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Architecture & Urban Design

This Library Research Guide is intended as a starting place for UCLA researchers, pointing to resources and strategies for finding information about architecture and urban design topics.

Welcome to the UCLA Arts Library

Welcome to the UCLA Arts Library

The Arts Library has more than 300,000 volumes in the fields of architecture, architectural history, art, art history, design, fashion and costume, film, television, photography, theater, urban design and allied disciplines. More than one-third of these holdings are stored in the Southern Regional Library Facility.

The Arts Library is located on the northeast side of campus on the first floor of the Luskin School of Public Affairs building. Structure 3 is the closest parking lot. To view current building hours, follow the link to All Library Hours

Image from the UCLA Library - Visit: Locations & Hours - Arts Library

Arts Library Browsing Guide

Start by browsing the Reference Shelves (including Oversize Reference). Once you locate relevant titles, browse the stacks and oversize stacks under the same call numbers.

Consider browsing the UCLA Library Catalog as well as the stacks! Many relevant books might be checked out, shelved on reserve or in the Cage, or housed in storage (SRLF). Use the "Request an Item" button in the Library catalog to recall an item that is checked out or shelved at SRLF.

The Arts Library Reading Room includes the following shelving areas:

  • Current Periodicals
  • Reference
  • Oversize Reference
  • Reference Desk
  • Selected Film and Television Scripts
  • Selected Plays & Monologues

The Arts Library Stacks include three floors of regular size books (tiers 3-5) and two floors of oversize books (tiers 1-2).  Oversize books are marked with an * in the Library Catalog.

Permanent Reserves and Course Reserves are kept behind the Circulation Desk.

Cage materials must be requested at the Circulation Desk and are to be used in a secure area behind the desk. 

Many older materials, including older editions of annuals and older periodical volumes, are kept in storage at the Southern Regional Library Facility (SRLF).  A valid UCLA Library account number or UCLA Logon ID is needed in order to submit a request for SRLF volumes through the Library Catalog.

Each section of the stacks (Stacks, Oversize, Reference, Pictorial Reference, Current Periodicals, etc.) can be browsed by call number, as can the library catalog.

HD101-1395.5 Land use, Land tenure
HD1286-1289 Communal ownership
HD1290-1291 Municipal ownership
HD1361-1395.5 Real estate business
HD7285-7391 Housing
HD9715-9717.5 Construction industry
HE305-311 Urban transportation
HT51-1595 Communities. Classes. Races
HT51-65 Human settlements. Communities
HT101-395 Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology
HT161-165 Garden cities. "The city beautiful"
HT165.5-169.9 City planning
HT170-178 Urban renewal. Urban redevelopment
HT330-334 Metropolitan areas
HT351-352 Suburban cities and towns
HT361-384 Urbanization. City and country
HT388 Regional economics. Space in economics
HT390-395 Regional planning
LB3201-3325 School architecture and equipment. School physical facilities. Campus planning
N400-3990 Art museums, galleries, etc.
NA1-9428 Architecture
NA1-60 General
NA100-130 Architecture and the state
NA190-1555.5 History
NA1995 Architecture as a profession
NA2000-2320 Study and teaching; Research
NA2335-2360 Competitions
NA2400-2460 Museums; Exhibitions
NA2500-2599 General works & theory
NA2599.5-2599.9 Architectural criticism
NA2695-2793 Architectural drawing and design
NA2835-4050 Details and decoration
NA4100-8480 Special classes of buildings
NA4100-4145 Classed by material
NA4150-4160 Classed by form
NA4170-8480 Classed by use
NA4170-(7020) Public buildings
NA4590-5621 Religious architecture
NA7100-7884 Domestic architecture. Houses. Dwellings
NA7910-8125 Clubhouses, guild houses, etc.
NA8200-8260 Farm architecture
NA8300-8480 Outbuildings, gates, fences, etc.
NA9000-9428 Aesthetics of cities. City planning and beautifying
NK1700-2195 Interior decoration. House decoration
NK1700-2138 General. History, etc.
NK2140-2180 Decorative painting
NK2190-2192 Church decoration
NK2200-2750 Furniture
NK2775-2898 Rugs and carpets
NK2975-3049 Tapestries
NK3175-3296.3 Upholstery. Drapery
NK3375-3496.3 Wallpapers
NX798-820 Arts centers and facilities
RA960-1000.5 Medical centers. Hospitals. Dispensaries. Clinics, Including ambulance service, nursing homes, hospices
SB414.6-417 Greenhouses and greenhouse culture
SB418-418.4 Container gardening
SB450.9-467.8 Gardens and gardening
SB469-(476.4) Landscape gardening. Landscape architecture
SB481-486 Parks and public reservations, Including theory, management, history
TA170-171 Environmental engineering
TA365-367 Acoustics in engineering. Acoustical engineering
TA401-492 Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials
TA495 Disasters and engineering
TA501-625 Surveying
TA630-695 Structural engineering (General)
TA1001-1280 Transportation engineering
TD159-168 Municipal engineering
TE1-450 Highway engineering. Roads and pavements
TH1-9745 Building construction
TH845-895 Architectural engineering. Structural engineering of buildings
TH900-915 Construction equipment in building
TH1000-1725 Systems of building construction, Including fireproof construction, concrete construction
TH2025-3000 Details in building design and construction, Including walls, roofs
TH3301-3411 Maintenance and repair
TH4021-4977 Buildings: Construction with reference to use, Including public buildings, dwellings
TH5011-5701 Construction by phase of the work (Building trades)
TH6014-6081 Environmental engineering of, buildings. Sanitary engineering of buildings
TH6101-6887 Plumbing and pipefitting
TH7005-7699 Heating and ventilation. Air conditioning
TH7700-7975 Illumination. Lighting
TH8001-8581 Decoration and decorative furnishings
TH9025-9745 Protection of buildings, Including protection from dampness, fire, burglary

