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Visual Concepts for Interiors - INTR112 - Smith

Research Techniques

Finding background information about pavilions

Search the internet or use a database designed for background information to learn the basics.

Britannica Online This link opens in a new window
Encyclopedic resource with full-text, non-scholarly articles.
Articles are from Encyclopedia Britannica, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, and Britannica Book of the Year. Great for overview information, access to current statistics, a world atlas and current news plus links to primary sources such as world treaties, doctrines and official documents.
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
This is an online collection of over 950 titles with particular emphasis on subject encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and reference handbooks as well as short reference videos, art images, and additional images across all subject areas. As subject coverage is diverse, this is a good place to begin a topic search before formal research.
If you receive a "Connection refused by search.credoreference.com, please try again later" error message, please refresh your browswer to continue to Credo Reference.To avoid seeing this error, it is best to clear your browser's cache.

Research a specific building

Well-known buildings may have nicknames or may be referred to in more than one name. If you don't find what you're looking for the first time, try a different version of the name.
- Example: Brighton Pavilion, Royal Pavilion
Search by the building type, which can be defined by function, form, or program.
Style, time period, or technology (like construction method & materials) may also be relevant keywords.
There may be multiple dates associated with the pavilion, like design, start of construction, or construction completion.
Also consider the location, designer(s), client(s)/patrons.

Finding analysis and critique of your chosen pavilion

Advanced search techniques - Strategies to focus or broaden your search
- AND: Combines both/all of your search terms or phrases
- OR: Looks for one or the other search term or phrase
- "Quotation marks": Searches for a phrase in the exact order you type it
Critical discussions of architecture can be found in a variety of types of resources. Some of the databases below also have limiters to focus on case studies.
- Magazine and news articles will provide a commentary meant for the general public.
- Scholarly articles, written by experts in a field of study, will contain advanced analyses intended for others who are knowledgeable about a topic.
- Books can provide a broad look at a topic or person, or offer in-depth information on a particular aspect.

Art Full Text This link opens in a new window
From "Document Type" on the lower right of the landing page, choose Case Study to see examples of that type of source. This is an EBSCO database for art students and art historians featuring full-text articles, indexing and abstracts from many publications covering topics from fine, decorative and commercial art to photography, folk art, film and architecture.
In addition to providing full-text articles from periodicals, this database provides indexing and abstracts for peer-reviewed journals and art dissertations and indexing for hundreds of thousands of art reproductions. With full-text coverage dating back to 1977, this database also contains resources such as books by and about artists, artist materials and methods, artist interviews and profiles and a database-specific thesaurus.
Arts & Humanities Database This link opens in a new window
Under "Document type" in the lower center of the landing page, select Case Study to limit your search to that type of source. This is a ProQuest database covering subjects within the arts.
Subjects include contemporary art, design, crafts, photography, archaeology, anthropology and classical studies, architecture, interior design, urban planning, history, philosophy, geography, religion, modern languages and literature, music, theater, film studies, ethnic studies, women’s studies, sociology, and cultural studies.

This database is supportive of studio art and design courses and students can access images and other information about contemporary art practice as well as resources on art from history, sociology, philosophy and cultural studies journals. The database includes over 500 titles, with mostly full-text access from the 1970s to present from both scholarly peer-reviewed journals and selected trade and consumer titles relevant to applied arts and cultural studies.
ArtStor This link opens in a new window
An image database with images from some of the world’s leading museums, photo archives, scholars and artists including many rare and important collections. (Please be aware Artstor will be retired on August 1, 2024. All content will be moved to JSTOR.)
All images have comprehensive metadata and all content is rights-cleared for educational use. Images can be found for topics such as anthropology, archaeology, architecture, art history, fashion & costume, literature, religion, theater, and world history.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
A multidisciplinary, scholarly database containing digitized back issues of academic journals, books, primary sources, and current issues of journals.
It provides full-text searches of almost 2,000 journals on a variety of subjects including history, science, literature, music, philosophy, world culture and business.
Project Muse This link opens in a new window
This multidisciplinary database provides access to peer-reviewed, academic content on the subjects of digital humanities and social science.
It contains full-text access to scholarly journals and ebooks from non-profit, scholarly publishers including university presses and societies. It covers topics in literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, economics, and many others.
RVOneSearch This link opens in a new window
RVOneSearch provides access to most of the information contained in many of the library's databases plus the RVCC library catalog.
It is a great place to begin your research with select key words to obtain a list of articles available throughout multiple databases as well as books, ebooks and websites accessible through RVCC’s library. Many limiters are available to modify your search such as full-text only, peer reviewed (scholarly), specific date ranges, or a specific database or source type.