Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all Season's Greetings, hope you have a good break and I look forward to seeing you in 2012!

The library will close tomorrow 24th December at midday and re-open on Tuesday 3rd January.

Postmodernism

I recently visited the Postmodernism exhibition at the V&A which encompassed all the arts including architecture including Charles Jencks's writings and theories on postmodernism.

Displayed as part of the exhibition for the New wave period in the 1980's were copies of the publication Domus which was a important method to deliver news about what was happening at that stage of the movement.  We subscribe to Domus in the library where print copies can be found dating from 1963 to current day so if you are interested in reading more about the movement as it was percieved then why not take a browse of the 1980's range (if you are not sure where/how to locate please let me know).

In relation to this there is also a recent article in The Architectural Review, Vol 1377, November 2011 pgs 112-117 "Reassessing Postmodernism is the movement still relevant 50 years on?" by Colin Fournier - we also subscribe to this journal in print.

Image credit: Em Mires

Historypin

Historypin is a non for profit website which allows online communities to build collections and gather information relating to themes around geographic locations and time periods.

There are tours in which you can look at the history and timeline of places and buildings amongst other themes for example:
A tour through London's historic theatreland
A tour through historic Edinburgh
A tour of Beverly Hills

You can sign in to Historypin automatically with a googlemail account and it is free to browse, view and add your own collections.

http://www.historypin.com/

Digimap YouTube channel

Digimap now has its own YouTubechannel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/EDINADigimap


If you are new to using mapping tools then you can find some good introductory clips on this channel.  We will also be running some drop-in sessions on using Digimap in the Marylebone Library training room, located on the ground floor in the North area of the library. Dates and times as follows:

Monday 14th November 1-2 pm
Tuesday 15th November 1-2 pm
Wednesday 16th November 1-2 pm
Thursday 17th November 1-2 pm
Friday 18th November 1-2 pm

New E-book titles

Here are the latetest new E-book titles to be made available:


Building construction handbook¬ (8th ed.) / R. Chudley and R. Greeno

Designing the city of reason¬: foundations and frameworks / Ali Madanipour

Planning for retail development¬: a critical view of the British experience / Clifford Guy

Building competences for spatial planners¬: methods and techniques for performing tasks with efficiency / Anastássios Perdicoúlis

Accessing other libraries

Watch this short video clip that the library staff have created giving you instructions for accessing resources at other institution's libraries. There are over 170 educational institutions that belong to the scheme, numerous of which are based in London and the South East.

Looking for images?

Having trouble sourcing quality images to inspire and inform design projects and course work?

Try accessing the following two web resources:

e-architect.co.uk

e-architect is one of the world's largest architecture websites with over 14,000 pages. e-architect is run by Adrian Welch and Isabelle Lomholt. Adrian and Isabelle both trained as architects but their strong interest in architecture led them to focus their energies on an online architectural resource rather than practicing. e-architect.co.uk features building news, events, competitions, photos, jobs, awards and products. It features a range of building types from houses to skyscrapers, plus major landscape and interior projects.

Buildings on flickr
Building magazine has created a flickr site where members can add their photographs, some fantastic images covering a range of buildings both UK and internationally. Coverage can also be quite modern due to its currency as a group.

Library Search
Listed under E-Resources in Library Search, you can select an images & multimedia category from E-Resources by type drop-down menu. The following are useful for sourcing images:
VADS (Visual Arts Data Service)
English Heritage Viewfinder
RIBA British Architectural Library Catalogue Online (RIBApix)

Image credit: Turner Gallery, Margate by Em Mires

Welcome to all new and returning students

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome new students to the library and this blog, I am Emma Mires the Academic Liaison Librarian for Architecture and the Built Environment and I look forward to seeing and meeting you during orientation sessions.

