http://www.materio.fr/

• Mission of the library:

• Suppliers:

companies who agrees to give the samples for free. some of them ask to pay, but its against library policy. if companies suddenly gets users reaction on them material, they are more willing to collaborate. in order to become supplier, you have to be able to provide minimum 2m. of the material you are suggesting. if they don't get a material from a company they keep on trying sometimes years/as policys are changing in companies or many shifting employees at jobs of the specific departments.

/note- forgot to ask what rights the suppliers gets is they support library with the samples, can they get access to use the library for free? send her message - she didn't reply.(the same happened with 'material connexions')/

• Users/Clients:

architects, designers, artists, fashion designers….

• Staff: 2 people: architect and design engineer

• System for choosing materials:

random, trying to full fill the general concept of library.

• Material classification: have a 10 big categories:
  • wood
  • metal
  • plastic
  • rubber
  • glass
  • ceramic
  • paper
  • textiles
  • miscellaneous

they have light (and maybe 3-D computer modelling) as well as a specific materials

provide access or presenting things from technical part of view, such as having companies who can provide very interesting ways of making materials, working with papers, modelling and act.

• Reference number:

each sample of material, object has its reference number on the corner of other side. the reference number looks like:

    M  e 10p 004

    M  - stands for the one of the family in the library (M - metals)

    e   - stands for material having something to do with light.

    10 - stands for number in the section of the cupboard

    p   - stands for other classification which can be related to the materials, like composition of materials/ colours or other
    004 -stands for number.   for the users the important symbols are:
    first - M   last 004

which in this case will be M004 - this is number you need to type in order to fined more information on the material. others, such like /e 10p/, more for the staff, for classifying samples.

• Physical library:

library has 5 rows of shelfs, which are divided in to the numbers of sections(sections are numbered).materials are placed in to those sections with the reference number on the back side of each materials sample. the sections are open, so all material you can see, touch, try….look as many time you want. you can take a pictures, as not all of the materials are on-line. sometimes they put one type of materials under the same number. you need to arrange appointment in advance, but once you are in, you can bee the as long as you want. library has 5 rows of shelfs, which are divided in to the numbers of sections(sections are numbered). materials are placed in to those sections with the reference number on the back side of each materials sample. the sections are open, so all material you can see, touch, try….look as many time you want. you can take a pictures, as not all of the materials are on-line. sometimes they put one type of materials under the same number. you need to arrange appointment in advance, but once you are in, you can bee the as long as you want.

• Website navigation:

in order to get in to the website you need to pay for it:

    297€(website)   640€(full parcel), only the you can enter.

    you have more then 8 ways you can search for the materials(i remember 8).

1. 1. main groups (wood, metal, paper and act, look at material classification')
2. 2. quality groups/ soft/ hard/ liquid
3. 3. technical specifications
4. 4. ecological or not(materio give you information about ecological qualities of material baste on what factories gave them, but they do not check it if it's trough or not)
5. 5. keywords(one word or reference number if you have)
6. 6. by the name of manufactures
7. 7. random search
8. 8. based on top 10 suggested materials by library staff

you can select different information from all sections of the search categories and place it in to the search tab(you can have more then 15 different descriptions for your search) system (depending on what is available) will suggest you 2 groups as answers 1st group will have all selected qualities you asked for. 2nd group will offer the list of materials which have, in one or other ways, some qualities you were looking for.

in the same group you can still select or narrow down your searching categories and search again.

the result you will get will be more concentrated.

when you found your materials and want to look at them, you have your own page.

you drag the names of materials on to you page and the its opens as new window with picture of that material and a technical description, information of manufactures. as well you can fined similar material or materials from the same family on the side of that window.

when you select information, you are interested on, you can create your own folder (this folder will stay on them website for you). from this folder you can download PDF's and print info. out. if youre interested in any of the materials you have to contact the suppliers yourself, materio wont be a mediator for that

• Consultancy:

if you need special search on certain type of materials, they first will have a look if that type of material you asking for, would fit into library or not, and if it will- they will make a budget for the consultancy, but usually they try to avoid it.

• Extra activities:

they do talks, organize conferences on topics(materials, technologies) they can as well give a presentation, but they want to be pied for that. they publish as well books, the catalogues: 'material world 2', which you can buy it on-line.

Travelling exposition/ they show in places such as 'decosit', 'thechnotextiles'

• Library usability: use it as much as you need, but DO NOT abuse.