Research Guides: Architecture Research Guide: Find Books

Browsing the Stacks for Architecture Books

The books in the libraries at UNC Charlotte are organized by the Library of Congress call number system. Architecture books primarily fall between NA1-NA9428. All NA books are found in the Hight Architecture Library (2nd floor of Storrs).

The list below can give you idea of where to look on the shelves.

NA1-60 General

NA100-130 Architecture and the state

NA190-1555.5 History

NA1995 Architecture as a profession

NA2000-2320 Study and teaching. Research

NA2335-2360 Competitions

NA2400-2460 Museums. Exhibitions

NA2500-2599 General works

NA 2599.5-2599.9 Architectural criticism

NA2695-2793 Architectural drawing and design

NA2835-4050 Details and decoration

NA4100-8480 Special classes of buildings
NA4170-7020 Public buildings
NA4590-5621 Religious architecture
NA7100-7884 Domestic architecture
NA7910-8125 Clubhouses, guild houses, etc.
NA8200-8260 Farm architecture
NA8300-8480 Outbuildings, gates, fences, etc.

NA9000-9428 Aesthetics of cities. City planning and beautifying

Additional books might also be found in KF and TH (Building codes), LB (Education), HT (Urban design), and TH (Construction).

See the wayfinding list below for more information:

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Reference Sources

They provide background information about an architect, building, context, and/or location<

You can also find keywords for your catalog and database searches.

Some sources include images, photographs, sketches, and other visual information.

Oxford Companion to Architecture This link opens in a new window
Contains over 1500 A-Z entries covering all aspects of architecture.
The Oxford Companion to Architecture is a new reference book on a popular and much-debated subject. It contains over 1500 A-Z entries covering all aspects of architecture, from architects, building types, and movements and styles to materials, aspects of design, and definitions. It is particularly strong in its coverage of architecture around the world, and of modern and vernacular architecture. The Companion is strongly rooted in an approach to architecture that looks at its social, technical, and practical aspects, as well as viewing it from an art-historical perspective. With high-quality illustrations to complement and enhance the text, and a bibliographic essay, the Companion is an invaluable reference resource for architects, designers, teachers and students of architecture and architectural history at high school and college level, and the general reader interested in architecture.
Grove Encyclopedia of Classical Art and Architecture This link opens in a new window
This encyclopedia spans every art form, medium, and civilization of the era, tracing the development of the art forms in Classical civilizations.
The encyclopedia contains hundreds of updated, revised, and expanded entries from the expansive scholarship in the Dictionary of Art and Grove Art Online, as well as dozens of new, specially-commissioned entries.
Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture This link opens in a new window
Offers over 1,600 up-to-date in-depth entries on Islamic art and architecture ranging from the Middle East to Central and South Asia, Africa and Europe and spans over a thousand years of history.

Find Architecture Theses at UNC Charlotte

Looking for print theses by UNC Charlotte students. Try the search below.

Architectural Guidebooks

Architectural guidebooks may offer historical background, maps of the area, photographs, and drawings. To locate guidebooks, use the following subject headings. Insert the location you are searching for between the first part of the subject heading and guidebooks, i.e. Architecture -- North Carolina -- Charlotte -- Guidebooks or Historic sites -- Egypt -- Guidebooks.

Architecture -- location-- Guidebooks

Buildings -- location -- Guidebooks

Historic buildings -- location -- Guidebooks

Historic sites -- location -- Guidebooks

Monuments -- location -- Guidebooks

Location -- Guidebooks

Book Reviews in Architecture Record

Researching Buildings

Most architecture books are not dedicated to a single building. The building you are researching may be discussed in books about the building

architect
time period
location such as city or country
style
building type

UNC Charlotte library catalog in order to locate books.

Searching tips:

Know the name of the architect or firm that designed the building? Use keyword or subject searching in the library catalog for books under these names. Once you have a book in hand, look at the index or table of contents to see if the building is mentioned.
Don't know the names? Try searching under time period, style, location, or building type.
You can also search for articles using the library catalog and databases, like Avery Index to Architecture Periodicals. Avery specializes in architectural subjects. Click on the Find Articles tab to find out more.