More information can be found regarding our services by visiting the Library & IT webpage's you can also ask questions via the blog and email me at mirese@wmin.ac.uk

New and returning students may also like to attend some of the drop-in sessions for library resources that we have planned for this semester you can view the schedule on the Library & IT training pages - no need to book just come to the library training room.

AA Bookshop sale!

Research resources

View the following online visual presentation to find out more about the essential resources available for you during your studies here at Westminster.

Online tutorials of Library Search can also be accessed from the library homepage, and will give you a good overview of its key features.

We are looking for student volunteers to appear in some multimedia clips that we are preparing for library orientation.

If you would be interested in participating by telling us some of your top tips for using the library, resources that you found useful or what elements of the service has helped with your studies then please email me at mirese@wmin.ac.uk to find out how you can get involved.

New e-books for Construction & Estate Mangement

Law made simple by David Barker

Barry's introduction to the construction of buildings by Stephen Emmitt

Spon's architect's and builder's price book 2011 by Langdon Davis

All titles can be searched and accessed via Library Search

New Planning e-books

Design Quality in new housing learning from the Netherlands by Matthew Cousins

Social sustainability in urban area communities, connectivity and the urban fabric edited by Tony Manzi et al

Streets and patterns by Stephen Marshall

All these titles can be searched and accessed via Library Search

Key E-resources for Urban Design & Planning

The following E-Resources can all be accessed via Library Search, you can type the name of the resource into the ‘Books, Journals and more’ tab or alternatively to view a list of all the E-Resources relevant for Urban Design & Regeneration click on the ‘Articles and more’ tab where you will see a link to E-Resources A-Z from the subject box here you can select the relevant subject and click on go, which will then display an alphabetical list of resources for your subject in the box below.

Business Source Complete contains following core titles along with many more:
Urban Studies
Planning Practice & Research

Sage contains following core titles along with many more:
Urban Studies

Swetswise contains following core titles along with many more:
Urban Studies
Planning Theory & Practice
Journal of Urban Design
Planning Practice & Research
Environment & Planning

Informaworld contains following core titles along with many more:
Urban Studies
Planning Theory & Practice
Journal of Urban Design
Planning Practice & Research

ScienceDirect contains following core titles along with many more:
Progress in planning

Metapress contains following core titles along with many more:
Town Planning Review

Palgrave contains following core titles along with many more:
Urban Design International

DZYJWDCX2DSA

This is a test - please ignore.

Many thanks.

RefWorks surgery dates

RefWorks Surgery
RefWorks helps you to gather, store and manage your references, and use them to create bibliographies for your essays or projects – come along and find out more.
Daily 1- 2pm in the Library Training room (in the North Area)

When & Where?
Mon 21st March The Training Room – Marylebone Library
Tue 22nd March The Training Room – Marylebone Library
Wed 23rd March The Training Room – Marylebone Library
Thur 24th March The Training Room – Marylebone Library
Fri 25th March The Training Room – Marylebone Library

You can come along and ask us any questions you have regarding the use of RefWorks or if you would just like to find out more information about RefWorks itself.

New buildings in Old places: an online planning resource

New Buildings in Old places or NBIOP for short is a planning resource that focuses on the belief that tall buildings offer an increaing way to achieve environmental efficiency and has been produced and developed by the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment in Shoreditch an area which is no stranger to tall buildings!

One aspect of the resource is the facility to enter a postcode and find out how green it is, you can also use building typology explorer to explore the impact of different building types. Sustainability indicators include areas such as density, walkability, vehicles per household and then you have the ability to calculate the appropriate density and building typology for proposed projects in that area.

High resolution maps are available to download displaying twelve of the variables influencing energy efficiency in Greater London.

It's visual, easy to navigate and thought provoking.

CIAT on camera

The Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists have produced 5 films that include career information, domestic clients and 3 case studies of member projects covering residential, multi-use and conservation.

