Smith College Libraries Class Guides - FYS141: Reading, Writing & Placemaking, Landscape Studies

Evaluating Information

Critical Evaluation of Resources. University of California Berkeley Library.
Covers scholarly vs. popular publications, primary vs. secondary resources, authority, and other criteria for evaluating print and online sources.

Comments & Questions

Click here to provide feedback on this library session and follow up with any questions about topics covered in the class.

Oxford English Dictionary

OED Online
Traces the development of English from 1150 AD to the present. Entries include spelling, pronunciation, derivation, meaning, and usage. 2nd ed (1989)+ updates.

Subject Reference Tools

Oxford Art Online
The encyclopedia includes a comprehensive survey article (Landscape), articles on special aspects of the subject subject (Environmental Aesthetics, Nature), and addresses the topic in sections of general articles about the arts and culture of civilizations and countries. It has an excellent survey on garden design, Garden, and good articles on types of gardens (Botanic Garden), other types of cultural landscapes (Shopping Centre, Monuments), specific sites (Versailles, Blenheim, Washington, D.C.), and individual landscape designers (Frederick Law Olmsted, Andre Le Notre, Pierre-Charles L’Enfant). Each article is supplemented by a bibliography of major primary and secondary sources.

The Oxford Companion to the Garden.
Ed. Patrick Taylor. Oxford University Press, 2006. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.
Art Reference SB469.9.P56 2000
Birnbaum, Charles A., and Robin Karson. Pioneers of American Landscape Design. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000.
Neilson Reference GE35.E58 1999
Netzley, Patricia D., comp. Environmental Literature: An Encyclopedia of Works, Authors, and Themes. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 1999.
Art Reference SB450.95 .E52 2001
Shoemaker, Candice A., ed. Encyclopedia of Gardens: History and Design. 3 vols. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001.