Last revised: July 2009

Architecture Resources Gateway - UM Resources

Concepts: Architecture resources specific to the University of Maryland.

The University of Maryland has number of resources that are invaluable to the study of architecture and its many sub-fields. This guide can help you take advantages of these resources unique to the University. The resources are categorized by physical location.

This guide functions as an independent entity in a series designed for the new and returning architecture researcher. Consult the entire series at Architecture Resources Gateway.

School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation

• Digital Output Center (ACRC)
  The Digital Output Center has large-format scanners and plotters.


• The Elizabeth D. Alley Visual Resources Collection
  With over 330,000 slides, and an annual growth rate of approximately 10,000, this collection is one of the largest slide collections in the country devoted to architecture. The collection spans all aspects of architecture and urban planning and contains images pertaining to archaeology and art history.


• Kibel Gallery
  The Kibel Gallery features exhibitions on architecture, historic preservation and urban planning. The Gallery also holds symposia and lectures in conjunction with selection exhibitions.

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Library Resources

• Architecture Library
  The Library’s collection provides resources and services to meet the instructional and research needs of the School of Architecture's programs in Architecture, Urban Studies and Planning, Historic Preservation and Real Estate Development.


• ArchivesUM
  Archival collections at the University of Maryland Libraries contain manuscripts, photographs, video and sound recordings, and other ephemera. ArchivesUM allows you to browse by subjects including agriculture, historic preservation, and railroad history. This is also where you will find records of campus buildings and development.


• Engineering and Physical Sciences Library (EPSL)
  EPSL contains materials in physics, engineering, mathematics, and geology. The library also maintains other significant collections in computer science, environmental sciences, water resources, transportation and aerospace science.


• Maps & Geographic Information Systems
  The Map Collection is located in the west wing of McKeldin Library on the 4th floor. The collection consists of approximately 350,000 items, primarily from U.S. Government sources. Coverage includes all of the U.S. states, most of the U.S. territories and possessions, and some areas outside of the United States.


• National Trust for Historic Preservation Library Collection (NTL)
  NTL's collection is vast and contains more than 18,000 volumes covering preservation topics from the technical to the aesthetic: vertical files, U.S. postcards, dissertations and much more. The Collection is located in Hornbake Library on the ground floor in the Maryland Room.


• World's Fair Collection
  The World's Fair Collection, housed in the Architecture Library, contains books and ephemera relating to world's fairs and international expositions ranging from the 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, to the present.

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Other Resources

• Landscape Architecture Image Resource (LAIR)
  LAIR is a library of digital images that have been collected from a variety of sources. You can access the image database by a number of entry points including location, subject, designer and country.


• Maryland Cooperative Extension (MCE)
  MCE is a statewide, non-formal education system within the college of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.


• National Center for Smart Growth Research & Education
  The National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education is a non-partisan center for research and leadership training on smart growth and related land use issues in Maryland, in metropolitan regions around the nation, and in Asia and Europe.

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Strategic Research

Good research is complicated, especially in the digital and academic environments. No guide can begin to cover all the sources available, so Ask a Librarian when you need more information. Contact the subject area specialists for more information or to design a strategic and specific research plan: lotis@umd.edu, 301-405-9260 or pcossard@umd.edu, 301-405-6316.

Architecture Resources Gateway