. Through December 31, 2020, the Kappe Library will provide access to the complete JSTOR collection. Set up an individual account to get full functionality. Tip: Be aware that most participating journals impose a 3- or 5-year delay before uploading content.
MADCAD Building codes conveniently accessible through one searchable database. MadCad contains the most current (2014-2018) California building codes (12 titles) and International model codes (14 titles), covering mechanical, historical, green, Title 24, etc. No downloads or installations required to access. Go to "eLibrary" to scroll through individual codes, or search multiple selections simultaneously.
The SCI-ARC CHANNEL explores events both at the school and beyond, with a particular focus on the contemporary culture of Los Angeles. Content includes short features and webisodes that engage individuals from across the world to experience some of the most important contemporary architects, designers, and thinkers at work in their creative environments, unpacking issues in architecture, design, art and related fields.
ART & ARCHITECTURE IN VIDEO (ARTV) A searchable video collection containing over 500 hours of professional documentary movies on art, design and architecture produced by A&E, ArtHaus, the BBC, Michael Blackwood, and others from 1941 to the present.
ONARCHITECTURE is an audiovisual database of the main trends in the field of architecture. It is a global-scale project, produced by Chilean architects, for architects and students of architecture. The continuously expanding collection includes more than 200 concise building documentaries and 100 interviews with architects, artists, academics and curators.
Also see
Feature films on the Internet Archive
Prelinger Archives of sponsored film, on the Internet Archive
Television Archive on the Internet Archive
ARTSTOR DIGITAL IMAGE LIBRARY. A database containing more than two million downloadable, high-resolution images from 280 collections created by the world's leading museums, photo archives, scholars, and artists in one easily-navigated repository. It is the most comprehensive image resource available for educational and scholarly use, with many rare and important collections available nowhere else. Besides architecture and art, topics include anthropology, archaeology, fashion & costume, literature, religion, theater, and world history. Set up an individual account to get full functionality.
ARCHIVISION DIGITAL RESEARCH LIBRARY is an image database, created for an in-depth study and analysis by students of architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, art history and art. Documentation has been achieved through multiple images of a single subject affording a comprehensive understanding of the principle aspects of design and content. Where possible, drawings & models are photographed from original and copyright-free sources.
WORLD HERITAGE SITES: AFRICA documents sites, artifacts and cultures of Africa with over 57,000 images including photographs, 3D models, GIS data, site plans, aerial and satellite photography, images of rock art, excavation reports, manuscripts, traveler's accounts, historical and antiquarian maps, books, articles, and other scholarly research from major African, American and European archives.
The SCI-ARC MEDIA ARCHIVE (also available via YouTube)is a continuously-expanding online showcase with over 1000 hours of video, featuring the world’s most significant architects, designers, and theorists—including 11 Pritzker Prize winners—from 1972 to now, offered to the public unedited, for students, scholars and anybody with an interest in architecture, Los Angeles and experimental design. Access recent videos at SCI-ARC ON LIVESTREAM and YouTube Live.
OTHER ARCHITECTURE LECTURE ARCHIVES AVAILBLE ONLINE (updated 3/25/20)
11h45 Montre l’architecture, on Vimeo and DailyMotion.
Architectural Association, Video Archive. , and on YouTube.
The Architectural League of New York, Media.
Architectural Record, Record Video.
ArchitectureLab, Videos & Interviews.
Architekturclips (by Urbanfilmlab.e.V.)
Archvideo.de (by Eric Sturm)
Bartlett School of Architecture on Vimeo.
Berkeley College of Environmental Design, on Vimeo.
Berlage Institute, on Vimeo.
California College of the Arts, on Vimeo.
Canadian Centre for Architecture, on YouTube.
Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture, on Vimeo.
Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine, on DailyMotion.
Cornell Architecture-Art-Planning.
EdX online courses in Architecture.
ETH, Multimedia Portal.
Florida International University, School of Architecture, Lectures Archive.
Georgia Tech, School of Architecture, on YouTube.
Getty Research Institute lectures, on YouTube.
Glasgow School of Art, Mackintosh School of Architecture, Friday Lectures.
Harvard Graduate School of Design, on YouTube.
IE School of Architecture and Deisgn, on YouTube.
Notre Dame, School of Architecture, on YouTube.
The Ohio State University, College of Engineering, Knowlton School of Architecture, on YouTube.
Princeton University School of Architecture, Visual Resources Collection, and on Vimeo.
Syracuse University, School of Architecture, on YouTube.
Michigan State University, Taubman School of Architecture, on YouTube.
TED talks on Architecture.
Texas A&M, College of Architecture, on YouTube.
University of Arizona, College of Architecture & Landscape Architecture, on YouTube.
UCLA Architecture and Urban Design, on YouTube.
University of Minnesota, College of Design, at YouTube.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte's College of Arts + Architecture's School of Architecture, at Vimeo.
University of Virginia, School of Architecture, on YouTube.
