Library As Place

TOM IPRI HEAD, MEDIA AND COMPUTER SERVICES LIED LIBRARY [email_address] Information Commons: The Resurgence of Library as Place

More About Me Later
This is all about YOU:
Who are you?
Where are you from?
Academic, Public, Special
Why are you here?
Do you have a commons?
Do you want a commons?
What are you hoping to find out?

Vegas as Place

The Last Place

Learning Commons
-or-
Information Commons
-or-
Library Commons
-or-
Learning Spaces

Commons
Information
“ a cluster of network access points and associated IT tools situated in the context of physical, digital, human, and social resources organized in support of learning”
Learning
“ organized in collaboration with learning initiatives sponsored by other academic units, or aligned with learning outcomes defined through a cooperative process”
-Donald Beagle, 2006

Goals
State the most common characteristics of a commons and explain some of the underlying theory that drives their development.
Generate some questions to ask when you return that will help you launch/improve your commons.
Get to know other professionals with similar interests.

Notes from the Past
“ Staff in the School of Information Systems at the University…say that within five years they will not need a physical library. All their requirements will be met by the Web.”
-David Baker, 1998

Notes from the Past
“ A scenario gaining increasing currency is that the arrival of information superhighways, together with the development of ever more user-friendly software and cheaper hardware spells the end of the need for libraries and librarians. It is an endless debate — unless it eventually happens.”
-Ross Shimmon, 1995

Notes from the Past
“ The library should become less a place and more of a process.”
-William F. Birdsall, 1994
“ it is important not to see a visual image, since we are dealing with a process, not an entity.”
-Patricia Battin, 1984
“ The notion that the library is a place will give way to the recognition that it is a network of information, more a concept than a building, an abstraction.”
-James Govan, 1987

Notes from the Past
“ A library could take shape within a computer where users literally enter through the doors of a virtual building, see stacks and books on the shelves, browse the catalogue, select a volume, open and read a text, converse with a librarian at a remote location and finally check out their chosen material.”
-Jonathan Willson, 1995

Second life

Predictions
Close physical libraries
Become an “abstraction”
Integrate into virtual reality
“ The idea of a learning commons…is pretty mainstream now. But if you had suggested such a thing four or five years ago, people would have said ‘You want to do what with my space?’ Today, you’re in trouble if you don’t have one.”
-Joseph Branin, April 2008

That Said… Academic Library Survey, National Center for Education Statistics -Via Martell 2008 Year Circulation Reference 1996 231,500,000 1,900,000 1998 216,100,000 2,100,000 2000 194,000,000 1,600,000 2002 189,248,000 1,508,000 2004 200,204,000 1,423,000 %Change -14% -25%

That Said… Academic Library Survey, National Center for Education Statistics -Via Martell 2008 Year Circulation Reference Gate Count 1996 231,500,000 1,900,000 16,500,000 1998 216,100,000 2,100,000 16,200,000 2000 194,000,000 1,600,000 16,500,000 2002 189,248,000 1,508,000 16,927,000 2004 200,204,000 1,423,000 19,369,000 %Change -14% -25% +17%

Common Characteristics
?

Moveable furniture
Wireless infrastructure
Laptop support
Group workstations
Group study rooms
Multimedia production and editing
Rich application suite

Laptop loans
Large scale printers
White boards
Smart boards
Tutoring services
Writing services
Vending machines
Practice presentation room

Commons Characteristics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNh6-hRIGb8

What Do We Value?
?

What Do We Value?

Common Concepts
Flexibility, students define space and use of space
Variety of spaces (indoor, outdoor, group, individual, low-tech, high-tech)
Promotion of collaboration
Engaging environment, stimulation
Comfort
User-friendly systems
Human-centered design

Common Concepts
Emotional attachment to place
Positive emotional experience leads to better learning
Confluence of technology, content, and services; librarians, IT, and student services

Common Concepts
Cognitive theory: emphasis on “active construction of knowledge by the learner”
“ Environments that provide experience, stimulate the senses, encourage the exchange of information, and offer opportunities for rehearsal, feedback, application, and transfer are most likely to support learning.”
-Nancy Van Note Chism, 2006

Common Concepts
Constructivist theory of learning
“ learners construct knowledge by understanding new information building on their current understanding and expertise.”
-Malcolm Brown, 2005

Common Concepts
Four assumptions about educational environments:
Space can facilitate or hinder learning
Effects of environment are moderated by other factors
Space should match teaching objectives, learning styles, and social setting
Space should be treated same as materials and preparation
-Ken A. Graetz, Michael J. Goliber, 2002

Common Concepts
“ In places they see the best support for their way of working, they feel safe and so return frequently, knowing they can move through material and concepts on their own terms. In places where they feel discomfort, a lack of connection to space and infrastructure, they leave.”
-Alan R. Cattier, 2006

Common Concepts
Access is not enough
In-house access is down, gate count is up
“ provides users with a seamless work environment so that they may access, manage, and produce information all at the same workstation.”
-Joan K. Lippincott, 2006

Characteristics of Students
“ Digital
Mobile
Independent
Social
Participatory”
-Cyprien Lomas,
Diana G. Oblinger, 2006

