Visit the GSD Materials Collection
Register (one time)
All users of any collection in Special Collections must create an account in HOLLIS Special Request; this includes users of the GSD Materials Collection. In addition, a Harvard ID or government issued ID must be presented to staff at each visit. Save time upon your first visit to the Materials Collection by creating your HOLLIS Special Request account prior to arrival.
Make an Appointment (each time)
Book your appointment.
Special Collections Hours
Fall hours: Monday - Friday, 10:30 AM to 4:00 PM, appointments accepted.
For holidays and other closures, please expand “Show Detailed Hours” on the Frances Loeb Library’s hours page.
Materials Samples Circulate!
1-week loan for GSD students and faculty. Materials do not circulate during Design Discovery.
Samples are for reference use only. No testing or damage to samples is permitted.
Discover the GSD Materials Collection
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Material Order SEARCHMaterial Order SEARCH is the collaborative online materials catalog that currently searches the materials collections of the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and Columbia University GSAPP Preservation Technology Lab (Avery Library).
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Material Order SEARCH [GSD Materials Collection]Limit search to the GSD Materials Collection.
Learn about the GSD Materials Collection
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GSD Materials Collection PrimerThe primer serves as an introduction for students investigating material topics in design and describes the organizational structure of the Materials Collection at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD). Basic material terms and definitions provide a point of departure for students seeking more advanced resources.
Key E-Resources
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Granta EduPack (HarvardKey Required)Licensed by the Frances Loeb Library, Granta EduPack, is a materials information management software where students can make more informed, sustainable, and cost-effective material choices in their architectural designs. It provides an extensive database of engineering materials, sustainability data, and cost information, all integrated with CAD/CAE software. Through Granta, students can visualize and compare material properties, conduct sustainability analyses, and consider economic factors in their design choices.
It is an application that requires installation on a researcher's personal computer. The above resource link leads to a GSD IT supported how-to install and launch page.
Materials Selected for Class Instruction
Librarian led instruction sessions about the Materials Collection includes temporary displays of materials to support both the course's areas of interest and introductory points about the collection's arrangement, development, and additional data points. The PDFs provided below are inventories of the selected materials.