Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Registration and Membership
Images
General

Q: I have forgotten my password. Can you tell me what it is?

A: The ArchNet administrators do not have access to your password, but you can ask the server to send a link allowing you to reset it. For more information on getting your password sent to you...

Q: My email address has changed. Can you change it for me?

A: No, but you may change your email address yourself (or update any of your personal information) at any time. For more information on updating your information...

Q: How much does it cost to become an ArchNet member?

A: It costs nothing to become a member or to use ArchNet. Membership is free and open to all scholars, educators, students, and professionals concerned with the built environment.

Q: I am trying to contact an ArchNet member with whom I've lost touch. Can you provide me with his/her contact information?

A: No. We will not provide any information about ArchNet members to third parties. ArchNet members choose to make what information is available to the public and fellow-ArchNet members, and this can be found in the ArchNet Member Directory.

Q: We are a company that sells architectural products that may be of use to your members. Will you provide us with a list of ArchNet members and their email addresses?

A: No. ArchNet will not sell or provide any information about any member to a third party.

Q: How can I contribute to ArchNet?

A: There are many ways you can contribute to ArchNet and we strongly encourage you to do so!

• You can create an image collection and make it available to ArchNet members and the public. For more information on creating a personal image collection...
• Members can collaborate together in Group Workspaces.
• Know of a special event, conference, competition, symposium, or lecture series that would be of interest to the ArchNet community? Please contribute it to the Digital Calendar.
• You can participate in the Discussion Forum.
• You can add your CV, biography, and portrait to your member profile so that others will know about you and your work.
• Is there a job opening at your firm or university? It can be added to the Careers section.
• If you teach a subject that would be of use to other educators, please consider putting it in the Course Syllabi section.

Q: How do you decide between a News Item and a Calendar Event?

A: News items are major events, exhibitions, activities, or news that would be of general interest to the broader ArchNet community. Please take a look at current and past news items to get a sense of what material is appropriate. Examples are major exhibitions, publication of books, the launch of a new journal, new additions to the ArchNet and Institutional libraries, awards, and so on.

Calendar events are always time- and usually geographically-based -- that is, they are events that occur on a certain day in a specific place. Examples are conferences, symposiums, lectures, exhibitions, workshops, and call for papers. Please see the Digital Calendar for examples of calendar events.

Still not sure, which is appropriate? Please contact the ArchNet office for guidance <archnet@mit.edu>.

Q: How can I get my Institution to become an ArchNet partner?

A: Institutional membership is open to educational or research institutions, academic departments, firms, centers, and other professional groups. It offers complete freedom to institutions to showcase the work of students, faculty research, publications, special projects, and allows the sharing of resources, expertise, and experiences.

The person who applies for Institutional membership must be an employee (faculty, administrator, etc.) of the institution and will be the primary administrator of the Institutional space, and legally responsible for the material in the space. Secondary administrators can be designated by primary administrator. Before an Institutional space can be approved, ArchNet must receive a copy of the legal agreement signed by the dean, administrator, or head of the department. The institution must also commit to putting material on the site fairly quickly. Please see the Help section on Institutional membership for more information. If you have questions, please contact the ArchNet office <archnet@mit.edu>.

Q: Can I use the images in the Digital Library for a paper I'm writing?

A: Yes! All the images in the digital library can be used for academic, educational, or personal use. Please be sure to cite the source, photographer/author, and copyright holder. For more information on copying images...

Q: Because the material on ArchNet is on the web, does it mean that I'm free to use it as I please?

A: Well, yes and no. There is no charge for using any of the material on ArchNet. However, you are limited in how it may be used. The material may be used for academic, educational, or personal use only (and you must cite the source).

You absolutely may NOT redistribute, reuse, or sell any image, text, publication, file, or information from ArchNet.

Q: I am a publisher and there is an image on ArchNet that we would like to use. How can I get copyright permission and a higher resolution image?

A: When ArchNet acquires images for the Digital Library, we request permission to display the images at a low resolution, but not the copyright. The owner of the image retains all copyrights, and all images in the Digital Library will display the name of the copyright holder. You will have to negotiate directly with the copyright holder for a higher resolution image and rights to publish the image. The ArchNet office does not get involved with this, but we'd be happy to provide contact information if we have it. Please contact us at archnet@mit.edu. For more information on copying images...

General

Q: What is ArchNet?

A: ArchNet is a growing global community of scholars, students, and professionals concerned with architecture, planning, and landscape design. ArchNet provides these individuals with comprehensive architectural resources new perspectives on the built environment, and, insights into Islamic design and culture.

Q: Is ArchNet only about Islamic Architecture?

A: ArchNet has a special emphasis on the design and culture of Islamic societies, but not an exclusive one. We also use "Islamic" in the broader geographic rather than religious sense -- in other words, ArchNet focuses on the built environment and architecture of countries where there is a Muslim population, not narrowly on the religious architecture of Islam.

The main purpose of ArchNet is to support a global community of scholars, students and professionals concerned with all aspects of the built environment, architecture, planning, and landscape design.

Q: Who runs ArchNet?

A: ArchNet is a result of a partnership between Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The ArchNet office is located in the School of Architecture and Planning at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Q: How can I contact ArchNet?

A: You can contact the ArchNet community in many ways: through participation in the Discussion Forums, or contributing to the Digital Calendar, News, Careers, or Course Syllabi.

The ArchNet office can be contacted at: archnet@mit.edu