Sarah Maule (University of Westminster)

Ravensbourne was blessed with a brand-new purpose-built, award-winning campus in 2010. Student numbers consistently rose and there was a frequent influx of well-known academic staff with extensive experience in the arts and design industries. However, it had been observed that students were consistently using the same materials in their submissions and exhibitions.

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Historically, there are strong links between Library Services and academic staff at Ravensbourne. Library staff shaped the service based on academic staff feedback, suggestions and ways in which the library can best suit course delivery and research. Library staff had a strong intuition that a materials library would raise awareness of materials literacy and research, which was severely lacking. After working with academic staff across all faculties it was clear an innovative materials library would be fitting for an institution which worked with high-profile clients such as Marks & Spencer, NASA, the Textiles Institute, COS and the North Face. A scoping exercise began by looking at approaches to introducing a materials library.

Through research into designing and embedding materials libraries it became clear that most institutions take a similar approach where a materials librarian is employed, who approaches suppliers individually and sources samples. An in-house database is produced and maintained. This takes an ongoing financial investment in staffing and associated costs to ensure the collection is reputable. However, this option was fitting for a small specialist institution, and the executive board, along with library staff, felt an outsourced approach was preferred and opened opportunities for industry engagement.

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In April 2016, Ravensbourne became the first materials library in the UK to introduce a Material ConneXion (MC) materials library. Academic and library staff work with MC to select the most suitable materials from their extensive collection of over 7,500 materials. The selection is based on the live industry briefs Ravensbourne students are working on, and is achieved by the highly knowledgeable materials librarians at MC.

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Nearly two years since the launch we are now able to measure the impact of the materials library, and present evidence which concludes that whilst outsourcing the research and selection of materials is best left to the materials professionals at MC, engagement and impact within the library space can be achieved by training current information professionals. Staff development in supporting students’ materials research has been achieved via approaches usually deployed by liaison librarians for print resources. As a result, students have taken part in materials competitions, workshop series and drop-in appointments, in addition to their scheduled in-class sessions.

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In conclusion, materials libraries should not be seen as a novel idea or passing fad. There is more awareness than ever before of choosing the most suitable, and often sustainable, materials. There is a large shift in companies to actively demonstrate their ethical and corporate social responsibility. Materials innovations are shaping public perceptions of waste and to educate and inspire the next generation of designers is a necessary step in ensuring that this continues.  

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Sarah Maule previously held the post of Head of Learning Resources at Ravensbourne, before moving to the Harrow site of University of Westminster. Whilst at Ravensbourne she opened the first Material ConneXion materials library in the UK.