How to search SPIRO
Select a Period or Topic from the list above. If you want to search all periods of history, use the default term, "any"; when choosing another period, be sure to deselect "any" (or your own previous term). These Periods and Topics reflect the organizational scheme of the Architecture Slide Library. While most of them are recognizable historical periods, the topics may be unique to the Architecture Slide Library.
Enter other values you want to search for in the appropriate box or boxes. Results of the search will satisfy all criteria in the query.
SPIRO is case insensitive. The truncation or wildcard symbol is %. A wildcard search should contain at least 4 letters. For example, in the Personal or Group Name box, type "Le Corbu%". Wildcard searches may be considerably slower than a search without a wildcard.
When entering Personal or Group Names, put last name first, or use the last name with a wildcard. Because architects change firm names, you may want to search the principal architect's name, followed by a wildcard.
Subject terms in this database do not include locations, personal or corporate group names, or object titles (building names, painting titles, etc.).
Subject terms do include building types (libraries, museums, greenhouses); building parts or components (balustrades, stairs, roofs); and building materials (concrete, glass). Subject terms are taken from the Art and Architecture Thesaurus, a controlled hierarchical vocabulary of approximately 90,000 terms in art and architecture and related fields.
It is often advisable to use a wildcard in a subject search. You will not find anything if you search for "libraries", but because the Art and Architecture Thesaurus uses qualified terms, such as "libraries (buildings)" and "libraries (rooms)", you will get results if you type "libraries%".
Residential Building Names such as J. J. Glessner House may be found under a person's full name or surname: also try "Glessner House".
Locations are searched hierarchically: a search for France will find buildings in Paris, for example.
Send comments or questions to Maryly Snow, Librarian, Architecture Slide Library, at [email protected].
- For information on the Architecture Slide Library (hours, location, etc.)
- For information on the SPIRO database
- For other Berkeley museum and collection online resources