Downloading & converting maps

Following on from some library sessions yesterday regarding converting maps in Digimap to alternative formats such as DWG or DXF files and particularly for Mac users, the following information may provide some assistance:
Converting OS mastermap to CAD format for use in AutoCAD or other design applications
Interspose software

Also for Mac users the latest version of AutoCAD Map3D will read GML files directly which you can then convert to other formats. Get a free copy of AutoCAD by visiting this AutoCAD site, just register with a valid .ac.uk email and download what you want.

For data outside of the UK you may be able to go to each of the countries and check whether they have similar mapping organisations like OS in GB that are making their products freely available for everyone to reuse under the governments open data agenda , you could also try the following:
Accessing data outside UK (free spatial data and imagery can be accessed through registration)
GoGeo international (map & spatial data beyond UK)

Updates to Historic Digimap

I have recieved notification that on the evening of the 1st March there will be updates to historical maps in Digimap, the changes will only affect the Scottish county series maps and tis will mean that some maps will appear to move decade.

Any changes should result in an improvement to the accuracy of the dates of the maps affected, more informationabout the changes and implications can be accessed on the Digimap site

Digimap - maintenance

The MasterMap facility in Digimap will be unavailable due to maintenance work:

MasterMap Download will be unavailable from 4pm on Friday 4 February until 12 noon on Monday 7 February and will continue to be at risk for the remainder of Monday 7th.

While the maintenance work may be completed over the weekend, there is further software maintenance to be undertaken. Currently it is difficult to estimate the length of time this will take, which is why MasterMap Download should be regarded as "at risk" for the remainder of Monday 7th February.

New Architecture e-books

Smart materials and new technologies for architecture and design professionals by Michelle D. Addington

Tooling by Benjamin Aranda

Space time play computer games, architecture and urbanism - the next level by Steffen Friedrich Von Borries

All of these titles can be found by searching in Library Search

Thomas Phifer

AD Interviews: Thomas Phifer from ArchDaily on Vimeo.

I have also recently ordered the title 'Thomas Phifer and partners' by Stephen Fox and Sarah Amelar for the library, should be of interest when looking at work which is influenced and inspired by the environment and surroundings.

New planning e-books

Securing an urban renaissance crime, community and British urban policy by Dr Rowland Atkinson and Dr ges

Public management and administration an introduction by Owen E. Hughes

Essential public manager by Christopher Pollitt

New housing e-books

Meaning of housing a pathways approach by David Clapham

Introduction to social housing by Paul Reeves

New architecture e-books

Writing spaces discourses of architecture, urbanism and the built environment 1960-2000 by Greig C. Crysler

How to get your research published in journals by Abby Day

Lighting modern buildings by Derek Phillips

Emergence of the interior architecture, modernity, domesticity by Charles Rice

Towards a new architect the guide for architecture students by Yasmin Shariff

Expressive form a conceptual approach to computational design by Kostas Terzidis

Design of lighting by Peter Tregenza

Procuring innovative architecture by Leon Van Schaik

Adorno on popular culture by Robert W. Witkin

Emerging architecture

The RIBA emerging architecture lecture series 2011 kicks off next month with talks from winning and commended architects from the twelth Architectural Review awards:

Tuesday 8th February - 6.30pm
Architects Atelier Ryo Abe + Samdeep Padora & Associates

Tuesday 15th February - 6.30pm
Carmody Groarke + Arquitecturia

Tuesday 22nd February - 6.30pm
NHDRO + Suriya Umpansiriratana

www.architecture.com/emerging

Marylebone Library also subscribes to the Journal Architectural Review and it can be located on the ground floor of the Library shelved on the back wall opposite the counter area.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all the Architecture Built Environment staff and students, I hope you all have had a good break.

I have added recent titles that I have bought for the library to LibraryThing and these should appear in the application on this blog entitled 'New books in the library' click on a title that interests you for more information on it - these are all listed also in Libray Search.

If you need any assistance with library related issues feel free to get in touch mirese@wmin.ac.uk