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8

ECAR Study (Sept 2007)
98% of students own computers
61% agree that IT in courses improves learning
56% convenience is the primary benefit of IT
26% say they need additional training
18 hours per week online for school, work, and recreation

Characteristics of Students Type of Device Males Females All Simple cell phone 85.3% 86.6% 86.1% Personal desktop 66.3% 57.0% 60.6% Personal laptop 73.1% 74.0% 73.7% Electronic music/video 77.0% 76.1% 76.4% Electronic game 73.5% 45.6% 56.3% PDA 15.9% 9.4% 11.9% Smartphone 14.9% 10.4% 12.0%

Characteristic of Students Almost All Students Engaged Median Frequency Create, read, send e-mail 99.9% Daily Write documents for coursework 98.6% Several times/week Use library on university/college Web site 94.7% Monthly Create presentations 91.7% Monthly

Characteristics of Students Most Students Students Engaged Median Frequency Create spreadsheets or charts 87.9% Monthly Online shopping 86.4% Monthly Create, read, send instant messages 84.1% Daily Use course management system 83.0% Several times/week Online social network 81.6% Daily Play computer games 78.3% Weekly Download Web-based music or videos 77.8% Weekly Create graphics 72.3% Monthly

Characteristics of Students Some Students Students Engaged Median Frequency Access or use wikis 41.7% Weekly Create audio/video 32.6% Once per quarter/semester Create Web pages 29.1% Once per quarter/semester Blogging 27.8% Monthly

Are these characteristics accurate in your experience?
Do you think they will hold true over time?
What impact do these characteristics have on library space?

Make a List
What do you have?
What do you need?
What do you want?

Moveable furniture
Wireless infrastructure
Laptop support
Group workstations
Group study rooms
Multimedia production and editing
Rich application suite
Laptop loans
Large scale printers
White boards
Smart boards
Tutoring services
Writing services
Vending machines
Practice presentation room

Planning
“ Too often, planning for new spaces…begins with the wrong questions.”
“ You will not end up with the building that you need, that your students deserve.”
-Narum, 2002

What Questions Do You Need to Ask?
Take a look at your list:

Take a look at your list:
How do you determine if what you think you need is what you really need? How do you know if what you want isn’t something you need?
Focus Groups?
Surveys?
Who in your organization makes the decision to push things forward?
Where does the money come from?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKSvgmpVJFk

Questions
?

References
Baker, David. “The Multimedia Librarian in the Twenty-First Century.” Librarian Career Development 6.10 (1998): 3.
Battin, Patricia. “The Electronic Library–A Vision for the Future.” EDUCOM Bulletin 19.Summer (1984): 17.
Birdsall, William F. The Myth of the Electronic Library: Librarianship and Social Change in America . Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994.

References
Beagle, Donald Robert. The Information Commons Handbook . New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., 2006.
Borreson Caruso, Judith, and Gail Salaway. ECAR Key Findings: The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2007 . EDUCAUSE, 2007.
Cattier, Alan R. “Navigating Toward the Next-Generation Computer Lab.” Learning Spaces . Ed. Diana G. Oblinger.Educause, 2006. 8.1.

References
Graetz, Ken A., and Michael J. Goliber. “Designing Collaborative Learning Places: Psychological Foundations and New Frontiers.” The Importance of Physical Space in Creating Supportive Learning Environments. Ed. Van Note Chism, Nancy and Deborah J. Bickford. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2002. 13.
Martell, Charles. “The Absent User: Physical Use of Academic Library Collections and Services Continues to Decline 1995-2006. The Journal of Academic Librarianship . 34.5 (2008) 400.

References
Narum, Jeanne. “Building Communities: Asking the Right Questions.” 2002. http://www.pkal.org/documents/BuildingCommunitiesAskingTheRightQuestions.cfm
Shimmon, Ross. “The Librarian at the End of the Galaxy.” New Library World 96.1120 (1995): 43.

References
Van Note Chism, Nancy. “Challenging Traditional Assumptions and Rethinking Learning Spaces.” Learning Spaces . Ed. Diana G. Oblinger.Educause, 2006. 2.1.
Waters, John K. “The Library Morphs.” Campus Technology .April (2008).
Willson, Jonathan. “Enter the Cyberpunk Librarian: Future Directions in Cyberspace.” Library Review 44.8 (1995): 63.

Photo References Red River College Learning Commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/ext504/423402911/ Boatwright Memorial Library http://www.flickr.com/photos/boatwrightlibrary/2919605928/

Photo References Toronto Public Library http://www.flickr.com/photos/kev_walsh/2144556982/ Georgia Tech Library East Commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/seventime/314387119/ in/set-72157594292330772/

Photo References Georgia Institute of Technology http://www.flickr.com/photos/jiscinfonet/447054738/ University of Kentucky http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomspix/2900984036/

TOM IPRI HEAD, MEDIA AND COMPUTER SERVICES LIED LIBRARY [email_address] HTTP://WWW.SLIDESHARE.NET/TOMBRARIAN Learning Commons: The In in CIL

Library As Place

by Tom Ipri on Nov 13, 2008

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

1 Embed 1

Statistics

Library As Place — Presentation Transcript