Graphic Design

The easiest way to find library resources is to search the library catalog, Discovery Search. Here you can find books, ebooks, journal articles, periodicals, student theses and dissertations, DVDs, and more. To search Virginia Tech's Special Collections and University Archives, including the International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA), search their digital content and finding aids. To search for books outside of Virginia Tech's collection, use WorldCat and request titles through interlibrary loan.

Books in the library are organized by subject using the Library of Congress classification system. You can think of a call number like a book's address. It tells us where to find a book. Books in the catalog list their location in the following order: library, section, (call number). The Art & Architecture Library has a variety of sections you might come across, such as Art + Arch Folio, Art + Arch Theses, or Art + Arch Periodicals.

This system is not intuitive. If you are struggling to find something, please ask. Students, staff, or librarians at the front desk will gladly help you find resources.

Example: Open World: Video Games & Contemporary Art appears in the catalog as Art & Architecture Library  Art + Arch Library (N8217.G34 O63 2019). 

Feeling confident with a basic catalog search using keywords or subject terms? Looking for more specific resources within a subject? Try using the "Advanced Search" option in Discovery Search. An advanced search allows you to combine many terms to return more specific results. Interested in installation art and sustainability? See what resources you find when you combine terms rather than search them individually.