The case for print: architecture trade journals as pedagogical tools for disciplinary knowledge
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-01-2022-0012 |
| Published date | 16 August 2022 |
| Date | 16 August 2022 |
| Pages | 529-545 |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Records management & preservation,Document management,Classification & cataloguing,Information behaviour & retrieval,Collection building & management,Scholarly communications/publishing,Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
| Author | Sara Schumacher,Hillary B. Veeder |
The case for print: architecture
trade journals as pedagogical tools
for disciplinary knowledge
Sara Schumacher and Hillary B. Veeder
University Libraries, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA
Abstract
Purpose –This article unpacks the construction of authority in architectural trade journals as multimodal
disciplinary communication and how librarians can use these journals to engage student’s critical thinking in
information and visual literacy instruction.
Design/methodology/approach –An analysis of project articles was done in two consecutive issues of ten
architecture print trade journals including tracking details about the building types, geographic locations,
firms represented, visual coverage, and visual categorizes and conventions.
Findings –The projects represented in the analyzed trade journals were predominately public buildings built
by established firms in Europe, North America and Asia. The journals employed various methods for crediting
and captioning visuals, showing marked differences in conferring authority on architectural photographers
and descriptive versus analytical analysis of visual communications. Overall, visuals in architecture trade
journals dominate the article space, with photographs being the most prominent type; however, individual
journals differ in disciplinary conventions such as presence of people, use of color and indications of scale and
compass direction.
Research limitations/implications–These findings strength en the case for library print subscriptions
totradejournalsasusefulwhenfacilitating student exploration of disciplinary communication to
identify markers of authority, examine bias and apply disciplinary conventions in their ownscholarly
output.
Originality/value –By interrogating the value of print journals in architecture, findings of this study may
influence further research into the significance of print journals in other disciplines and a larger professional
discussion about the implications of library trends to providing digital-only journal access.
Keywords Trade journals, Information literacy, Visual literacy, Scholarly communication, Authority
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Academic librarians perform a delicate balancing act as they plan collection development
around serial publications, taking into consideration instructional needs, costs, access
and commitments to diversifying collections. These concerns can present unique
challenges in specific communities, where student and faculty research processes and
disciplinary publishing practices may not align with overall trends in academic libraries’
collection practices. Print resources maintain a prominent position within architectural
pedagogy and discourse, with faculty and students routinely requesting physical formats
for resources, particularly materials where visuals dominate like in architectural journals.
From in-library use statistics and interactions with faculty and students, the librarians
recognize that print journals remain vital research resources, particularly for completing
precedent studies, a research practice where architectural projects are used as models for
design inspiration. Librarians have also noticed faculty sending students to the library to
consult resources like journals that display diverse forms of professional and scholarly
publication practices, as course deliverables have expanded to include physical
multimodal formats such as student-run journals, graphic novels, infographics, data
visualizations and games.
Looking at the guidelines that inform the Architecture Library’s instruction
including the 2015 Association of College and Research Libraries’Framework for
The case
for print
529
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0022-0418.htm
Received 14 January 2022
Revised 14 July 2022
Accepted 15 July 2022
Journal of Documentation
Vol. 79 No. 3, 2023
pp. 529-545
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0022-0418
DOI 10.1108/JD-01-2022-0012
Information Literacy for Higher Education (ACRL Information Literacy)and2022
Framework for Visual Literacy in Higher Education (ACRL Visual Literacy)andthe2018
Art Libraries Society of North America’sArt, Architecture, and Design Information
Competencies (ARLIS/NA Architecture Competencies), multiple standards engage with
the need for both print and digital resources. In particular, the ACRL Visual Literacy
advocates for being “inspired through browsing and experiencing serendipitous
encounterswithbothdigitalandanalogvisuals”(ACRL, 2022, pp. 5–6) and later
addresses that “digital tools for creating and viewing visuals may cause or exacerbate
technological, economic, or accessibility barriers”(ACRL, 2022, p. 9). The authors note
that while multidisciplinary and subject-specific aggregate databases, individual
publisher platforms and websites, and web-based subscriptions exist for certain
architectural print periodicals, the interfaces could negatively impact user experience
and knowledge acquisition. Thereby it is necessary to understand how the print
periodical communicates within the architectural discipline as distinct from digital
counterparts. As budgetary and instructional challenges may shift priorities in the
future, what value do print architecture journals hold as examples of the discipline’s
scholarly communication and how can librarians better exploit and justify these
resources?
This study focuses on trade journals due to their unique position within the
educational and professional sphere and their prominence and design/layout in the print
format. Orcutt et al. (2021, p. 275) point to trade journals as essential resources used in the
classroom and the studio to support analysis of built works, and significant in the tenure
and promotion for architectural faculty as evidence of design research. In selecting trade
publications for this study, the authors used the Association of Architecture School
Librarians (AASL) (2017) Core Periodicals List, a benchmarking guide for managing
architectural periodical collections. Orcutt et al. (2021, p. 275), in documenting the
creation of the current Core Periodicals List, define these resources as “top-tier trade
publications feature[ing] contemporary building projects and document new materials,
technologies, design trends, and innovations.”
In this article, the authors seek to develop a critical eye on how architecture print
journals utilize disciplinary conventions and themes to construct and communicate
authority and representation in the profession. The sample for analysis comprised
project articles and studies including text and visuals that documented an architectural
built work, from ten influential architecture print journal titles. The analysis charts
project details and deconstructs, measures and categorizes visual communication
strategies to identity common and emerging approaches. Unpacking these disciplinary
practices holds considerable value for librarians as they create information and visual
literacy instructional programs and set collection development policies and goals. While
the results and implications are tied to the architecture discipline, the authors believe the
methodology could prove useful to librarians in other disciplines as they reflect on the
evolution of scholarly communication in their discipline.
Literature review
Due to the focus on architectural disciplinary knowledge, as well as library collections and
instruction, the review of literature looked at research from both architectural history and
pedagogy and librarianship. The areas covered include the history of the architectural trade
journal and current representation of the profession, visual communication as seen in architectural
publications, and information-seeking behaviors and library instruction metho ds with the
architecture discipline.
JD
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