LibGuides: Architecture 483: Find Books

Do I Need Books?

You might not need them, but books are a great resource and one you should consider for any research project. Books tend to be longer than articles, sure, but remember that you don't need to read the whole book to use it in an assignment or case study. In addition, books tend to be written in a much more accessible or natural style than articles, which can sometimes be overly technical or academic, and have the benefit of providing a broad overview of a subject, as opposed to articles, which usually take a close look at one aspect of an issue.

When looking for books in our catalog, remember to try different search terms to find relevant items. If you're researching walkability in LA, you can search "walkability LA"--but you might also want to search for synonyms like pedestrian or pedestrian-friendly, Los Angeles instead of LA, or the larger search scope of urban planning and Los Angeles.

Can I Order Books from Other Libraries?

Yes! If you want something we don't own, we can always order it for you from another library at no cost to you.

How can you tell whether we own something or not? In most cases, a yellow dot will appear next to an item that we don't own, but that is owned by one of our partner libraries. Follow these steps to request an item:

Sign in, either upon your initial catalog search, or by clicking "Sign In" in the upper right hand corner of the results page
Choose the "Find It" tab listed underneath the item record.
Choose "Place Summit Request".
Once your request is submitted, it will be processed and one of our partner libraries will send a copy to our library within 3-5 business days.

If Summit does not own the item, or you can't find it in our catalog, you can request it through Interlibrary Loan. You can fill out a registration form to get started; once signed in, you can place new requests by format using the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.

See this page for examples of what to look for.

Floor Maps

To find library items

Take a look at our library floor maps

Search the Library Catalog

Tips for Searching the Library Catalog:

Choose the search scope by selecting either UI + Summit + Articles (all materials); UI + Summit (items owned by UI and member libraries); or UI Library Only (items owned only by the UI Library).
Limiting your search: Start with a basic search and once you find a book that seems to be about your topic, you can use the format and/or other options located on the left to further narrow your search.
On the Advanced Search page, the year, language, and location (to name a few options) of items can be limited.
Subject headings can be a great way to narrow in on your topic.

Urban Planning & Theory

Environmental Science	GE
Urban Sociology and Planning	HT101-400
Rural Sociology	HT401-485
Aesthetics of Cities, City Planning	NA 9000-9428
Landscape Architecture	SB 469-476
Parks	SB 481-486

Ebooks: If you have questions about accessing an ebook, see the table at http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/resources/ebooks.html

Need Help Finding A Book on the Shelves?

The UI Library uses the Library of Congress Classification system to organize its books; you can find a good explanation of how to interpret one of these call numbers here, and browse call number categories on the Library of Congress website.

Need help finding books on the shelves in this building? Watch the brief video "Joe Vandal Finds a Book in the UI Library"!