BUSINESS
engineering in general, and so on. Then
we have a section on cement — cement
manufacture and aggregates (which is
part of making concrete) — and we have
a section on concrete technology. The
other three sections are the applications of
concrete. That ranges from the properties
of concrete and mixing the concrete, to
application in buildings, roads, dams, arts,
you name it,” she says. On one of the
shelves in the library sits various concrete
sculptures showcasing concrete’s
versatility: a hand, a baby’s foot, business
cards, masks, perfume bottles, a pen,
and more.
Prologue
With a collection dating back to the 1930s, users can be sure they will find what they
are looking for.
civil engineers, concrete technologists,
students, lecturers, professionals,
journalists, and home improvers. “It
has even helped school children with
homework,” notes Battison.
Humble beginnings
Despite the Centre undergoing several
changes over the years, The Concrete
Institute (TCI) states that the Centre has
been the one constant factor. Officially
formalised in 1957, the collection dates to
1938. “People had collected information
in folders, in files, and in bookshelves
within their offices. The Institute was
originally started to promote the good
use of cement and concrete and we still
promote this,” explains Battison. The role
of the Information Centre is to support the
activities of TCI by providing information.
TCI, among other services, offers a
free advisory service and facilitates site
inspections and it also has a School of
Concrete Technology. “The library works
like a public library; anyone is welcome. It
is available to anyone in the construction
industry,” she adds. Users are welcome
to register with the library and borrow five
books for two weeks at a time.
Using the library
According to Battison, peer reviews and
scholarly information can be expensive
to obtain but the Centre has a collection
of such verified information available
for use, free of charge. The information
The role of the
Information Centre
is to support the
activities of TCI by
providing information.
is sourced from various avenues and
platforms, including reputable publishers
like Springer, Wiley, and Elsevier, as well
as other publishers that specialise in the
engineering field. “We are members of
various international bodies, such as the
American Concrete Institute, Concrete
Society, and the Concrete Institute of
Australia, and we source books from
them,” says Battison. The library does
not just take any book however; they
first check if it fits their collection policy.
“If people enquire about a book we do
not have, we follow up and see if it is
available and whether or not it fits within
our collection policy. If it does and it is
available, we order it.” Every month, they
get the latest information from all over
the world, covering various industry-
related topics.
The library developed their own
unique classification system that has
six sections. “There’s a section that
most libraries have — this is general
information about associations, standards,
Shipalana informs me that it is the
standards that are most popular. These are
mainly used by engineers conducting on-
site inspections. Battison shares that the
standards have the strictest copyright in
their