• All Research Guides

• Contents of This Guide
• Dictionaries, encyclopedias
• Periodical articles
• Library catalogs
• Web Portals
• People, organizations
• Horticultural Information
• Images & Plans
• Building Codes
• Graphic Standards

• Related Topics
• Architecture
• Historic Preservation

Landscape Architecture Research Guide

This guide lists basic resources for finding information in landscape architecture. For more assistance, contact Ed Teague, subject specialist for architectural areas.

Starting Your Research

Dictionaries and encyclopedias can be good starting places for research. The information they provide ranges from basic facts to scholarly articles. These reference works can assist in refining the scope of a paper or topic. Many (print and online) have bibliographies or links that can lead to further useful information. Representative titles are listed below. Click on print titles (with call numbers) to identify location and availability.

Online Resources:

• Oxford Reference Online provides full-text of key dictionaries and encyclopedias:
  Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Dictionary of Modern Design, Oxford Companion to the Garden, Dictionary of Earth Sciences, Oxford Companion to the Earth, Dictionary of Ecology, Dictionary of Geography, Encyclopedia of Global Change, Dictionary of Weather

• Grove Art Online, the most extensive art and architecture encyclopedia, accesses scholarly articles which are usually supplemented with bibliographies. Provides links to images.

Print Resources (linked to the UO Catalog)

• Christensen, Alan Jay. Dictionary of Landscape Architecture and Construction. New York : McGraw-Hill, c2005. AAA REF. SB469.25 .C48 2005

• Encyclopedia of Gardens: History and Design. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001. SB465 .E63 2001 v.1-3.

Finding books

• UO Library Catalog. Identify books by topic, title or author; identify journals and magazines owned by the UO Library. To find journal articles on your topic, use the databases listed in the section below. .

• Summit: The Orbis Cascade Alliance Union Catalog. A library catalog that combines information from Northwest academic libraries. Linked from the UO Catalog.

• WorldCat. WorldCat provides access to library catalogs from around the world.

Finding articles

Top databases for landscape architecture research are listed below. Use an index to find articles in journals, newspapers, or magazines.

Architecture & Allied Fields

• Avery Index to Architecture Periodicals.
  Indexes more than 2,000 periodicals published worldwide on architecture, landscape architecture, planning, interior design, and preservation. Coverage is from the 1930s (with selective coverage dating back to the 1860s) to the present.

• RIBA Library Catalogue.
  Catalog of the Royal Institute of British Architects Library includes an index to 300 architectural periodicals. A freely available, but less comprehensive alternative to the Avery Index.

 


Sciences & Local Information

• Newspaper indexes are good sources for finding information about the local built environment and its history

• GeoBase. This database is more interdisciplinary than GeoRef, covering less geology, but including geography and environmental sciences.

• Web of Science. Web version of Arts & Humanities Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index and Science Citation Index; covers 5,300 major Science and Engineering journals, 1,700 Social Science journals and 1,100 Arts and Humanities journals. Major feature: Cited reference searching retrieves papers that have referenced earlier works by a specific author.

Finding Web resources

Several excellent gateways/portals to architectural Web resources have been created to identify the best sites among thousands available. Among the best:

• Architecture and Building: Net Resources. Established in 1993, this gateway provides access to dozens of architectural sites, mostly freely available. Topics covered include architecture, building and construction, design, housing, planning, preservation, facility management, energy and the environment, and landscape architecture. Listings include, discussion groups, electronic publications, databases, websites.

• BuildingGreen.com. BuildingGreen Suite brings together three information resources into one powerful online tool, putting the knowledge you need right on your desktop. Articles, reviews, and news from Environmental Building News (EBN) are integrated with product listings from the GreenSpec products directory and project case studies from the High-Performance Buildings Database.

• Cyberlandscape: European Green Heritage
• Environmental Design Research Association
• Landscape Architecture Virtual Library (Univ. of Toronto)
• National Recreation & Park Association
  

Finding People and Associations

• ASLA--American Society of Landscape Architects. Includes firms, product profiles and directory, accredited programs, links.

• Association of Professional Landscape Designers

• Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture. Includes directory of landscape architecture programs.

• Council of Landscape Architecture Registration Boards.

• European Foundation for Landscape Architecture. EFLA represents the national professional associations of landscape architects in the European Union.

• Landscape Institute. The United Kingdom's landscape architect professional association.

Finding Horticultural Information

• American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta

• Native Plant Society of Oregon. A statewide network of 13 chapters and 1000+ members dedicated to the enjoyment, conservation, and study of Oregon's native vegetation.

• Oregon Horticultural Society

• TreeLink. Includes Urban Forestry Index (Univ. of Minnesota) and numerous links to associated organizations.

Finding Images, Plans

Some sources for plans and images of architecture:

• ARTStor, over 80,000 architectural images and more

• Botanical Image Database--University of Basel

• Digital Sanborn Maps (Oregon)

• Digital Images of Architecture

Finding building codes, land use plans

• Oregon Codes. Many Oregon codes are online and accessible from this site.

• Eugene City Code. [K3538 .I586 1998] Includes Chapter 9, Land Use Code.

• Portland City Code

Finding graphic standards

• Landscape Architectural Graphic Standards. New York: Wiley, 2006. On order. Consult Graphic and Design Standards to identify a variety of standards by topic.