ARCH 821: Design Research Seminar
VIRGO [truncation=$]
It is always necessary to begin your searches by searching the U.Va. catalogues for books. The keys to a successful VIRGO search are to choose the correct index and to choose a search type which is most inclusive at the beginning. The search can then be limited to be more precise.
There are three ways of searching VIRGO:
1-Keyword, a specific word or words relating to your topic.
2-First Words, the first words of your topic or title.
3-Exact, the exact words you are looking for such as an exact title or a specific name.
Within these categories there are several ways to construct your search. It is important to remember that VIRGO uses boolean operators (and/or/not) and that they are essential in constructing your searches. Also, VIRGO uses '$' as its truncation symbol. When searching VIRGO always choose 'ALL' Libraries. You do not want to eliminate the very important work that may be housed in Alderman or Clemons.
There are six indices within VIRGO:
1-Keyword anywhere - The broadest searching mechanism; looks for the words or phrases in the title, description, author field or anywhere in the record of the book.
2-Author - Searches only the author field of the record. This can prove a difficult search if the authors name is common (Smith, John) or if the author's name can be spelled several ways (as with some foreign names). If you do not know how the author spells his/her last name you may not be successful.
3-Title - Searches for words or phrases found only in the title eliminating what may be found in a description of the book.
4-Subject - This searches specifically for Library of Congress Subject Headings not a general subject. This can be a tricky search unless you are familiar with LC headings.
5-MeSH - Medical Subject Headings will not be applicable for an art topic.
6-Journal Title - Searches for all Journal Titles in the U.Va. collection. When searching for a specific Journal Title always eliminate any article at the beginning of the title (The, A, Le, L').
Databases
Searching in periodical databases will retrieve the most recent scholarship on the subject. Remember to tailor your search to your choice of database.
Avery Index - [?]
The Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals indexes more than 2,000 periodicals published worldwide on archaeology, city planning, interior design, and historic preservation, as well as architecture. Coverage is from the 1930s (with selective coverage dating back to the 1860s) to the present. The Avery Index is updated daily.
Art Index - [*]
Art Index Retrospective indexes the 1929-1984 issues of 300 arts, architecture, design, and historic preservation, as well as architecture. Art FullText adds indexing and abstracts for 375 recent (1984-present) titles, with full text for 100 current titles.
(BHA) Bibliography of the History of Art - [?]
Covering European and American art from late antiquity (ca. 300 AD) to the present, the Bibliography of the History of Art indexes and abstracts art-related books, conference proceedings and dissertations, exhibition and dealer's catalogs, and articles from more than 2,500 periodicals. The Bibliography of the History of Art is updated quarterly and covers 1973 to the present.
Provides full abstracts of journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, PhD dissertations, and exhibition reviews on all forms of modern (late 19th century) and contemporary art, including photography since its invention. Entries date back as far as the late 1960s. The coverage of ABM is wide-ranging and includes performance art and installation works, video art, computer and electronic art, body art, graffiti, artists' books, theatre arts, conservation, crafts, ceramic and glass art, ethnic arts, graphic and museum design, fashion, and calligraphy, as well as traditional media including illustration, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and drawing.
Cambridge Scientific Abstracts
Over 40 science and technology databases in all subject areas.
Includes Science Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index which can be searched together or separately, The WOS databases include bibliographic and citation information for articles from over 5,700 science and engineering journals, 1,700 social sciences journals, and 1,100 arts and humanities journals. Updated weekly.
America History and Life - [*]
This ABC-CLIO database covers the history of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present and has almost 400,000 citations from 2,000 key English-language journals published worldwide. Includes book reviews.
Indexes articles written on the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States and Canada). This ABC-CLIO database includes over 500,000 annotated entries referencing articles published in over 2,000 journals published throughout the world. Includes book reviews.
Lists dissertations and many master's theses accepted at US graduate schools and universities along with some Canadian, British, and other European dissertations, beginning in1861. Abstracts included after July, 1980. Now part of Digital Dissertations including full text (PDF) of most dissertations accepted from 1997 on and also of some earlier works.
Access UN (United Nations Index) 1952+
Indexes the comprehensive collection of United Nations documents and publications on microfiche in Alderman's Government Information Resources department. Includes the full-text of several thousand UN documents.
Citations for US government documents in all subjects. Updated monthly.
Large interdisciplinary engineering database, Ei Compendex*Plus covers journals, technical reports and conferences, and adds over 220,000 new abstracts each year. Includes book reviews.
Full-text backfiles of many important scholarly journals in areas such as anthropology, asian studies, ecology, economics, education, history, literature, math, philosophy, politics, sociology, and statistics. Coverage is usually from the first issue to 3-5 years before the present.
Newspapers
Lexis / Nexis Academic Universe - [!]
click on News || and then General News || Guided News Search
Other U.Va. Resources
University Library - GeoStat Center
University of Virginia Library - Special Collections
WEB SITES
See the listing on Online Resources for Architecture on the Fine Arts Library Web Site
Contact the Librarian: Lucie Stylianopoulos | 924.6604 | lws4n@virginia.edu
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