Research Guides: LSS : Landscape Studies: Background Information

Getting Started

Landscape Studies Sources
Interdisciplinary Sources

Reference sources are great for background information and better familiarizing yourself with the topic. Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and indexes are good examples of this.

National Register of Historic Places Focus Database
A searchable database of historic places in the United States on the National Register.
National Register of Historic Places Evaluation & Criteria
Documentation that details how to evaluate and nominate sites on the National Register of Historic Places.
Landscape History (Society for Landscape Studies)
Promotes the study of the landscape in all its aspects. It provides a forum for all those concerned with the material and cultural evaluation of human use of the land.
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The ultimate intention is to secure a more penetrating comprehension of landscape evolution and an overall narrative account of landscape prehistory and history, together with an understanding of how this has influenced, and may usefully guide, the management of the present-day landscape.
Art Reference SB469.9.P56 2000
Pioneers of American Landscape Design.
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by Charles A. Birnbaum and Robin Karson. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000.
Biographical profiles of 160 American landscape architects covering the 18th through the second half of the 20th century. Each entry includes bibliographic citations, archive information, lists of public sites. Illustrated.

Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals [EBSCO] 1930s+ This link opens in a new window
International coverage of architecture, architectural sculpture, city planning, and landscape architecture in 1,000 periodicals. Selective coverage back to the 1860s.
Oxford Art Online This link opens in a new window This collection of art encyclopedias and dictionaries includes a comprehensive survey article, Landscape, articles on special aspects of the, 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, types of gardens, other types of cultural landscapes, specific sites and monuments, places, and individual landscape designers. Each article is supplemented by a bibliography of major primary and secondary sources.

Researching Buildings (UCLA Guide)
Websites, resources, and tips on researching buildings from UCLA Library.

Oxford Bibliographies Online This link opens in a new window A scholar-curated library of subject bibliographies in the humanities & social sciences; each entry offers a guided tour through key literature on a topic.
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window Reference dictionaries and companions, including illustrations, web links, and searching individual titles or by subject area; from Oxford University Press.
Routledge Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window DRM-free handbooks offering peer-reviewed research articles in the humanities, social sciences, education, psychology, engineering & built environment. Chapters can be browsed, searched, viewed & downloaded.
Sage Knowledge This link opens in a new window Includes handbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and substantive texts from Sage.

Finding Data

Census Data: Explore
View high-level statistics about an area regarding people and population, race and ethnicity, families and living arrangements, health, education, business and economy, employment, housing, and income and poverty.
Census Data: Topics
Select a topic to locate data by theme.
Census Data Quickfacts
QuickFacts provides statistics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with a population of 5,000 or more.
Data USA
Comprehensive visualizations of U.S. public data.
EPA's Environmental Justice Mapping Tool
A mapping and screening tool based on nationally consistent data and an approach that combines environmental and demographic indicators in maps and reports.
Social Explorer
An online research tool designed to provide quick and easy access to current and historical U.S. census data and demographic information.
Stats & Data Guide
A guide to online statistical and data resources available through the Smith College Libraries.