QUT Library has a trial to an ebook collection from the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Access this trial via http://www.library.qut.edu.au/find/databases/trials.jsp
The RIBA collection currently includes 54 ebooks focusing on architecture, design and construction published since 2003.
Feedback on the collection is most helpful and welcome via http://www.library.qut.edu.au/find/databases/feedback.jsp
The trial expires in one month on 22 April.
QUT Library is evaluating a new search tool, which would allow you to search the library catalogue for books and articles at the same time, using one search screen (kind of like Google).
To try it out using the Dartmouth or Liverpool library catalogues, and to leave feedback about what you liked and didn’t like go to http://libguides.library.qut.edu.au/content.php?pid=69763
The Emporis Research database is on trial for the whole of 2009.
Access via http://www.library.qut.edu.au/db/5117
Emporis Research provides detailed information on building construction in more than 50,000 cities worldwide. It also includes other large structures such as bridges (eg. Gateway Duplication Project and Suncorp Stadium) and has photo archives of sites at various stages of development and contains technical and non-technical data about projects.
You can export your research results into an Excel sheet very easily.
One of the most useful features of Emporis Reseach is that it can analyze building trends across traditional boundaries. Because Emporis focuses on historical data as well as current construction, and because it covers all geographical areas and all building-related industries, you can compare data from diverse market segments and tailor your analysis to suit your needs.
You could, for example, use Emporis Research to compare the construction of educational buildings in New York City and Chicago over the past 100 years. You could also track the ups and downs of recent residential construction in Singapore or Helsinki. You could locate which architectural firms in India are doing the most business. These are the sorts of trends you can analyze very quickly using the Construction Activity Agent.
It is also possible to dig deeper using the Building Query Tool. With this you can extract detailed results on the most specialized topics. For example, you could find out which foundation types are common in different cities without commissioning independent geotechnical research.
In short, the kinds of trends you can analyze are as varied as the number of data fields Emporis collects. The Analysis tools give you a very quick picture of data trends in commonly queried fields, while the Query tools enable you to gather very specific data in any field that Emporis collects.
An information brochure is available @ http://corporate.emporis.com/files/pdf/brochures/emporisresearch.pdf
ArtStor is a large and expanding database of digital images from many periods in art history. Comprising nine specialised image collections plus one large general collection, its content represents a broad overview of world art, architecture, and visual culture, documenting artistic traditions across all times and cultures.
ArtStor includes images for architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, fashion and design as well as many other forms of visual and material culture and facilitates manipulation and re-packaging of those images into teaching and learning resources.
Access ARTstor until the end of 2008 via the database record at http://www.library.qut.edu.au/find/databases/fullrecord.jsp?id=5383
Any feedback on the resource is very useful and can be submitted via the feedback form at http://www.library.qut.edu.au/find/databases/feedback.jsp
ARTstor is available for your evaluation throughout 2008.
ArtStor is a large and expanding database of digital images from many periods in art history. Comprising nine specialised image collections plus one large general collection, its content represents a broad overview of world art, architecture, and visual culture, documenting artistic traditions across all times and cultures.
ArtStor includes images for architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, fashion and design as well as many other forms of visual and material culture and facilitates manipulation and re-packaging of those images into teaching and learning resources.
The initial collections are built from 4″x5″ colour transparencies, 35mm colour slides, black and white photographic prints, and direct digital photography of objects in museums and in the field. ArtStor uses professional vendors to digitize the analogue materials at a high resolution.
Access ARTstor at http://www.library.qut.edu.au/find/databases/fullrecord.jsp?id=5383
All feedback welcome at http://www.library.qut.edu.au/find/databases/feedback.jsp
