Architectural and Design Firm Libraries: A Survey

摘要

The practice of architecture is an art, a science, and a business, making it a unique hybrid ia the corporate world. According to the American Institute of Architects (AIA), there were over 20,000 architectural and design firms in the United States asof 1993-94. Forty-five of those architectural and design firms have a staff person who is a member of the Association of Architectural Librarians (AAL). AAL is a professional library association founded in 1974 whose more than 85 members are found in schools of architecture, art museums and libraries, publishers in the discipline, public libraries, schools of interior design, architectural and design firms, plus a few individuals with a special interest in architectutal issues. There are local chapters; Chicago, Boston, and Hawaii have active groups. Besides local meetings, AAL members meet annually in conjunction with AIA where local chapters sponsor seminars, workshops, tours, and events.