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Searching the catalogue for books and ebooks
The catalogue is your primary tool for finding books:
- Search "any field" when starting your search.
- Select title when you know the book you want.
You can then limit your search to the Architecture Library’s collection by selecting Architecture.
How do I search the catalogue for ebooks?
You can search for ebooks in the catalogue by limiting the format to books/ebooks. Follow the links to get access.
Browsing the shelf
Books are organized by call numbers. Here is a quick video on how to read a call number. Architecture-related materials are generally classified under NA.
Relevant call number ranges include:
GN – Vernacular Architecture
HT – City Planning. Urban Design.
KF – Architecture and Law
LB – Buildings for Education
N – Visual Arts
NA 1-60 – General
NA 100-130 – Architecture and the state
NA 190-1555.5 – History
NA 1995 – Architecture as a profession
NA 2000-2320 – Study and teaching. Research
NA 2335-2360 – Competitions
NA 2400-2460 – Museums. Exhibitions
NA 2500-2599 – General works
NA 2599.5-2599.9 – Architectural criticism
NA 2695-2793 – Architectural drawing and design
NA 2835-4050 – Details and decoration
NA 4100-8480 – Special classes of buildings
NA 4100-4145 – Classed by material
NA 4150-4160 – Classed by form
NA 4170-8480 – Classed by use
NA 4170-7020 – Public buildings
NA 4590-5621 – Religious architecture
NA 7100-7884 – Domestic architecture. Houses. Dwellings
NA 7910-8125 – Clubhouses, guild houses, etc.
NA 8200-8260 – Farm architecture
NA 8300-8480 – Outbuildings, gates, fences, etc.
NA 9000-9428 – Aesthetics of cities. City planning and beautifying
RA – Hospital and Health Facilities Design
SB – Landscape Architecture
TH – Building and Construction
Z 679 – Library Design
Rare books
The rare book collection contains books that are special editions, rare, unique, valuable, or fragile. So that we can preserve them, they cannot leave the Library. Ask staff at the front desk to view them.
How do I find ebooks?
There are 2 ways of finding ebooks:
- Search the catalogue
- Search ebook databases
Which databases do I search for ebook collections specifically?
Online Reference Works
Online Reference Works (through Omni - Architecture Collection Discovery)
Includes:
- Canadian handbook of practice for architects
- Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) 18th edition
- Codes (e.g. provincial building, federal building and energy)
Requesting a book
To have a book placed on the hold shelf for you:
- Click on the title to see the full record
- Navigate to the Get it heading
- For books from the Architecture or J.N. Desmarais libraries, click Request and complete the form. For items with multiple volumes, each volume will have its own link.
- For books from other libraries, click Get it from another library and complete the form.
- If you want the complete book, you must select Format: Physical.
- If you want just a single chapter or excerpt of less than 10% of the book, you can select Format: Digital and specify the chapter title or page range.
You will receive an email when the book is ready for you to pick up.
Multi-volume items
