This research guide is a starting point for finding materials related to Interior Design. Feel free to contact the Librarian for help or to suggest materials for purchase.
If you need additional help, come to the Library Reference Desk or Ask A Librarian.
ID Students! Make sure to sign up for LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com)
Building Green is new and it is awesome! Make an account with your COD email address!
WGSN is here! Have your Library Card ready and sign up with your COD email!
Also, don't forget that the NKBA Professional Resource Library is available online. Need help? Contact Denise at: cotede@cod.edu
Use the Library catalog to search the COD Library's collection of books, videos, e-books, and streaming media. Use your COD Library card to check these items out or access them online.
The best way to start searching the Library catalog is to do a keyword search for words that describe your topic. Try to choose specific keywords. You may need to experiment with keywords to find ones that work for your topic. Once you find some items, you can use subject headings to find other items that cover the same topic.
Call Number Ranges
Use these call number ranges to browse the General Collection and the Reference Collection.
| NK1700 - NK3496 | Interior Decoration |
| NK1710 - NK2110 | Interior Decoration History |
| NK2002 - NK2011 | Interior Decoration United States |
| NK2115.5 / TT390 | Draperies |
| TH880 / TH4860 | Sustainable Interior Design |
| NK2113.5 | Portfolios |
Reference Books
There are several encyclopedias, handbooks and dictionaries in the Library to use for a quick lookup. Reference materials are not typically something you sit down and read cover to cover. Here is a selection:
Green interior design and construction
Encyclopedia of interior design
Interior design reference manual
Homes reference guide / U.S. Green Building Council
Reserve Items
Your instructor will sometimes put materials on reserve at the Circulation Desk for your courses. These lists will sometimes also include e-books and articles.
This is the current reserves list:
Spring 2019
E-Books and Streaming Videos
These online books and videos can be accessed from the COD network or anywhere on the internet if you have a Library card.
- Ebook Central
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Ebook Central has a great collection of ebooks on ID topics and includes the NKBA Professional Resource Library. Make an Ebook Central account (free) to use the reading tools like highlighting and notes or download the books to your preferred reading device. Ebrary also allows for the downloading/printing of book chapters.
- Safari Books Online
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The Safari TechBooks database contains the full text of books specifically for the ID professional. It includes top publishers like O'Reilly, Sam's, CISCO Press and many more. Pages from this collection are printable. Books cannot be downloaded in their entirety.
- Knovel Library
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This database is a cross-searchable collection of electronic books covering many subjects relevant to ID, including LEED certification and sustainable design.
Using I-Share
The library is a part of a consortium of academic libraries known as I-Share. As COD students, you can request items from other libraries online by creating an I-Share account. For more information, visit our I-Share Information Web Page.
Use database to locate journal, magazine, newspaper or specialized articles. You can use your COD Library card to download articles from off-campus.
Databases are organized collections of information that you can search on a variety of fields, like title and author's name. iTunes is a database and so is Amazon. Even your contacts list in your phone is a type of mini database. The Library has databases of articles from newspapers, magazines and journals. We also have databases of streaming videos, music and e-books. The difference between our databases and iTunes or Amazon is that our stuff is free for you to use. You can browse the library's databases here: http://codlrc.org/databases
Use the right database for your research purpose. If you are looking for business articles, use a business database. If you want articles about art and design, look in an art database first. If you aren't sure what you are looking for, get started by using a general database.
Try using the subject Interior Decoration in the databases to get more results. Use Interior Decorators to get articles about Designers.
Best Bets
- Academic Search Complete
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Academic Search Complete contains indexing and full text for 9100 journals. 7100 of these journals are peer-reviewed scholarly titles. This collection provides both popular and scholarly journal coverage for nearly all academic areas of study - including social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, physics, chemistry, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences and ethnic studies. Academic Search Complete is a great resource for general research.
- Art & Architecture Complete
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This database provides full-text coverage of more than 350 periodicals and 220 books. In addition, Art & Architecture Complete offers cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts for more than 800 academic journals, magazines and trade publications. Subjects include Antiques, Architecture and Architectural History, Archaeology, Costume Design, Decorative Arts, Graphic Arts, Interior and landscape design, Painting, Printmaking and Sculpture. The database also provides selective coverage for more than 70 additional publications and an Image Collection of over 64,000 images provided by Picture Desk and others.
- Associates Programs Source Plus
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Associates Programs Source Plus is designed specifically for junior & community colleges with a primary focus on disciplines of study within associate degrees and certification programs. This database contains many trade publications of interest to ID professionals.
- Building Green
- Building Green is an online trade magazine for interior design, architecture, construction, and related industries. Make a user account with you COD email address (dupage.edu for students)
- Business Source Complete
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Business Source Complete provides access to content and indexing for 1,300 journals. It covers all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics. Additional full-text, non-journal content includes financial data, books, monographs, major reference works, conference proceedings, case studies, investment research reports, industry reports, market research reports, country reports, company profiles, SWOT analyses. BSC also contains the Regional Business News which provides comprehensive full text for regional US and Canadian business publications (including titles from Crain Communications). Regional Business News has full text for more than 80 sources.
How To: Simultaneous Searching EBSCO Databases
- Science Direct
- Science Direct contains articles from scientific journals on energy efficiency, lighting for interior plants, scientific principles of lighting, and other topics germane to interior design.
- WGSN
- WGSN is a market intelligence tool. It examines current and future trends in interiors & lifestyles, along with a variety of other design industries. This rich resource includes trend forecasting reports, trade show reports, examinations of consumer behaviors, merchandising advice, and much more. WSGN's reports can be downloaded to your computer or saved to your WGSN account. Reports include data sources and cited images that can be downloaded individually, as well as templates and other tools for use in Photoshop & Illustrator.
Other Choices
See the Interior Design Databases page for other useful databases.
Listed below are high-quality websites useful for a variety of ID research, but there are endless others you can find on your own. Remember there are many specialized search tools you can use and to carefully evaluate any information you find on the web.
General ID Websites
- ASID Product Finder
- Database of products and manufacturers endorsed by ASID.
- Interior Design Magazine
- The web version of Interior Design magazine. Includes excerpts from the current issue, blogs, green resources, general design resources and information about ID professionals.
- Metropolis Magazine
- The web version of Metropolis magazine. Want articles from the Metropolis Archive? Use the website from a computer on C.O.D. campus and get the archive free!
Sustainable Interior Design
- U.S. Green Building Council
- USGBC is a non-profit agency that promotes sustainable design. Find out about LEED standards and certifications here.
- USGBC/LEED Resources
- A collection of LEED research, case studies and Green project profiles.
Association Web Sites
- Careers in Interior Design
- This career information site is sponsored by several ID organizations including ASID and NCIDQ.
- Association American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)
- ASID represents the interests of more than 20,000 interior design professionals, students, industry and retail partners.
- Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC)
- IDEC is dedicated to the advancement of education and research in interior design. It publishes the Journal of Interior Design.
- The International Interior Design Association (IIDA)
- IIDA is a professional networking and educational association of more than 10,000 members.
- National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA)
- NKBA provides information to members and consumers about the design, planning, and installation of kitchens and baths.
- National Council for Interior Design Qualifications (NCIDQ)
- The NCIDQ sets competency standards for interior designers and administers qualification & certification exams and provides study guides for students.