The document outlines the establishment of a library learning community at MTU, aimed at promoting change and innovation through collaboration among staff and students. It emphasizes student engagement, the development of new resources, and the sharing of experiences to enhance teaching and learning practices. Key initiatives include the c-pen reader borrowing service and various projects designed to foster partnerships and improve library resources within academic programs.

1. Establishing a Library
Learning Community:
A Means of Promoting Change and Innovation
Colm O’Rourke, Jess Mundy,
Sean Hegarty
MTU LIBRARIES

2. A Learning Community is a group of at least 5 individuals who work together on
a structured basis to share ideas, experiences, new initiatives and approaches to
teaching, learning assessment, and student engagement. Their focus is to
improve practices and disseminate findings to the wider community of staff and
students.
What is a Learning Community?

3. Learning Communities at
MTU
Bringing together a Community of Changemakers

4. The MTU Library Learning
CommunityA Progressive Library Advancing Change

5. Staff Collaboration
- Chance to work with and learn from cross
campus colleagues.
- Creating new resources and services from
scratch as a team
- Engagement with other departments e.g.
TLU, AnSeo Student engagement team,
Access Office, DSS service.
New Ways of Working Together

6. Student Engagement
- Engage with students throughout the
projects to create meaningful change: Staff
Student Partnerships
- Centre students as partners and innovators
- Listen to the needs of students directly
rather than anticipating their needs
MTU LLC Projects aim to:

7. C-Pen Reader Borrowing Service
€10,000 awarded from NTUTORR
Successful Acquisition of
Funding
Staff Student Partnership
Policy Development, Staff Training
Distributing Reader Pens, Promotion,
Evaluation
Implementing the Service,
Promotion

8. Cork School of Music -
Library Learning Community
• Develop new initiatives both
big and small
• Add value to our audio collections
• Embed library resources within
academic programmes
• MTU-wide - student design competition
• Launch Event as part of Culture Night celebrations
• Created a purposeful space supporting academic work
and student well-being
Our Aims
Our Outcomes

9. Delivering Success
• Structured - Action Plan for at
least a year in advance
• Shared responsibility between
library, academic and students
Planning
• Informal but focused
• Be aware of student and staff
commitments
• Measure impact through
student feedback
Communicating
• Maximise available
support
• Share your success – a
good outcome for you is a
good outcome for others
Co-operating

10. Working in Partnership
Learning Community Priorities
• No. 1 – Network and get to
know your organization
• No. 2 - Access to funding
• No. 3 - Tell your story
“ The listening spot is my favourite place in the building. I wish I had more time to spend there”
“It is a really peaceful place to decompress from the craziness of the rest of the building and concentrate
on listening to whatever it is that relates to your studies on any given day. .”
“Most comfortable chairs and nice plant decor + window lighting make it one of the nicest places in the
college to sit and work. “
Source: Listening Spot – User Experience 2024

11. Contact Details MTU Bishopstown Campus Library
• library.infocork@mtu.ie
MTU Cork School of Music Fleischmann
Library
• csm.library@mtu.ie
Thank
you