Research Guides: Civil Engineering: Find Books

Finding Books

Books are useful for background information and for getting an overview of your topic. While journal articles will have the latest research and developments, they are often focused on a very narrow aspect of a topic. So start your project by looking for books on your topic. Get an overview and learn about the terminology used to describe your topic. Once you have the "big picture" you can then use the engineering databases to find journal articles on your topic.

Bridginess by Brian R. Brenner
Call Number: TA 155.B738 2010
ISBN: 9780784410400
Essays deal with the subjects of urban sprawl, airport infrastructure planning, and, of course, bridges. After reading this collection, you will know bridges from more angles than a through truss.
Building the World by Frank Paul Davidson (Compiled by); Kathleen Lusk-Brooke
Call Number: T 56.I44 2006 (2 vol.)
ISBN: 9780313333743
Provides information on over 40 of the most important engineering projects in World History, showing how central these projects are to the history of civilization. This encyclopedia covers Roman Aqueducts; Washington, DC; Eiffel Tower; The Channel Tunnel; and more. It includes a detailed history of the planning and construction of each project.

VMI Online Library Catalog

Find books about civil engineering by using Preston Library's catalog. The search box is below:

Tips for searching are:

Keyword
Subject Heading
Limit by format, author, date, and more

You can also browse the civil engineering section on the 400 level [TA], but there are other aspects of civil engineering located on the 600 level [GB-KF]. Library of Congress call numbers with subject headings are as follows:

Call number range	LC Subject Heading
GB 1001 - GB 1005	Groundwater Hydrology
HD 9715 - HD 9718	Construction Management
HE 370 - HE 380	Traffic Engineering
HV 675	Prevention of Accidents
KF 390 .E54	Engineering Law
KF 902	Contracts. Construction Industry
KF 3812	Air Pollution - Laws and Legislation
KF 3948	Laws - Atomic Power Radiation
KF 3950	Laws - Atomic Waste Disposal
QC 795.3	Radioactive Substances. Special Aspects
QD 561	Ions and Ionization
QE 602 - QE 606	Structural Geology
RA 565 - RA 598	Sanitation and Sanitary Control
RA 1231 .R2	Radioactive Substances - Toxicology
S 591 - S593	Soils Classification - Analysis
T 57.6 - T 57.95	Operations Research - Systems Analysis
TA	Civil Engineering
TC 7 - TC 1645	Hydraulic Engineering
TE 7 - TE 450	Highway Engineering - Roads and Pavements
TF	Railroad Engineering and Operation
TH 425 - TH 435	Building - Contracts and Specifications
TH 1094 - TH 1095	Earth Movements and Buildings
TL 725 - TL 758	Transportation

CE Reference Books

A Dictionary of Construction, Surveying, and Civil Engineering by Christopher Gorse; David Johnston; Martin Pritchard
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780199534463
Publication Date: 2012-05-04
An A to Z of construction, surveying, and civil engineering terms covering all core aspects, this book provides a one-stop reference for construction students and professionals.
Environmental Engineering Dictionary by Frank R. Spellman
Call Number: Ref. TD 9.S64 2018
ISBN: 9781598889703
A comprehensive reference for hundreds of environmental engineering terms used throughout the field.
Materials Handbook by Francois Cardarelli
Call Number: Ref. TA 404.8.C37 (2 vol.)
ISBN: 9783319389233
Publication Date: 2018
New 3rd edition - provides quick and easy access to the physical and chemical properties of many classes of materials (ferrous metals and their alloys, nonferrous metals, semiconductors and superconductors, magnetic materials, and more).
Standard Handbook for Civil Engineers by Frederick S. Merritt; Jonathan T. Ricketts; M. Kent Loftin
Call Number: Ref. TA 151.S8 2004
ISBN: 0071364730
Publication Date: 2004
The 5th edition of the classic reference covering all important principles and techniques needed by practicing civil engineers.

eReference Resources

Access Science
Coverage: Latest edition
Encyclopedia entries from McGraw-Hill's Encyclopedia of Science & Technology. Also includes biographies of well-known scientific figures, downloadable images, videos and animations illustrating key topics.