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Sinclair home /
Space Planning /
Electronic Resources & Libraries Conference 2007 |
Atlanta, GA |
February 22-24
Evolving Library Space:
From "Information Commons" to "Collaborative Learning
Commons"
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by Bryan Sinclair, Associate University
Librarian for Public Services
D. Hiden Ramsey Library
| UNC Asheville
Scope/Background
As we begin to better understand our newest
generation of users and their expectations of us and our
facilities, a new type of library environment is envisioned.
A
blending of virtual convenience and physical comfort, the
"Collaborative Learning Commons" brings together a wide
assortment of elements to foster student learning in new
and creative ways. It is not a static computer lab.
Rather, it incorporates
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the freedom of wireless
communication,
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workspace clusters that promote
interaction and collaboration as well as concentrated individualized work,
and
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comfortable furnishings and design to make users
feel relaxed, encourage creativity, and support
peer-learning.
To this, add some specialized software,
audio-video capabilities, self-help graphics services,
and color imaging, and it becomes a one-stop laboratory for
out-of-class assignments, writing, research, group projects,
individual study, and recreational usage.
About UNC Asheville
Primarily undergraduate with an approx.
student FTE
of 3200
Designated
liberal
arts university in the 16-campus University of North
Carolina system
Strong focus on undergraduate research and
interdisciplinary core curriculum
2005 Carnegie Classification:
Baccalaureate-Arts and Sciences (formerly BA-LA) - At least
half of bachelor's degrees in the arts and sciences
Top majors/programs (as of Fall 2006):
1. Psychology
2. Literature
3. Management
4. Education
5. Environmental Studies
6. Art
7. Biology
8. History
9. Mass Communication
10. Mathematics
About the Library
57,000 sq ft addition completed in 1990,
more than doubling the building's size
Renovation of existing 1964 structure
completed in 1995
Renovation and expansion based on
pre-1990 plans (pre-Web and pre-digital library)
Current square footage: 107,000
See
Ramsey Library Picture Gallery I
Houses over 385,000 volumes, but
provides access to over 2 million titles in the
Western North Carolina
Library Network (including Appalachian State
University and Western Carolina University) Materials
are delivered to campus 3 times a week through a courier
service called
ABC
Express
Thanks to consortial agreements and a
relatively small FTE (3200) the library provides
access to a number of e-resources and e-journals
packages available only at larger research libraries:
(Elsevier's ScienceDirect, ISI's Web of
Knowledge, ACS's SciFinder Scholar, etc.)
Wireless throughout, but not enough AC
receptacles, especially in reading areas
About our Clientele
Generation M
Kaiser Family Foundation Report -
Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-olds
Time Cover story - "The
Multitasking Generation"1
Do-it-Yourself (DIY) spirit2
Not just downloading and consuming,
but creating and participating
Web 2.0 - blogs, wikis, MySpace, Flickr,
YouTube, etc.
Learning as social activity
See
pictures of
students in Ramsey Library
What We Envision
The concept of the Information Commons has
been around for close to a decade now. At the University of
Southern California, Indiana University, University of
Arizona, Georgia Tech, and a host of other institutions the
IC has allowed the library to remain relevant in the
academic lives of their their undergraduate students.
Student-centered / People-centered
Are you
People Ready?
(Microsoft ad campaign)
http://www.microsoft.com/business/peopleready/
Brown (Dartmouth) and Long (MIT)
stress the "human-centered" approach, which marks a
shift from the "information commons" to the
"learning commons"3
Design based on learning
principals
Informal spaces that promote
active and social learning
Googleplex - see
images4
UMass Amherst - see
images
Univ. of Missouri-Columbia - see
images
Mount Holyoke College (MA) - see
images
Univ. of Arizona - see
image
Applies principles of "socioconstructivism"
As discussed by Nancy Van Note Chism
Emphasizes spaces that "convey co-learning and co-construction
of knowledge," as we begin to think of the whole
campus as a learning space, not just classrooms.5
Collaboration-fostering
student
 student (peer learning)
faculty
student
faculty
faculty (peer learning)
staff
faculty (sharing
knowledge across areas of expertise)
Interdisciplinary - bridging the arts and sciences
see for Studio for Creative Inquiry
at Carnegie Mellon
http://www.cmu.edu/studio/
Intergenerational
see
NC
Center for Creative Retirement
Guiding Principles
1. Open
Unconfined
Glass walls - lots of light - See
images of Duke's Bostock Library/von der Heyden
Pavilion
Cross-disciplinary exchange of ideas -
arts and sciences students working together
2. Free
"Un-tethered"
Wireless
Clusters
arranged on raised-platform lily pads to allow for
electrical connections
3.
Comfortable
Furnishings designed for
collaboration
Traditional - warm - wood
Arts and crafts/mission style - ties
to Asheville
The floor?
student pictures -
Japanese Design -
Trey task chair
4.
Inspiring
See
images of Duke's Bostock Library/von der Heyden
Pavilion
Arts space
mobile - kinetic structures
flat screens displaying multimedia
projects
5.
Practical
Where real work can be done
where real learning can take place
self-help graphics
Students, student mentors, and
faculty collaborating
Our Unique Process
Thinking broadly, creatively, abstractly,
e.g, ergonomic design, use of color
Involving students in the design - Undergraduate Research
projects
Faculty input - Space Planning Committee
Interdisciplinary approach
Those involved in planning include:
Psychology professor and research
student in Environmental Analysis and Design
Management professor and research
student in Industrial Ergonomics and Work Design
Art professor and research student
in Interior Design
__________________________
1.
Wallis, Claudia, "The Multitasking Generation" (Cover
Story), Time, 19 March 2006,
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1174696,00.html
2. Cyprien
Lomas and Diana G. Oblinger, "Student Practices and Their
Impact on Learning Spaces," in Learning Spaces,
ed. Diana G. Oblinger (EDUCAUSE, 2006), 5.4,
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/PUB7102e.pdf
3. Malcolm Brown and Phillip Long, "Trends
in Learning Space Design," in Learning Spaces, ed. Diana G. Oblinger
(EDUCAUSE, 2006), 9.4,
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/PUB7102i.pdf
4. Jade Chang, "Behind the Glass Curtain,"
Metropolis, 19 June 2006,
http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=2123
5. Nancy Van Note Chism, "Challenging
Traditional Assumptions and Rethinking Learning Spaces,"
in
Learning Spaces, ed. Diana G. Oblinger (EDUCAUSE, 2006), 2.7,
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/PUB7102b.pdf
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