Architecture

About Musagetes Architecture Library

The Musagetes Architecture Library is located on the second floor of the Waterloo Architecture building in Cambridge and supports the teaching and research of students and faculty at Waterloo Architecture.

This branch of the University of Waterloo Libraries houses books and journals on a wide variety of subjects relating to architecture and design, as well as history, art and literature. The collection also includes rare books, reference resources, Master's theses, films, research and article databases and geospatial data.

The Library takes its name from the Musagetes Foundation, which provided funding for the renovation and furnishing of the space. The name “Musagetes” (pronounced “Mews-a-get-ees”) was the Greek god Apollo’s title as protector and supporter of the Muses.

Research guides

Databases

The Library's databases are organized and searchable collections of information such as articles, newspapers, and datasets. Once you find an appropriate database, get tips on finding journal articles on a topic.

Log in to get access from anywhere.

Try starting with these databases:

  • Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals: Our first choice for searching citations to periodicals published worldwide on archaeology, city planning, interior design, historic preservation and architecture, then click "Get it! @ Waterloo" to search for the article in Omni, the Libraries' catalogue.
  • ARTstor: Collection of images of architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative art, design, and various forms of visual culture. Learn how to get started with ARTstor.
  • BuildingGreen: Information to help building-industry professionals and policy makers improve the environmental performance, and reduce adverse impacts of buildings.
  • Building Types Online (BTO): Provides architectural drawings, photographs, articles and case studies of modernist and contemporary built works.
  • Canada Green Building Council: While not a library database, this website lists Canadian green building case studies, industry job postings, LEED resources and other resources for sustainable architecture.
  • Pidgeon Digital: A collection of historical and recent talks given by some of the world's most important architectural professionals. Pidgeon Digital is offering temporary access to member institutions during COVID-19 closures.
  • Royal Institute of British Architects Library catalogue (RIBA Index): Find details about holdings (periodicals, books, and audio visual materials) of the Royal Institute of British Architects Library.

Rare books

About the collection

Located within Musagetes Library is a separate, environmentally-controlled Rare Book Room housing one of Canada's most outstanding collections of rare books on architecture and design. Titles in the collection date from the sixteenth to the twenty-first centuries, and include the Rosa Breithaupt Clark collection and the William Dendy Library.

Using the collection

All rare book materials can be discovered though Omni, the Libraries' catalogue.

Our Rare Book Room is currently open for limited, in-person appointments, with a capacity of one person. Same-day appointments may not be available. Contact us to book an appointment; please include a list of the materials you would like to view.

Special Collections & Archives, located within Dana Porter Library on the Waterloo campus, is pleased to offer limited in-person appointments for current Waterloo students, faculty, and post-doctoral fellows.

Donating to the collection

The Musagetes Rare Book Collection has grown with the help of donations from generous individuals and organizations. We continue to welcome such gifts, and hope you will consider contributing to the educational and historical value of this collection.

If you are interested in making a material or financial gift to the Musagetes Rare Book Collection, please contact Special Collections & Archives.

Diversifying our collections

In partnership with Waterloo Architecture's Racial Equity and Environmental Justice Task Force (REEJ), Musagetes Architecture Library is committed to continuously improving diversity and representation in our research collections.

In March 2021, we identified 50 print and ebooks on the subjects of Black history, Black architects, the lived experience of Black people, and the intersection of race and space, and acquired books not already in our collection.

We are currently focused on identifying at least 50 resources on the subjects of:

  • Indigenous studies and decolonization
  • Scholarship that extends beyond the Western “canon”
  • Contemporary issues of advocacy, activism, and sustainability

We welcome suggestions from our community of any relevant titles or topics we should consider for purchase as we work on growing our collection.

Suggest specific titles that support diversity, equity, inclusion, representation, accessibility, sustainability, environmental justice, and belonging in the fields or architecture, landscape architecture, design, and engineering.

To share your suggestion, follow these steps:

  • Visit the Libraries' Purchase Request form.
  • Select ‘Architecture’ as the ‘Subject focus’.
  • In ‘€˜Other Notes’ please write “REEJ” and share why you recommend this title.

Contact us if you have any questions or a list of titles exceeding two books.

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