First-in-Canada Material ConneXion Library Opens at Sheridan

A new kind of library opens its doors at Sheridan’s Hazel McCallion Campus (HMC) in Mississauga on January 9. Housing 500 innovative, future-forward materials sourced from around the world, Sheridan’s Material ConneXion Library will be the first in Canada.

“Other Canadian post-secondary institutions provide access to Material ConneXion resources digitally,” says Patricia Buckley, Digital Curator and Special Collections Librarian. “Sheridan’s library will allow students to touch and feel the materials when considering them in a design or project.” Students studying in programs like Interior Design, Architecture and Visual Merchandising at HMC will have easy access to the space to engage with the new resources.

Tiles from recycled skateboards, translucent sheets of bacterial cellulose and construction panels made from recycled drink containers are just a few of the materials on display. There’s a focus on sustainability in the collection, befitting to the LEED-status, ‘living laboratory’ building where the library is located. “We believe this library will give our students a creative edge and exposure to what’s new and upcoming in the design world,” says Joan Sweeney-Marsh, Director of Library and Learning Services.

Materials are curated specifically for Sheridan from New York’s flagship Material ConneXion Library, which features an extensive, juried collection of more than 7,000 resources. By 2018, Sheridan aims to grow its collection to 1,500 materials. 

The Sheridan community is invited to attend a Material ConneXion Library Open House from January 9 to 12 between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Library is located in room B410 on the fourth floor of HMC II. Sheridan Librarians will be on site to answer questions. 

Pictured top right: An Interior Decorating student looks at a material in Sheridan's Material ConneXion Library.