Finding Articles
Between our print collections and online database subscriptions, Pratt has access to many periodicals (e.g., magazines and journals) that can help you in your research. Periodicals are publications that are published in a series, or periodically--like newspapers, magazines, journals, and newsletters. They primarily contain articles, which can be great resources for finding information on specific topics.
Our databases will help you locate relevant publications and details about articles in periodicals. They can lead you either to the full-text article online or the catalog information for the print counterpart at the library.
Useful Databases
Pratt Libraries' catalog lists the books and periodicals in our collection, but it does not list all of the chapters or articles they contain. A preliminary search using the Quick Search function is a good first step in the research process, but it won't show everything. This is why it is important to browse our databases directly.
Below is a list of some key databases for researching architecture. Most of these do not appear in a Quick Search.
*Remember to write down an article's citation information (i.e., journal title, volume, issue number, year/month of publication). This will help you find the article in print or electronically and cite it later on.*
- Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals This link opens in a new windowThe #1 database for architecture and interior design.
- A+T Architecture Publishersa+t architecture publishers, an editorial company independent from any institution or professional group, produces books and magazines about architecture. These publications, accessible digitally, are bilingual (English/Spanish) and distributed worldwide.
- Art and Architecture Source This link opens in a new windowArt & Architecture Source covers a broad range of related subjects, from fine, decorative and commercial art, to various areas of architecture and architectural design. Providing over 600 full-text journals, more than 220 full-text books, and a collection of over 63,000 images, it is designed for use by a diverse audience, including art scholars, artists, designers, students and general researchers.
- Building Green This link opens in a new windowProvides media and information resources including the award-winning Environmental Building News, BuildingGreen Suite of online tools, GreenSpec directory of products, and LEEDuser web tool.
- DAAI: Design and Applied Arts Index This link opens in a new windowThis database will be especially good for case study research and researching new green methodologies.
- GreenFILE This link opens in a new windowA database which focuses on the relationship between human beings and the environment. Comprised of more than 600 scholarly and general interest titles, as well as government documents and reports. It offers a perspective on the positive and negative ways humans affect the ecology. The total number of records is approximately 295,000, and full text is provided for more than 4,600 records from open access titles. Also included in GreenFILE is a 6,800-term Thesaurus.
- USModernist® Library This link opens in a new windowThe USModernist® Library is the world's largest open digital collection of major US 20th-century architecture magazines with approximately 4.1 million downloadable pages - all free to access.