Search for Architecture related periodicals in the UCLA Library Catalog by using these suggested subject headings:

Architecture - periodicals
Architecture - country/state - periodicals
Architecture - details - periodicals
Architecture, domestic - periodicals
Architecture - history - periodicals
Building - periodicals
City planning - periodicals
Interior decoration - periodicals
Landscape architecture - periodicals

Follow these links to browse and find online journals:

Selected Architectural Subjects and Call Numbers:

"Architects- Biography"  NA 290
"Architecture- Ancient"  NA210 - 340
"Architecture- Classical"  NA 260 - 340
"Architecture- Competitions"  NA 2320 - 2460
"Architecture- Competitions- United States"  NA 2340
"Architecture- Criticism" NA 2599.5 - 2599.9
"Architecture- Dictionaries"  NA 31
"Architecture. Domestic"  NA 7100
"Architecture- Exhibitions"  NA 2420 - 2460
"Architecture- France"  NA 1046
"Architecture- Germany"  NA 1066 - 1068
"Architecture- History"  NA 200 - 1613
"Architecture- Italy"  NA 1117 - 1123
"Architecture- Japan"  NA 1550
"Architecture, Modern- 20th Century"  NA 680
"Architecture- Periodicals" NA 1 - 9
"Architecture- Philiosphy" NA 2500 - 2525
"Architecture- United States" 19th Century: 710.5   (Alpha., example: NA 710.5.G73 Greek Revival)
"Architecture- United States" Modern 712.5 (Alpa., example 712.5.C48 Chicago Seven)
"Architecture- United States" NA 737
"Architecture- United States" NA 701 (Alpha. by U.S. by City and State)
"Building Materials, by Strength"  TA 402 - 410
"Commercial Buildings"  NA 6210
"Conservation"  TH 3351 - 3411, NA 1 - 204
"Construction Management"  TH 438
"Construction with Specific Materials"  TH 1200 - 1699
"Decoration"  NA 3310 - 4050
"Furniture by Architects"  TT 196
"Interior Decoration"  TS
"Islamic Architecture"  NA 380 - 388
"Public Buildings"  NA 4195
"Schools of Architecture" NA 2300 (Alpha. by name)

Selected Urban Design Subjects and Call Numbers:

"Building Laws - California"  KFC's
"City Planning" NA 9000's
"Civil Engineering" TA's
"Environmental Engineering" TH 6021
"Housing" HD 7285-7391
"Regional Planning" NA 9000's
"Roads" TE's
"Urban Landscape Architecture" SB 472.7
"Urban Geography- country/state" HT's