A couple years ago I collaborated with our Interactive Arts & Technology Librarian on a series of posts about one of the "wicked problems" of our modern world: sustainability in the textile & fashion industries.
That series was published to support an interdisciplinary cohort of students in our Business of Design program, all of whom were working on projects to change the way fashion and its materials are designed, produced, purchased, and discarded... change of the sort that our world so desperately needs.
The word "change" is key here. The Business of Design program has changed to Make Change Studio, but the students involved are still trying to change the world, and they've returned to the topic of fixing fast fashion.
Sometimes a deep dive into a specific topic can be a great way to learn about the resources available via your library.
We did a post of that sort focusing on the renewable energy industry a couple months ago. Today we're going to take a look at the apparel, fashion, and textile industries & markets...
When it comes to finding inspiration, designers (including product designers) and artists still turn to books and magazines. Whether it's a feature in a glossy magazine or an in-depth interview with a contemporary artist, such resources are easy to browse, sample, flip through, and explore in depth, and they can jumpstart your creativity.
On the surface, this post is about researching sustainable textile entrepreneurship. It's aimed at a specific group (the 2019/20 cohort of the Business of Design program), but it may be of use to anyone researching the design of a sustainable product or service.
In our current era of information overload, information loses value.
Not that long ago we could only dream of having fingertip access to all the stats and facts that are burying us now. Yet what we really need now, and what we are even willing to pay for, are tools that will pre-gather and pre-analyze the information for us. [...]
It's in that light that I'd like to highlight a new feature in our super-popular Passport database: Natural Resources
"Passport Natural Resources uncovers the resource landscape in 210 countries globally. It offers up-to-date and relevant insights on the supply and demand of natural resources, as well as the challenges and opportunities stemming from natural resources and sustainability issues. <more>
I was just scanning a usage report on our Sustainable Organization Library. It's great to see that this valuable resource is being used so much!
For those who are new to the SOL, I thought I'd list a small sample of the online books, reports, and journals that were downloaded most often from it this spring -- just to give you a taste of the range of content available for your research enjoyment... <more>
I just noticed that one of the major academic publishers has opened up free access to many of their journal articles for a limited time in support of the Millenium Development Goals. [...]
In fact, SFU researchers already have access to almost all of the same articles, but a curated collection like this is still useful: if you are researching poverty, sustainability, gender equality, or any of the other MDGs, it can be very handy to have someone pre-select some initial readings for you... and you can always branch out by exploring the references in those articles... <more>
Sustainability is an underlying theme in many areas of research these days -- CSR, corporate governance, ethics, environmental policy and management, and beyond -- a theme that the SFU Library aims to support with resources such as the Sustainable Organization Library... <more>
We've recently added several new titles to our 
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I just noticed that one of the major academic publishers has opened up free access to many of their journal articles for a limited time in support of the Millenium Development Goals. [...]