Here is a summary of the responses received to my February 8, 2001 query
about PRODUCT CATALOGUES & SAMPLE COLLECTIONS in Art & Design Schools and
Colleges/Universities with art/design programs.
I asked....
"Do any of you maintain Product Catalogues and/or Sample Collections in your
library -- by samples I mean wallpaper, tiles, plastic, textiles, paper,
paint, etc. -- if you do, I would really appreciate further information on
where they are located, how they are maintained, how they are used, and
whether or not they circulate."
-------------
Response #1 - from an Art & Design School
"Ours are housed by the interior design department, not as part of the
library"
Response #2 - from a College of Art
"...those materials are kept in the Interior Architecture and Design office.
There is an exception. There is one class offered each year and the students
need access in the evenings and on weekends. When that class is offered the
materials are placed with our reserve reading materials at the Circ desk and
can be used in the library. We do not catalog them or do any processing."
Response #3 - from an Architecture Library in a University
"We maintain a 'sample room' for all sorts of architectural materials:
flooring, masonry, moldings, carpeting, etc. It is on the second floor of
our library and is self-serve, but library use only. We keep a year-old set
of Sweets catalogues in the room, so students can browse the product
information and find other suppliers if they wish. Often suppliers will send
free samples to architecture schools. The collection was developed by a
student association here and is more or less maintained by them, though we
notice it has been lagging recently. They acquire the samples, give them to
us to place in the collection and add product catalogues on occasion. We
don't catalogue the material, since it is for browsing and exploration in
our library."
Response #4 - from a School of Interior Design
"The library here maintains two collections of the kind you describe. In the
library itself there is a non-circulating product literature collection,
although, since most of the literature is contained in binders, I suspect
that individual pages migrate elsewhere. At the request of the
president......the library also maintains the samples collection in the
atelier next door......We try to identify a capable work-study library
assistant to maintain the samples, which are stored in bins and classified
by type of material and, within that, by color. The samples are intended for
use in projects; so, not only do they circulate, but they are also removed.
The types of materials include textiles, hardware, flooring surfaces,
carpeting, paint chips, and wallpaper. There is also a set of Sweet's
catalogs in the atelier, in addition to in the area of the product
literature collection. The library maintains a database of manufacturers for
the product literature collection. A work-study library assistant has
responsibility for calling to request updated materials. For the samples
collection, pretty good relationships have been maintained with design
firms, who either routinely send outdated samples or who respond to
telephone calls or fax requests."
Response #5 - from an Institute of Art
"We gave some thought to this several years ago but decided not to do this.
Here's why: 1) Many of these products are truly department specific; some
departments already had such collections. That seemed most convenient for
faculty and students. 2) It would dilute our energies away from the library
type resource management we had for the more 'common' good materials; what I
mean to say is we didn't want to lose our focus on providing materials with
broad patron base and become a management area for specific groups of
patrons. 3) Our way of organizing things might not be how they would be
used."
Thanks to all who replied.
Jill Patrick
Director of Library Services
Ontario College of Art & Design
100 McCaul Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5T 1W1
[log in to unmask]
__________________________________________________________________
Mail submissions to [log in to unmask]
Administrative matters (file requests, subscription requests, etc)
to [log in to unmask]
ARLIS-L Archives and subscription maintenance:
http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/arlis-l.html
Questions may be addressed to list owner (Kerri Scannell) at: [log in to unmask]
|