PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 25, No. 20, May 4, 2006

Learning Commons at Undergrad Library to integrate services

By Sharita Forrest, Assistant Editor
217-244-1072; slforres@illinois.edu

Click photo to enlarge Photo by L. Brian Stauffer At your service The Undergraduate Library is being transformed into a learning commons, a cutting-edge facility that comprises library, technology and other services. David Ward, assistant undergraduate librarian for reference services, will promote the Learning Commons on the Housing Division’s “Startin’ Fresh” DVD to help orient incoming freshmen living in university housing to life on campus.

The Undergraduate Library is getting some updates that will make it a state-of-the-art resource called a learning commons to better meet the needs of today’s students. The Learning Commons will provide a central point for research, information and computing needs as well as advising and academic support. Staff members from the library, Campus Information Technologies and Educational Services and other units – including the Housing Division, the Writer’s Workshop, academic advising and Career Services –are collaborating on the project.

Learning commons integrate library and other campus services, bringing together the social and academic spheres on a campus. Peer universities such as Indiana University and Northwestern University have similar endeavors but call them Information Commons.

The Internet was in its infancy when the Undergraduate Library was built. Today’s students are not only heavy Web users, but they also often have assignments that demand literacy in a variety of technologies and that require active learning and collaboration.

Students often bring their laptops to the library and find that there aren’t enough electrical outlets for everyone and that furniture such as study carrels aren’t configured or flexible enough to accommodate group work.

“And with classes like the ‘Writing for Video’ class that ask students to use digital video and audio as parts of their presentations, they need to be able to access that kind of technology, be able to search for it and understand the information literacy concepts,” said David Ward, assistant undergraduate librarian for reference services. “We want the Learning Commons to be a place where students feel free to experiment and learn new things. We’re trying to build an infrastructure that supports creativity.”

Several assessments were conducted, including focus groups and a Web-based survey, to find out which kinds of technologies and services people need and would use if they were available. Nearly 3,000 people responded to the survey and their “wish lists” included being able to check out laptops or audiovisual equipment and having resources available that teach them how to use new technologies.

 The Undergraduate Library, which has not been renovated since it was built in 1969, is being reconfigured, in part to make it more inviting and more accommodating for group work. The top floor is being arranged to accommodate collaborative work and instruction while the lower level – which will house the print, video and video game collections – will be geared toward quiet studying or research.

A new integrated services desk will be installed that will combine several of the current service desks and serve as a centralized resource for assisting patrons with questions about reference materials, technology, student services and other matters. The desk will be staffed with people who will be cross-trained in the various areas.

“As it is now, we often have more requests for help than we have people available, especially in the late afternoons and evenings when it gets extremely busy around here,” Ward said. “The instant-messaging traffic for assistance with reference questions goes up every month. In our peak months, we have 7,000-8,000 instant messages a month in addition to all the telephone and walk-up traffic.”

And since people who are in the library at the time send many of the instant messages, Ward hopes that some of the staff from the services desk will be able to roam the library and assist patrons at their points of need.

 New technology – including new iMac computers, scanners and loanable laptops, digital and video cameras and projectors – will be added.

A Web page is being developed that will serve as a first-stop, online resource for people seeking information and other services.

“Some of the services in the Undergraduate Library are provided by the library and some by CITES, and undergraduate students don’t care who provides it – nor should they have to – they just want to get their work done,” said Stanley Yagi, CITES assistant CIO for technology.  “We know also that students operate in a virtual environment, and we’re trying to figure out how to provide services online.”

 Laptop users will welcome the addition of wireless Internet access and more electrical outlets; staff members in the Facilities and Services Division are evaluating the capacity of the building’s electrical system to ensure it can handle heavier loads.

The updates also will include some new furniture, reconfigurations that will use space better and expand use of labs and conference rooms for training purposes, such as software classes and brown-bag seminars.

Ultimately, the Learning Commons may be a precursor for similar endeavors in other units, such as the Illini Union and the Housing Division, and in the University Library for a Scholarly Commons that will support researchers.

The Learning Commons is being funded by a multi-year grant – in “a generous amount,” Ward said – from the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics.

More information and updates about the Learning Commons are available at www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/lc/.

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