Architectus OER

                                                                               Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/psulibscollections/

Architectus provides a recognised Open Educational Resources (known as OERs) for teaching and learning purposes in Architecture and the Built Environment – including digital primary sourced drawings, concept designs, construction plans amongst other valuable digitised resources now available to the wider teaching and learning community under an open Creative Commons licensing model.

The resource is searchable in several ways – by Practice, project/building type, by date or asset category (incorporating the five stage RIBA plan of work).

You can read more about the resource from this blog http://architectus.bcu.ac.uk/blog

Try out the resource for yourself here http://architectus.bcu.ac.uk/practices

Semester 2 Drop-in sessions

               Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/garrellmillhouse/

 

Have you ever struggled to get access to an article from home, can't get to the full text?

Losing marks for incorrect referencing?

Trying to find images and film content but don't know where to start?

 

If you find yourself asking any of the above then why not come along to our drop-in sessions where we can help you access and use a wealth of resources to help you succeed and excel in your studies.

 

The sessions are all designed so that you can drop-in between 12pm and 3pm to get answers to your questions and see live demonstrations - you can stay for however little or long you need.  All sessions will take place in the Library Training Room in the North Area, 1st floor.

 

Access articles remotely

Tuesday 19^th Feb 12-3pm

Tuesday 26^th Feb 12-3pm

 

Referencing help with RefWorks

Wednesday 6^th March 12-3pm

Wednesday 13^th March 12-3pm

 

Access images and multimedia

Tuesday 19^th March 12-3pm

Tuesday 26^th March 12-3pm

How to research your assignment

Having trouble researching your assignment, take a look at this helpful multimedia guide produced by some library colleagues.

It breaks up doing your research into three stages, advising on keyword selection, where to look for the information and useful search techniques to try out.

You will find lots of books in the library and online which will help with doing your research too, try looking on Library Search for topics on research and library skills, critical thinking and study skills.

NBS TV Video

A new development ready for the academic year is that NBS (National Building Specifications), have made NBS TV free to air for the rest of the year!

It may be a good source for background research before delving into journals and books; it is an innovative way of research from reliable sources.

Click below for an example of the type of programmes available:

BIM and construction law - NBS TV video

Box of Broadcasts (BoB)

We have recently subscribe to the Box of Broadcasts resource or BoB for short, an off-air recording and media archive service. It has a TV scheduling service that allows users to record TV and radio programmes to be broadcast as well as retrieving programmes from a selected list of channels. Once programmes are recorded they can be streamed in flash and accessed online.


The archive currently offers over 45,000 TV and radio programmes covering all genres, with an archive of recorded programmes available indefinitely to users. Other features include the ability to create clips and playlists and then share with others.

You can access BoB via Library Search by typing the title into the Book, journals and more tab and then clicking on the link, you will be able to access off site in the UK using the institutional login.

Watch an overview below:

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

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

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.

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.

SABE Library Search drop-in sessions

There will be some specific dates for SABE students in using Libray Search on the following dates:

Monday 18th & Tuesday 19th Oct
Monday 25th & Tuesday 26th Oct
Monday 1st & Tuesday 2nd Nov
Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th Nov

They will stary at 3pm in the Library Training room (North Area) and will offer assistance in using Library Search.

No need to book, drop by to find out more or to ask specific queries.

Plymouth: 20th century city

Plymouth 2oth century city is a project site created to celebrate Plymouth's architecture and urban planing.

Plymouth city centre is a great example of post-War British planning and architecture after much of it's original infrastructure was severly bombed.

Patrick Abercrombie was hired as town planner and alongside James Paton Watson they replaced the old streets with a functional design. Plymouth was awarded city status in 1928 and has the most post-war buildings listed by English Heritage in the country, outside of London.

This site has an interactive map of the city plus other audiovisual trails, timelines and publication references.

RIBA Trust annual lecture

This year's RIBA annual lecture will take place on the 18th of May at its London base on 66 Portland Place, 6.30-9.00pm. The guest speaker this year is Kevin McCloud who will be discussing matters on sustainability and how architects and residents need to collaborate to enhance existing structures.

Tickets can be booked online via the RIBA, you will need to register first.

Why not also take a look at some of the other talks that are scheduled for the next few months or watch some of the video archives of past talks available here