Gleanings....

The IC is...

• the  integration of technology with service--face-to-face with the right people, the right skills
• a place for new ways of teaching, learning and doing research
• a place for collaboration
• positioned to support student learning, writing, research, and technology
• a place that sustains student learning outside the classroom
• "this is the Library--you can do everything here"  (comment by a student to another student)
• "the computer is a medium, not just a tool" (Media Librarian)
• a social place, as well as an academic place
   

Service

1.  Decisions need to be made about ubiquity of software.  Will every machine have all software, or will there be groups of specialized machines. 
2.  Several schools where campus IT managed the technology side of the Commons, the Commons had all the same software as all the labs on campus, as well as anything specific to the library, e.g., SciFinder Scholar.  Computing is then as seamless as possible for the students.  In many cases software was purchased as part of a campus-wide license.  
3.  Media software is generally handled in a special area with appropriate staff support.
4.  If you are supporting media viewing and production, be prepared to loan camcorders, projectors, video monitors, etc.
5.  Consider the need to provide copyright education to your users, especially if they are producing video and audio presentations.

Users

1.  Identify who the Commons serves.  At some institutions the focus is on undergraduates, while at others there is a strong component of the Commons devoted to the needs of faculty.
2.  Find a way to learn from potential users what they would like to see the Commons become.
3.  Authentication varied among institutions.  Some schools felt strongly that a "Commons" is just that, a common space open to the whole community.  Others felt strongly that the library had a responsibility to provide access to library materials to the community, but not productivity software.  There were many issues around providing guest access for viewing and printing personal documents.
 

Physical nature

1.  Identify how you understand your space.  If it is just seen as learning space, then design it for that.  If it is also seen as social space, then different criteria need to be considered.
2.  Break up computers into smaller groups to give a human quality to the space.
3.  Integrate computers with books if the space allows a coherent plan.
4.  Provide several spaces for quiet study.  Need to be very conscious of the amount of noise that will be generated by each activity in the Commons.
5.  Include appropriate space for students with a disability.
6. Think creatively about space -- one idea I saw was a "News Center", a reading room with current print and electronic newspapers and news magazines, plasma screens with news feeds, and a newswire "ticker tape".  Another institution had a Graduate Student Lounge, equipped with computers, tables and comfortable seating.  It is worth considering different spaces for different constituents.
7.  Allow as much natural light as possible by keeping furniture low, especially around windows.
8.  Leave window areas for lounge seating and/or reading...students using computers don't need natural light and it can glare on the screen.
9.  Students want computing space, but they also want good areas for reading, collaborating, and relaxing.
10. Group study space is in very high demand.  Some institutions have developed "collaboratories" -- larger spaces with many computers and tables for group work and consultation.  Or, design workstations with enough space for more than one student, as well as having additional chairs available.
11. Consider the workstation design depending on whether you want to promote individual or group work.
12. Design strong, sturdy workstations and other furniture, because students WILL sit on it.
13. Workstations with high sides make it difficult for students to see if a workstation is available.
14. Try to figure out a way to queue students or for them to identify free machines.  See "Technical Assistance".
15. If feasible, provide a "presentation" room where students can practice making presentations.
16. Wireless is essential to allow for maximum access.
17. Loaning laptops is very popular with students and also extends your access capabilities.
18. Make sure tables and carrels have power and ethernet.
19. Many institutions have a "Technology Fee" that all students pay.  The library gets part of that money and that allows for upgrading and maintenance of the IC.
20. And then there's the food.  Almost every location allowed food and drink in the Commons and many institutions have cafes on site.
21. Many institutions put a lot of effort into the aesthetics of the space and it made a huge difference in terms of the quality of the environment.  My assumption is that attractive space is much more conducive to work and study.
 

