Lightning talk by Morgan Lee Wilson, University of Notre Dame, Indiana
This talk focused on Morgan’s attempt to rectify a lack of engagement in archival material amongst researchers and students at the University of Notre Dame Architecture Library. Although many reasons are often cited, in this instance difficulties concerning accessibility, discoverability and limited resources were highlighted – students have complained that it is too time consuming, access to the internet can be problematic, and they are unsure where to start, which can put them off completely.
When Morgan first joined there was some reluctance in the School of Architecture to encourage students to engage in architectural research; this has now changed through the realisation that it can expand ones understanding of a certain field to resolve design problems, or to show precedent.
Morgan set about attempting to integrate elements of the archival collection into the School of Architecture’s curriculum to resolve the engagement issues. This involved meeting with undergraduate and graduate students and discussing their thesis proposal, and then assisting them to find relevant materials within the archival collection, to incorporate into their work. We were shown plates a student used in an undergraduate thesis precedent study and drawings that another student used in a graduate thesis urban intervention and new town design study. Morgan also co-teaches the Historic Preservation class, ensuring students understand how to access print and digital archival materials, including maps, newspapers, models and plates, etc.
The net result has been an increase in usage of the collections and students’ understanding of the intricacies of the design process being enhanced.
Report by Jonathan Benedetti | London Metropolitan University
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