University of Southern California, School of Architecture at YouTube.
VideoLectures.net, Architecture.
Yale School of Architecture, Public Lecture Series, on iTunesU.
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN MAGAZINES AVAILABLE ONLINE
(Note that there is typically a 3-year delay in archiving issues in Jstor)
AA Files. on Jstor.
African arts. on Jstor.
Aggregate Architectural History Collaborative.
Any : Architecture New York. on Jstor.
Append X, culture, theory, praxis.
ArchInForm International architecture database.
Architect (U.S.)
Architectural Histories: the open access journal of the European Architectural History Network.
Architectural history, on Jstor.
A+U (Architecture + Urbanism magazine)
ARPA Journal (Applied Research Practices in Architecture)
Assemblage, on Jstor.
Boom : a journal of California.
Buildings & landscapes : journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum, on Jstor.
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat journal, on Jstor.
El Croquis, on RB Digital.
Design issues, on Jstor.
Design quarterly, on Jstor.
Detail, on Detail Inspiration.
Future anterior : journal of historic preservation history, theory and criticism, on Jstor.
Getty research journal, on Jstor.
Grey Room. on Jstor.
Huntington Library quarterly, on Jstor.
Journal of architectural and planning research, on Jstor.
Journal of architectural education, on Jstor.
The journal of decorative and propaganda arts, on Jstor.
Journal of design history, on Jstor.
Journal of housing research, on Jstor.
Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, on Jstor.
Landscape architecture, on Jstor.
Landscape journal, on Jstor.
Leonardo, on Jstor.
Log. on Jstor.
Muqarnas, Islamic architecture and urbanism, visual arts, and conservation, on Jstor.
October, on Jstor.
Perspecta, on Jstor.
Perspectives in vernacular architecture, on Jstor.
Places, on archtecture, landscape and urbanism.
Praxis journal of writing + building, on Jstor.
Society of Architectural Historians, Southern California Chapter.
Techne: Journal of Technology for Architecture and Environment.
Traditional dwellings and settlements review, on Jstor.
Twentieth century architecture, on Jstor.
Urban history review, on Jstor.
West 86th: a journal of decorative arts, design history, and material culture, on Jstor.
Also see:
Search for newspaper articles via Nexis Uni, a database of continuously updated full-text articles from more than 6,000 sources from all over the world, drawn from print, broadcast, and online media. The deep backfile permits detailed historical research. The most comprehensive source for researching news, business, social issues and legal topics.
See the Directory of Open Access Journals for more open access magazines.
The University of California Press is offering free access to its journals through June 2020
MATERIAL CONNEXION. A searchable database of information about the newest materials originating from a large spectrum of industries—typically unnoticed or difficult to reach by the design community. All the materials are juried by a panel of material specialists and knowledgeable professionals.
ALSO SEE
Healthy Materials Lab (Parsons)
Interior Design magazine product info.
Material Order. Images, specifications and contact info for materials in the design material collections of the Loeb Library (Harvard), the Parsons Healthier Materials Intitiatives, and the Fleet Library (RISD).
Sweets construction & building materials.
AVAILALBE VIA RB DIGITAL
NEWSPAPERS
Search for newspaper articles via Nexis Uni, a database of continuously updated full-text articles from more than 6,000 sources from all over the world, drawn from print, broadcast, and online media. The deep backfile permits detailed historical research. The most comprehensive source for researching news, business, social issues and legal topics.
OXFORD ART ONLINE The Oxford Art Online is the place to start every new research project—especially when a topic is unfamiliar. Get concise, authoritative background and relevant links. Tip: Most articles appear text-only first; click the "Images" tab to get illustrations.
ARCHIPEDIA is a developing online encyclopedia published by the Society of Architectural Historians, and contains authoritative histories, photographs, and maps for more than 14,000 structures and places. It currently covers 15 states, but will soon provide peer-reviewed content for the entire U.S. and beyond.
THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY The OED is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. As a historical dictionary, the OED includes not only present-day meanings, but the history of individual words, and of the language—traced through 3 million quotations—that serve to distinguish distinct nuances.
OXFORD REFERENCE ONLINE provides one-stop online searching of 175+ Oxford reference dictionaries and encyclopedias, bilingual dictionaries, economics & business, history, English language, law, literature, maps, medicine, political & social sciences, religion & philosophy, the sciences and additional resources on arts & architecture, with 15,540+ illustrations.
PURDUE ONLINE WRITING LAB (OWL) is an open access site that will help you use the Modern Language Association (MLA), the Chicago Manual of Style and other academic standards for citing the source of quotations, and creating bibliographies and notes.
THE ROUTLEDGE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PHILOSOPHY Featuring 2,000 original entries from a team of over 1,300 scholars and philosophers, REP covers ancient and modern philosophy, critical theory, and current scientific, ethical and political debates. Each article begins with a concise summary with a minimum of jargon. Longer essays cover relevant issues in detail. Each article ends with recommended readings for further study.