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Architecture & Design: Books & eBooks

Subject Guide and Course Reading Lists

Art, Architecture and Design Books & eBooks

Reference Books

  • While the Internet has become increasingly reliable for quick reference to information; specialized architecture and design information, can be found in encyclopedias, dictionaries, directories, handbooks, product and detail guides. Some of these continue to publish in print and are not found online.

  • The Education Hall Art & Architecture library reference collection aligns with that of the AASL Core list. AASL Core Reference List maintained by architecture librarians nationwide. 

  • A shortlist of titles follows, search the library catalog for more.

Explore New Books in the Library Catalog

Explore New Books using WorldCat

Recommend a Purchase

New Acquisitions Driven by Policy. Read our Collection Development Policy.

Something About Books. . .

Something about Books, Physical Collections and Browsing...

The vast majority of Art, Architecture, and Design knowledge are not available through Google. You may find the book or article online but will need to obtain a physical copy to access all the information. Copyright restrictions protect creators and designers. Not all quality material will be found via the Open Web.

Journals and Books: While art and architecture journals are available to search digitally, often the full-text databases such as ArtSource, Avery Index and Architecture Publications Index, and JSTOR, contain only the text and not the high-quality reproductions. 

Physical Collections ensure:

  • Tactility and intrinsic qualities of actual objects are fundamental that objects' experience and function (such as in the case of the mail art of Ray Johnson) are lost in a digital format 
  • Access to unique features of individual copies of printed sources, including annotations, hand drawing, hand-coloring, and other alterations
  • Lack of serendipitous discovery of material due to physical collocation 
  • Exposure to physical expressions of data including, scale and texture to weight and size, to color and legibility of illustrations 

References:

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