Developing The Database For Materials Library

The article, "Fake fur, fruit leather, and ferrofluids: Challenges to managing a materials library in the Middle East", by Richard Lombard and Amy Andreas address the complexity of developing and running a Materials Library (ML) in Middle East. Due to the geographically sensitive location of Qatar and recent political crisis such as Blockade; ML has faced various challenges such as high shipping costs and restricted airspace and shipping routes that delays the material delivery time. With the formation of an MFA in a design program and the extension of its campus existing structure; the library at VCUArts Qatar developed an interdisciplinary ML that became the first of its kind in the region. In a country, where material resources are limited, the library was developed to bridge the gap by housing hundreds and thousands of physical tactile material samples collected and curated from around the world.

The aim behind developing an ML was to inspire and fuel creativity by exposing students to a wide range of materials collected for their respective disciplines. Such a resource allowed the faculty to engage the students in critical thinking through visual resources alongside the literature available in the main library. Through engagement, observation, and collaboration with the student and staff, the library has been able to grow from where it started from. Methods: Qualitative methods such as indirect observation were conducted by the authors to identify the issue surrounding the ML database systems. User-behavior of students, faculty, and public patrons were observed to understand and determine the various functions/functionality of the library and ways of providing a better displaying system of the materials collected for their efficient discovery. Furthermore, in field research was conducted for collecting data to map and build an online database of local vendors and fabricators. Critical Review For the potential research direction, the authors critically explore the key challenges faced during the development, organization and cataloging the ML resources:

1. Challenges during the Development of ML
2. Challenges of Materials Library Organization
3. Challenges of Material sourcing and cataloguing.

Challenges during the Development of ML: To initiate the ML project, the library started collecting materials on a lease base agreement with an international materials firm “Material Connexion” (MCX). Through this subscription, the school was able to access their online database containing information on thousands of materials as well as acquiring hundreds of physical samples in a single shipment as a part of their educational subscription package. These samples came pre-mounted on boards which made it easier to organize and access. Through this approach, the first curator of the library was able to develop a substantial amount of collection in a short amount of time that helped bring awareness about the ML resources among students and faculty. The request for material collection continues to grow and the library begin to source material samples and information from local, regional and international trade shows that would benefit the library users.

For students studying design, it is essential to have the knowledge and skills of the materials information when working on any project; whether it's a sculpture, publication, garments, or a furniture/building. It is crucial for students to interact with the materials to fully understand their performance, feeling, and function. Challenges of Materials Library Organization In the beginning, the library collection was organized and displayed in broad categories in the different setting. Some materials were placed on shelves resembling the ones inside a traditional library, on the wall by hacking long aluminum profile used for window frames and tables to display materials and product. Although this approach had a few flaws in it, at the time it seemed to be the most logical system that would be easy to understand and navigate by the university student, staff and guests. However, this became problematic over time.

Due to the similarities of the samples in terms of panels display and colors on the wall, they started to look all the same except for when there was a burst of color. Through this small observation, the author's noticed that all users whether “consciously or unconsciously” were interacting with materials with the desired color scheme in their mind for their work and that was usually the first initial thing that caught the user’s attention. Based on this observation the materials mounted on the entrance wall were reorganized in a form of visible color spectrum. Another issue that was spotted in the library was that the users were very reluctant to engage with anything placed on a shelf. Patrons were inclined to objects that they could see on the walls. Despite all these issues of organizing materials samples were still being accessed and getting circulated at a higher level. In the end, to keep the user engagement going on, it was decided to take off all the samples from the shelves and replace them with custom designed tables just to make it easier for the user to have a much easier hand on experience. Standard library shelves are still being used in ML to hold company’s brochure, catalogs, sample books as well as some books on materials literature. The landscape of a materials library is constantly changing. Things that were adopted in the earlier scenarios does not guarantee they will provide a permanent solution. It is good to keep in mind and have adaptable solutions for such scenarios.

Challenges of Material sourcing and cataloguing: To keep the library collection updated and organized with new trends and technologies, it is very critical to be continuously connected with vendors due to which the material libraries are ever changing. Although MCX continues to deliver VCUQ materials library an annual supply of new and innovative material samples, there are other ways through which the library procures samples for its collection. Developing a wide range of materials collection that showcases the local, regional or international vendors have always presented itself with a variety of challenges. Some of the challenges that ML face is identifying and locating reliable local vendors, figuring out the solution around harsh customs approvals when sourcing materials from overseas, and maintaining professional connections with vendors and industry. Recently, with the blockade imposed by the neighboring countries; procuring new material samples has become difficult due to high import tariffs and restricted air, land and sea trading routes. One of the important key features of the ML is the focus on developing and maintaining a strong connection with locally based vendors as well as fabricators. This network was very crucial from the day ML was established. This network gives students access to purchase supplies for their work locally. However, identifying such vendors remains to be a big challenge. In Qatar, many businesses till now do not have a proper online presence. The ones who do, do not have the full information about the services they provide or if they do sometimes the information is either in English or else mostly in Arabic. To provide an appropriate solution to the problem the author began to drive through the town and started to map these local vendors to create an online database. This database was designed to be searchable by creating and developing digital information catalog.

How can the study might have been improved?

The research is very clear and concise in explaining the various issues faced by the material library. Both authors have a background in library studies and share a common research focus in the field of Material innovation and library management systems. To ensure the success of their research, the author made connections with local and international vendors by traveling around the globe to world trade shows. With the help of local administration and librarians they manage to successfully create a unique database system to manage the material library. However, due to the recent blockade issues a lot of these strategies and management systems and policies had to be revised.

Additionally, this research has proved very relevant to the education sector of Qatar Foundation. Since its inception, it has gained a high popularity among other university campuses and students have taken initiatives to use the ML in their own fields of Art & Design, Film, Medicine, Engineering, etc. Developing the database for ML was a great initiative taken by the author, however it would have been great if the database could have been update by the suppliers instead of the curator all the time to make sure the information is relevant. Moreover, the research does not take into consideration the direct role of students and researchers etc. Direct interviews or surveys might have helped provide interesting insights into the working process of students and how they use the resource for their work. Also, it would have been great if the authors could have identified other materials libraries around the world and used them as a precedence to talk about the issues faced by the ML at VCU. To conclude, as a assistant curator at materials library, the research allowed me to actively reflect on the data, the issues and how to actively work towards creating a dynamic database for material library in the future.