Search engines

When searching for specific buildings or architects, undoubtedly the most efficient way of searching is with a search engine. Google http://www.google.com is an excellent choice.
Google Scholar is a more focused Google search, concentrating on peer reviewed and scholarly materials such as theses, books, and reports. Many of the links to full-text resources are accessible ONLY if you access Google Scholar through the Libraries website at http://www.library.unlv.edu/search/databases/index.html#G.

Lists by topic

There are times when you would like to browse through the top 5 or 10 sites on a topic, such as sustainability. In that case, a guide arranged by topic can be a useful approach. Note also that “sustainability” in a search engine is liable to produce many hits that do not pertain to the discipline – good if you are wanting a broad-ranging view, annoying if not!

The Internet resources guide compiled by ASL Librarian Jeanne Brown was one of the first on the net, and is still recognized as substantial and widely linked to. It is at http://www.library.unlv.edu/arch/rsrce/webrsrce/contents.html and is organized into more than fifty categories. A worksheet which serves to point out several important aspects of the ASL Internet resources guide is available: http://www.library.unlv.edu/arch/instr/aad283/networksheet.doc

Another approach to finding a list of sites on a topic is to identify the association/organization involved in the field and check their website. For instance, if you were interested in botanical gardens, you might want to look at the page of the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta. A list of architecture-related associations is at http://www.library.unlv.edu/arch/rsrce/archassn.html.

NOTE THE DIFFERENCE IN RESULTS BETWEEN USING A SEARCH ENGINE AND A SELECTED LIST OF LINKS IN THIS EXAMPLE: if you do a google search for botanical gardens, you will get links to specific botanical gardens, e.g. the Chicago Botanical Gardens. If you go to the web pages of the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta you will find links to related associations; biodiversity and conservation; garden, plant and landscape material; trees; and more.

*Searching for specific topics and formats such as images, reference tools, and Las Vegas materials is addressed in other modules.

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