Art & Architecture Collection > Researching an Architectural Structure

Basic Resources


All images in this document are
from Georg Boeckler's
Architectura Curiosa Nova
(Nuremburg: P. Fuerstens [1664]). Plate #20
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CATNYP | Dictionary Catalog | Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals

CATNYP

CATNYP is the online catalog of The New York Public Library’s four Research Libraries.  It is easily accessible via the World Wide Web at http://catnyp.nypl.org. For general instructions on using CATNYP, please consult Using the Library's Online Catalog. The following information is specific to the subject of Architectural Research.

CATNYP allows searching by author, title, keyword, and subject.  A subject search will generally yield good results, but only if you know the appropriate Library of Congress subject headings for your topic.  You will learn more about subject headings in the Research Strategies section of this Guide.

Architecture Domestic Italy
Apartment Houses
Architecture France 17th century
 Architecture New York State New York

If you do not know the Library of Congress subject headings for your topic, it will be easier to perform a word search. A word search will generally retrieve more items, though many of them may not be relevant. When performing a word search, be sure to use the word "and" between each term:

Architecture and New York City
Skyscrapers and United States

After you retrieve your results in a word search, scan the record of one of the items. You will see the item's subject headings listed, and can then perform a subject search, if desired.

Dictionary Catalog

The Dictionary Catalog of the Art and Architecture Division contains some material, cataloged before 1972, not found in the on-line catalog such as periodical articles and some oversized books. This is particularly helpful for turn-of-the-century and early 20th-century architectural articles as well as some rare and valuable books. It is organized by author or subject. Title entries are only listed for works in a series, or a monograph that does not have an author listed.

The Avery Index

The Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals is the best resource for finding articles on all aspects of architecture, including architectural aspects of archaeology, interior design, housing, city planning & landscape architecture. The index includes a large number of architects' obituaries, a rich source of biographical information.  The Avery index is available in bound volumes, as well as electronically, for material dating from 1934 to the present.  Electronic access is available from computers in any of the Library’s Reading Rooms.