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How to find information about Buildings |
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1. Consult a reference source.
What do you already know about the building? Usually a building can be tracked by its name(s), architect, location, or period/style. Save time by first finding some basic, accurate information about a building. A dictionary or other reference book is usually the best place to find brief, authoritative information. These basic tools might have all the information you need -- or lead you to other sources, such as articles, books, or web sites that are cited in them.
Good places to start:Grove Dictionary of Art. N31.D5 1996 Reference (AFA or Smathers) or database version .
International Dictionary of Architects and Architecture. NA40 .I48 1993 (AFA or Smathers) Reference
Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture. NA200.F63 1996 (AFA Reference)
World Architecture Index. NA202.T4 1991 (AFA Reference)
2. Find books or parts of books.
Consult The UF Libraries Catalog , to find books. A keyword search often yields the best results.
3. Find articles in journals.
Use this index to find articles about buildings: Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals .
The Avery Index surveys over 2000 periodicals and includes architecture, landscape design, and planning.Two other useful databases are Art "Full Text" which indexes publications 1984-present and Art Index Retrospective which indexes publications 1929-1984. These publications cover over 400 art and architecture journals. Selected records have links to full text articles. These databases may be searched simultaneously if both are selected upon connection.
4. Find authoritative World Wide Web sites.
Some sites on the World Wide Web can have useful building information. Use these websites with caution and make sure that they are created from authoritative sources. This commercial website is a good place to start for basic building information and pictures: Great Buildings Online .
Also consult the web guides created by AFA staff for images and architecture sources .
5. Always feel free ot consult library staff for assistance with your search for information.
