Open Archive
The Open Archive is a special collection, research room, and center for publishing based in the schools of architecture and design at UIC.
Location
3100 Architecture + Design Studios
Regular semester hours
Tuesday 10am–6pm
Wednesday 10am–6pm
Thursday 10am–6pm
and by appointment: openarchive@uic.edu
Open to the public in 2024, the Architecture and Design Open Archive contextualizes and makes accessible materials in varying formats that embody disciplinary ways of thinking and making.
It holds more than two thousand books and periodicals, including rare titles, as well as collections of type specimens, models and prototypes, and faculty work, with a special focus on collaborations between UIC faculty and students.
Design-focused collection highlights include:
- Documentation of Design master’s-level theses from 1982 to the present
- Material related to Design for Democracy, an initiative begun at UIC to redesign the experience of US public elections
- A significant collection of type specimens and graphic standards
- Furniture and lighting prototypes
The Open Archive supports researchers within and outside of the university; its collection, programming, and publications also serve as immediate teaching resources for students and faculty.
In addition to providing access to resources, the Open Archive supports students and researchers with interests in publishing, history, theory, and criticism—areas of particular strength for the schools.
The archive research room is also a quiet space to read, work, and encounter unexpected references. Students are welcome to drop in during opening hours; no appointment is required.
Contact
openarchive@uic.edu