Art + Architecture Library

Visual resource collection

About the collection

The Visual Resources Collection of the Art + Architecture Library consists of an online database of 18,000 images, 70,000 slides, and more than 400 architectural drawing sets. These materials are available to current Virginia Tech faculty, staff, and students for research and instructional purposes. For assistance with any of the visual collections, please contact the Visual Resources Curator, Steve Tatum.

Digital images

Digital images are available through Luna Insight, which is a program designed for viewing images online and for classroom presentation. We are building the collection with the help of art and architecture faculty to provide support for their courses, and welcome any additional faculty to our effort. Students may also use Luna for study and presentations.

Slides

The slide collection is in storage. Faculty may still borrow slides for classroom use.

Architectural drawings

The drawing collection consists of over 400 sets of plans concentrating on American architecture of the late 20th Century. The collection also includes maps and plans of the Virginia Tech campus, Blacksburg, and various other locations around the world. The collection is for educational use only and is restricted to current Virginia Tech faculty, staff, and students. (See circulation information below.)

To see which plans the library holds, search the Art and Architecture Drawings Database. For assistance with the collection contact Steve Tatum.

• The collection is not a self-service area. Please ask for assistance at the circulation desk to find plans and to sign for them.
• The plans cannot leave the library.
• The material in this collection is NOT available for loan or reproduction.
• Only faculty may take plans out of the library.
• Students may use the drawings in the library only. Undergraduate case-study groups are the only exception.

Please ask for assistance when using the collection.

Handling the plans

• If a drawing tears, please do NOT try to repair it yourself. Alert a staff member when a drawing has been damaged.
• Rolled drawings should be carefully removed from their wrappings and placed in the wrapping before being returned.
• Only use pencil to trace over library drawings.
• Never use rubber bands to secure drawings in a roll.

Additional sources for architectural plans

Some architecture archives will (for a fee) reproduce drawings and plans in their collections that they hold copyright for.