Partners

1.  Have a reason to include partners -- if it is important that they be there, then make sure there is agreement about goals and decision-making.
2.  Computing partners are necessary because of the technology involved in the Commons, but the differences in culture between IT and the library need to be considered.  Plan ways in which the partnering units will learn to work together and get to know each other. In some places library IT manages the technology alone; in others they partner with campus IT.  Sometimes they each take responsibility for particular services.
3.  IT staff involved in the academic or educational side of IT are also great partners in the Commons.  Several institutions work directly with educational technology staff with great success.
4.  Student services partners may be a very good fit since they work directly with students to increase their academic success.  This is the same goal as that of the library.
5.  Plan your partnerships well in advance of planning space.  The space must be planned AFTER the partners consider how they want to offer integrated services.
6.  In several places where there was a strong, successful partnership, staff made a strong point that it was essential for partners to have offices in the Library.  Successful partnerships were forged through working together on a daily basis.
7.  Look at the peer helper/tutor concept.  Many places use this to great advantage for all concerned (peers, students being helped and the library). 
8.  Some institutions share staff, e.g., partner with the Geography Department to share a student staff member to support GIS.  Likewise, partner with the Sociology Department to share a student to support statistical software.
9.  One institution has a thriving Collaborative Learning Center.  This is a large space in the Reference/IC area for tutoring.  Tutors from the Writing Center, Career Services, Academic Success, Math Learning Center, Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Zoology use the space.
 

Governance

1.  Services should be seamless to students, regardless of the organizational structure.
2.  If the governance of the IC is joint between partners, then it is essential to have a clear written agreement about expectations and responsibilities.
3.  Several places where there was joint managing of the Commons acknowledged that it worked well because of the personalities involved and may be more difficult given different players.
4.  Different models can work equally well -- in several places there was joint governance between the library and IT or the library and the Learning Centre.  In some, the library alone governed the IC.  In order to be successfully governed, the IC needs a sound philosophy, clear agreement among partners, good feedback from users, appropriate human and technological resources, well-communicated policies and procedures, and clear reporting.
5.  Is the Information Commons a library service or a campus service?  Determining how you understand the IC will help determine governance, venues, partners, and services.

Reference Assistance

1.  Many institutions want to integrate the service desks of Reference and Technology into one desk.  There are many iterations of this and most agree that it takes time, training and will to successfully integrate these two cultures.
2.  Other institutions have two clearly marked desks -- Reference -- Technology Help (or variations of language).  In some places there was concern about the need to refer and also about the lack of referral when it was appropriate.
3.  One institution has a very large "Ask Here" desk which is staff by both librarians and student technology assistants.  No one is identified so the student asks any question to anyone who is free.  This was done intentionally to put as few obstacles in the student's way as possible. 
4.  One institution encouraged students to use their cell phones to call the Reference Desk.  The librarian can then go to the student's workstation.  There was an acknowledgement that students will often not leave their workstation to go to a Reference Desk and that the space was considered
a "noise" area.
5.  Many places rely on Library Assistants and students to provide reference nights and weekends.

Technical Assistance

1.  First line technical assistance is handled very well by trained students.
2.  Usually a library IT or campus IT person is the next step if a problem can't be solved.
3.  Some feel it is really good to have the campus Help Desk located in the library for the more difficult problems and to be convenient for the students to consult directly.  Some institutions I visited actually did this, most did not.
4.  In one institution the library's desktop IT staff reported to the Reference unit and coordinated their work with the library's main IT unit.
5.  Several institution have methods for queuing and/or monitoring workstations and printers:

• a poster showing locations of all workstation throughout the building
• an electronic "poster" showing the location of all workstations throughout the building.  Individual workstations "light up" on the poster when someone signs on.  A student can see which workstations throughout the building are free.
• a computer dedicated to showing students what machines are in use.  Software shows a floorplan of the workstations.  When a workstation is signed-on (authenticated) the icon for that computer on the floorplan changes colour.  (Designed in-house)
• with the above, create a system which allows students to reserve workstations that are not in use.  (in use at UCLA, so I'm told)
• online reporting of broken equipment; log equipment problems and see information regarding disposition.
• printer query software - allows staff to monitor paper and toner status online.
   

Instruction

1.  Generally students and IT staff offered instruction in software products. 
2.  In many places the student technology assistants did a lot of one-on-one training at point of need.
3.  Some institutions have very extensive information literacy/library instruction programs. 
4.  If not available elsewhere on campus, the library can consider teaching a select number of software applications.  This is done with great success at one institution.

Assessment

1.  Find out what model would really work for your students before you begin, if possible.
2.  Most places had only done initial assessment or none at all because they were all fairly new.  All agreed it was a necessary part of the IC.

Maintained by:  J. Henning
Last updated:  February 7, 2005