Databases
Conduct remote research using our collection of specialized databases, which provide resources ranging from full text articles to CAD drawings, maps, and more. These first 6 databases provide eBooks, full text articles, images, or BAC theses or final projects for your research. Scroll down for more databases and in-depth descriptions.
Art Full Text (High percentage of full text journal articles)
Archaeology, architecture, landscape architecture, fine arts, art history, and humanities
Bloomsbury Architecture Design & Practice Online (eBooks)
Over 200 eBooks on architecture, theory, urban design, materials, sustainability, historic preservation, drawing, and professional practice.
JSTOR (Full text journal articles)
JSTOR contains over 1,000 leading academic journals across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, as well as select monographs and other materials valuable for academic work.
Artstor/JSTOR (Images for scholarly use)
Access to images of architecture, floor plans, landscape architecture, sculpture, public art, and more. Please Note: Use Chrome for your web browser.
Repository for BAC Theses and Final Projects (Full Text)
Our DSpace database is a repository, hosted by the Boston Architectural College Library, which holds scholarly material (primarily theses and final projects produced by BAC students). The collection process of contemporary material began in 2020. The process of uploading and, in some instances, digitizing material is ongoing and will include older thesis documents in the future.
For a more comprehensive collection of all thesis and final projects, please search our catalog (located in the BAC Library). If you cannot log into this repository, contact us.
US Major Dailies (High percentage of full text newspaper articles)
Includes The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and the Wall Street Journal.
Ebooks, Journals, and Newspaper Indexes
Dates: 1965 - present.
Subjects: Broad range of subjects. Social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language and linguistics, arts and literature, medicine, and ethnic studies.
Sources: Over 8,450 journals - scholarly as well as popular. Updated daily.
Dates: 1984 - present.
Subjects: Archaeology, architecture, landscape architecture, fine arts, art history, and humanities.
Sources: more than 600 international art publications. Updated daily.
Dates: 1930s - present; selective coverage dating back to 1741.
Subjects: Architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, urban design and planning, historic preservation, and archaeology.
Sources: More than 2,800 U.S. and foreign journals. Updated weekly.
Dates: 1790 - 2015
Subjects: Select primary source documents related to critical people and events in African American history.
Sources: Supreme court records, presidential library records, Senate government records, FBI records, newspaper clippings and journals.
Click here to access.
Subjects: Architecture, architectural history, theory, design, urbanism, landscape, and interiors. Fully-searchable text and image content.
Sources: Sir Banister Fletcher's Global History of Architecture and The Handbook of Interior Architecture and Design. Publishers Taylor & Francis and Bloomsbury Publishing.
Dates: 2000 - present
Subjects: Architecture, theory, urban design, materials, sustainability, historic preservation, drawing, and professional practice.
Sources: Publishers Taylor & Francis and Bloomsbury Publishing.
Dates: prehistoric - present
Subjects: Comprehensive global coverage of the history, theory and practice of design studies, architecture, and visual arts and culture programs. Included are the Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Design, the World History of Design, bibliographic guides on Bauhaus and Scandinavia design, and designer biographies.
Sources: Bloomsbury Publishing, Bloomsbury Academic, Berg Publishing, Museum of Arts and Design (NY), the National Archives (UK), Philadelphia Museum of Art
Dates: 2005 - present
Subjects: History, theory and culture of the interior through to practical design guidance in a range of contexts including retail design, exhibition design, and domestic interiors.
Sources: Publishers Fairchild Books and Bloomsbury Publishing.
Dates: 1980 - present.
Subjects: Local and regional news. Updated daily.
Sources: a Massachusetts based newspaper.
Index of the 50 most frequently used individual search words.
Dates: 1985 - present.
Subjects: Computer aided architectural design and conference proceedings.
Sources: ACADIA, eCAADe, SIGRADI, CAADFutures, and additional CAD-related organizations. Updated weekly.
Dates: coverage varies per journal, 1911 - Present
Subjects: Agriculture, ecosystem ecology, energy, public policy, sustainability and other related subjects.
Sources: More than 1,200 full-text journals and monographs. Indexing for more than 2,200 domestic and international journals.
Dates: 1964 - present.
Subjects: Environmental science, agriculture, biology, and public and environmental affairs.
Sources: More than 750 journal titles.
Visualize your Gale database search using Topic Finder
Dates: 1980 - present.
Subjects: Covers physical sciences, environmental issues, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, and other subjects.
Sources: Newspaper and journal articles; over 6,000 titles More than 11 databases which are cross-searchable. Includes the New York Times. Updated daily.
Dates: 2006 - present.
