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Information Commons
- Information Commons at Dickinson College
The Information Commons (IC) opened in September 2002. Created by a joint project of Information Technology and the Dickinson College Library, the IC was the result of a structured planning process within the library that looked at all space needs, the changing nature of student research, the emergence of new forms of digital scholarship, and the changing nature of the student body. In addition to creating a vital center for student and faculty technology use, the IC focused the library's effort to assert its role as the common intellectual space of the college. The design of the facility departs from similar facilities in its openness and simplicity and reflects an intention to allow its use to evolve as naturally as possible over time.
For more information please download the following document: Information Commons Summary
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Report of the Information Commons Project Group (1998)
The Information Commons will serve many purposes and accommodate the traditional, the innovative and the experimental. The Project Group identified the following uses and facilities to fulfill that goal and the needs of the University community. -
Technology Planning: Oregon State University's Information Commons (2000)
The Information Commons has been both a great success and a great challenge. The new thin client systems have great promise, but remaining hurdles include smoothing out the process of laptop checkouts, personal laptop registrations to use laptops elsewhere in the library, and the imminent plan to start charging for printing. (The latter is an effort to reduce the number of printouts from the incredible number of 800,000 printouts per term). Laptops and printing are both topics beyond the scope of this article, but suffice it to say that they promise to keep things "interesting" in the near future. - Floor Maps for the Information Commons
- Services offered in the Commons
- The Library for the 21st Century
The Library for the 21st Century is a new building project with a total square footage of a little over 190,000 sq. ft., when completed. It will house the University Library, Information Technology, and Media Services and will include such features as an Information Commons, a Language Laboratory, a Faculty Development Lab, Media Lab, two classrooms for information literacy and technology training, video production and editing facilities, and more than 30 collaborative work rooms. The building will be both wired and wireless throughout. In addition, the facility will provide housing for the University's more traditional library collections on open shelves, in user accessible compact shelving, and in a 900,000-volume capacity automated retrieval system (ARS).
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Knight Library Information Technology Center
Welcome to the Knight Library Information Technology Center! The ITC is a learning laboratory providing library patrons with access to online and offline electronic information including Internet resources and multimedia products. The ITC's equipment includes 32 Macintosh and 52 Windows workstations. -
Science Library Information Technology Center
Welcome to the Science Library Information Technology Center! The Science ITC provides access to graphics, multimedia, and scientific computing applications and electronic resources. At our lab, you can scan images and text, create stunning graphics, 3D images, and digital video projects, as well as browse the Internet, check your email, do word processing, and modify your personal web page. We offer 6 Macintosh computers, 10 Windows computers, 8 X-terminals, a slide scanner, CD-writer, and color printing. -
For more information, please contact:
Kathy Heerema
Coordinator, Information Technology Centers & FITT Center
541/346-1717
heerema@oregon.uoregon.edu
University of Southern Illinois - Carbondale
- The Academic Technology Center meets the definitions of all the Types of Facilities categories. The ATC is a collaboration between Library Affairs and Information Technology. It is comprised of three departments, Instructional Support Services, Systems Services, Customer Service Center.
University of Tennessee
in Hodges Library Media Center, began on August 22, 2001 to a digital media production laboratory for the campus. It is a highly collaborative operation between the University Libraries, Digital Media Service (DMS), Innovative Technologies Collaborative (faculty training for technology), and OIT Training Team (trains students for technology). The Studio provides computers, media software, audiovisual equipment, scanners (flatbed, slide), and output options (zip, web, cd-rw, dvd-r) primarily for preparation of instructional materials or assignments. This is also a place for access to web-based instructional materials, digital image collections, and electronic texts. The Studio provides one-on-one assistance with hardware and media software and scheduled consulting appointments for larger projects. Reservations of workstations and checkout equipment is provided. Digital still cameras, digital video cameras, mini-disc recorders, microphones, and tripods may be checked out. The Studio serves students, faculty and staff of the University of Tennessee.Pauline Bayne, Head, Music & Media Services
Phone: 865-974-4465
Email: pbayne@utk.edu
Phone: 865-974-6396
Email: tdavis@utk.edu
Westminster College
Westminster College Information Commons Executive Summary
Definition
We envision a facility within the Giovale Library's main floor that integrates the services and support of librarians, information technologists, and instructional technologists to serve a wide range of student and faculty needs in a collaborative learning environment. Within the Information Commons, students and faculty will work together in an open space, enjoy a relaxed atmosphere, be able to partake in a coffee bar within an area designated for food, have access to high-end technologies, and receive centralized assistance for both research and technology. We hope to foster a social culture of learning and to increase information literacy among our students. Please refer to page two of this document for a proposed floor plan.
Need and Fit
Since 1997 Westminster's Giovale Library has served as an excellent resource for student research and an access point for computing services. What is now needed is to make the library the true intellectual center of the campus. The proposed Information Commons will be a place for Westminster students and faculty to engage in discussion, collaboration, and active learning as well as a place where they can find support for their research and technology needs. Several other campus initiatives that stem from the Strategic Plan such as a Writing Center dovetail well with the proposed Information Commons.
- An Information Commons is listed as an initiative in the draft Strategic Plan.
- July - Library and IT staff hold an initial meeting to brainstorm ideas.
- September. - Begin talks and demonstrations for MuseSearch, a common user interface for our print catalog as well as our electronic databases and books. Demonstrations were attended by representative faculty, staff and students.
- 9/25 and 9/26 - Richard Meyer, Dean and Director of Libraries, Georgia Institute of Technology, meets with representative faculty and staff to discuss Georgia Tech's Information Commons and give us some suggestions.
- IT and Library staff are researching model Information Commons, working on a draft budget, and working with Institutional Advancement on funding possibilities.
- October - Contract is signed for MuseSearch, and the process of implementation has begun.
- Discussions are taking place with faculty regarding writing and the Information Commons.
- We intend to send a librarian and two faculty members to visit a model Information Commons.
- We will discuss the Information Commons with the faculty Library Committee at the December meeting.
- We are in the process of hiring a space consultant to work with us to look into remodeling possibilities and costs.
- We will continue Westminster community involvement and solicit feedback and ideas from our faculty, staff, and students.
For more information, please contact:
Stephan Ross,
Computer Support and Web Manager
801-832-2007