Essentials Magazine Essentials Spring 2017 | Page 10

My Resource Library
The Future of Contract Design Specification
A
n extensive design specification library has become a tradition
within the contract design industry. Rows of product binders from
a slew of manufacturers all perfectly lined up just waiting to be
used. However, just as physical bookstores have seen a decline in the
digital age, contract manufacturers have seen a decline in the demand
for their physical product binders. These books are often cumbersome
because of their size and may become outdated just weeks after print-
ing. This along with other challenges that go along with warehousing a
collection of large design books have caused many contract professionals
to stop using physical binders altogether.
can access the most up-to-date product
information right from their laptop.
So what does that mean for the future
of specification? Well, until recently
there hasn’t been an established industry
standard for moving a traditional man-
ufacturer’s product binder into a digital
format. Many manufacturers have tried
to create their own solution for publish-
ing product information digitally, but this
has led to complicating the specification
process even further in many cases, as
well as creating data inconsistencies.
My Resource Library (MRL) aims
to change all of that, however, with their
innovative digital library program that
establishes a new industry standard
for publishing digital product bind-
ers. Their proprietary software allows
contract professionals to easily source
materials in a format that they’re already
familiar with and ensures that all prod-
uct information is current and accurate.
The public version of MRL is free
for anyone to use, making it an excel-
lent resource for students, as well as
independent design professionals. This
public version of the application has
over 180 published product binders and
the list is growing each month. Now re-
gardless of location, anyone in the world
10 essentials | spring 2017
MRL Program Highlights
• Binders are updated immediately
with new manufacturer data, ensuring
the most up-to-date information possible.
• Project binders allow users to save
products and other information and
share access to the binder with clients or
team members via email.
• Location-smart technology shows
the user updated rep information based
on where they are located.
• Teams can access the library on
the run without the need to carry along
bulky design binders.
In addition to the public version, My
Resource Library provides customizable
PRO versions of its software to accom-
modate the specific needs of designers,
dealers, rep groups, and other contract
design professionals. Each program was
designed to solve specific issues that
arise for each group throughout the
specification process. Most notably, the
PRO versions of MRL allow the user
or company to completely customize
their libraries and create systems that fit
within their unique workflows. Teams
can easily share highlighted information
remotely with team members in the
field, as well as any client that may need
to see specific information.
These customizable features ensure
that each PRO client can optimize
their own specification process, while
ensuring that manufacturer branding,
pricing and other essential details re-
main consistent across all platforms.
The easy-to-use interface also makes
it simple to share detailed product infor-
mation with potential clients before ever
taking a phone call. For many manu-
facturers, dealers and rep groups it can
be difficult to keep specific product in-
formation up-to-date on their websites.
It’s a lot of information to keep track of!
With the flexibility of the MRL system,
many companies have opted to simply
link their website to their customized
digital libraries.
Although there are several platforms
available for storing digital information,
MRL has made it simple for the contract
design industry to transition to a digital
format without the headache of learning
a completely new system. Because they
have modeled the digital system after
the traditional structure of the physical
design library, anyone can jump right into
using the software with little direction
or training. My Resource Library has
not only created a more streamlined and
convenient specification process, but
they have also helped bridge the tech-
nology gap between seasoned contract
design professionals and students just out
of college. As the world of contract de-
sign evolves, it’s clear that MRL will play
an important part in shaping the way the
industry organizes and shares product
information over the web.
For more information and discounts for
EDmarket members, visit:
the EDmarket website.
JEFF CARLSON is the Principal at My
Resource Library. Prior to founding My
Resource Library,
Jeff was the National
Sales Manager at
Coriander Designs,
and worked as a
Healthcare Special-
ist at KI, a Coalesse
Territory Manager at
Steelcase, and Vice
President of Market-
ing at the Carlson Group Inc.