Subjects: Environmental science, building and construction, and sustainability.
Arts & Sciences Collection I: 118 titles
Arts & Sciences Collection II: 128 titles
Arts & Sciences Collection III: 151 titles
Arts & Sciences Collection V: 120 titles
Arts & Sciences Collection XI: 221 titles
Biological Sciences: 129 titles
Dates: mid-1800s - present. JSTOR holds complete back issue runs of journals starting with first issues. However, the most recently published issues of a journal may not be available for several years due to licensing agreements with publishers.
Subjects: Covers architecture, archaeology, art history, classics, ecology and evolutionary biology, plant and animal sciences, economics, history, mathematics, music, Middle Eastern and Slavic studies, political science, philosophy, statistics, and sociology as well as other key fields in the humanities and social sciences.
Sources: JSTOR consists of 35 database collections [the BAC subscribes to 6 collections]. JSTOR contains over 1,000 leading academic journals across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, as well as select monographs and other materials valuable for academic work.
Dates: 1994 – Present.
Subjects: Contains an online library of reports and documents. Programs: Historic Landscapes, Technical Services, Architecture & Engineering, Archeology & Collections and Materials Conservation. Subject series: cemetery conservation, disaster preparedness and recovery, podcasts, preservation matters briefs, and graphic stories. Symposia: Mid-century modern structures, Preserving military heritage, Roadside architecture and attractions, Texas Cultural Landscapes Symposium (2020), and Frederick Law Olmsted.
Sources: Universities and colleges, National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, foundations, conservancies, and historical sites.
Dates: coverage varies per journal; 1809 - present.
Subjects: Covers biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine.
Sources: Over 2,500 journal titles. In addition, there are selected articles from a set of journals through an arrangment with publisher programs.
Dates: Dates: coverage varies per journal, 1919 - Present
Subjects: Covers corporate social responsibility, envrironmental stewardship, federal, state, and local regulations, renewable energy, LEED, waste reduction, and other related subjects.
Sources: More than 500 full-text journals.
Reference Databases
NOTE: Use the Chrome web browser for best results.
Dates: ancient - present.
Subjects: Arts, architecture, humanities, and social sciences.
Sources: Museums, books, journals, archives, photographers, and donations. Updated throughout the year.
Dates: coverage varies per database; Environmental Building News: 1992 - present.
Subjects: Sustainable design products and practices
Sources: Online access to the GreenSpec directory of green building products, case studies from the High Performance Buildings database, and online access to all of the archives of Environmental Building News. Real-time event coverage is available through a blog.
Dates: 2003 - 2010 [15th and 16th editions].
Subjects: Authoritative guidance for creating citations, scope has been expanded to include electronic publications and web-based content.
Sources: Fully searchable text of the printed 15th and 16th printed editions with added features including a quick citation guide.
Dates: ancient to present.
Subjects: General reference encyclopedia, dictionary, and yearbook.
Sources: Includes the complete print version of the Encyclopedia Britannica Intermediate as well as Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. It is updated weekly.
Dates: 1867-1970.
Subjects: Collection of high resolution, full-color fire insurance maps from the 50 states of the United States searchable by location. Includes street patterns, lot lines, property uses, and height. Atlases and topographic maps are also available.
Sources: Fire insurance maps from the Sanborn Map Company and other publishers such as Perris and Bromley, real estate atlases, and other historical maps.
Dates: 1844 - 1957
Subjects: Collection of high resolution, full-color fire insurance maps of United States counties and cities (46 states).
Sources: Fire insurance maps from the Sanborn Map Company.
Dates: ca. mid-2000's to present.
Subjects: Materials searchable by various properties or elements of composition.
Sources: Derived from the individual materials collections of Harvard University (Frances Loeb Library), Parsons School of Design (Donghia Healthier Materials Library), and the Rhode Island School of Design (Fleet Library).
Dates: vary by individual data source, 2000 - present. Data directory.
Subjects: Social sciences, economics, education, and political science.
Downloadable U.S. demographic, economic and social data by city, state, zip code, county, or census tract. Data exists for crime, home sale statistics, mortgage trends, health, education, and labor data.
Sources: Derived from public and proprietary sources that provide more than 10,000 indicators.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
If there are articles that you need for research or teaching that the Library does not own in print, we may be able to supply a copy of the article from another library. You can use the eJournal List to check the full text availability.
Interlibrary Loan services are available to all BAC students, faculty, and staff for research purposes. To place requests, please submit an Article ILL Request Form.
NOTE: If you are in a Distance or online education program, please use the Distance Article ILL Request Form.