LibGuides: ARCH 3117: Modern Architecture in the World: Getting Started

Using this Guide

Modern Architecture in the World

Here you will find resources to help you with your architecture research. Use the side navigation to find:

Resources to find background information on your topic (below)
Places to find books in print and online
Databases for locating scholarly and peer reviewed journal articles, reviews, and newspaper articles
Sources for finding high-quality images
Resources for citing your sources and writing in architecture

You can book and appointment with me by using the "Schedule Appointment" button in my profile box, or at https://barnard.libcal.com/appointments/mwisner.

[Image] Kurokawa, Kisho. Nakagin Capsule Tower [attaching the capsules]. 1971. https://jstor.org/stable/community.16518004..

Reference Resources for Architecture

Arch Daily
An online database of architectural projects and images.
Dynamic National Archive
A searchable database documenting the work of women architects and designers who have contributed to the places and spaces of the United States.

Oxford Art Online
Oxford Art Online enables access and cross-search functionality to Grove and Oxford reference content in one location. Provides access to Grove Art Online, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, The Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, The Oxford Companion to Western Art, and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. Includes image partnerships with ARTstor, the British Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Images for College Teaching, Art Resource, Artists Rights Society and numerous international art galleries and artists.
SAH Archipedia
SAH Archipedia is an authoritative encyclopedia of the built world published by the Society of Architectural Historians and the University of Virginia Press. It contains histories, photographs, and maps for more than 14,000 structures and places. Though primarily a building database, you will also find landscapes, infrastructure, monuments, artwork, and more.

Using Encyclopedias in your Research

Wikipedia

As the world's largest encyclopedia, Wikipedia's coverage is vast. You are more likely to find articles on obscure topics in Wikipedia than you would anywhere else. But is Wikipedia accurate? While Wikipedia can be edited by anyone in the world (including you!), scholarly encyclopedias like Encyclopedia Britannica are written and edited by experts in their fields. However, 2005 study in the journal Nature weighed the accuracy of science articles on Wikipedia against the more scholarly Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia was found to be nearly as accurate in the 42 articles investigated. Encyclopedia Britannica refuted these claims. When using Wikipedia, or any encyclopedia for that matter, it is wise to verify what you find.

Strengths of Wikipedia

Wikipedia is updated frequently. New information can be, and often is, added to the site within minutes. Due to editorial limitations, scholarly encyclopedias are usually updated annually.
Because Wikipedia crowd sourced, there is the potential for a broader authorship than is found in academic publications.
Citations in Wikipedia offer a wider array of materials, including articles and resources that are available for free and online.

Weaknesses of Wikipedia

Editors on Wikipedia are not necessarily experts. Authorship on Wikipedia is often anonymous or obscured.
Articles are always changing, making them difficult to cite in your research. An article you read today, may look quite different tomorrow.
Articles can be vandalized, providing wildly inaccurate information.

Ways to use Wikipedia

Use Wikipedia to get a general idea about a topic you are interested in.
Wikipedia is great for generating keywords for further searching in CLIO and elsewhere.
Check the citations, recommended resources and external links to guide you to more scholarly work.

[image] Suze Meyers, Feminist Wikipedia, 2016.

ARCH 3117: Modern Architecture in the World

Research Librarian