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The Learning Commons
The Library Morphs
4/1/2008
"Tech-savvy students don't distinguish among different media," she points out. "Books, movies, computer software; to them it's all one thing. Our services and facilities were not designed with that in mind. So we find ourselves having to adapt. We do not have a merged organization; library and IT are separate, but the buildings are adjacent, so we have been integrating the services gradually. Last summer, for instance, we integrated media technology services, which are part of IT, into our area on the main floor of the library." Likewise, the college is taking an incremental approach to its library renovation project as a whole, says Cochrane. Along the way, administrators are consulting with Yale's Bennett about the evolution of student learning styles.
"This concept of a learning commons isn't new, of course," Cochrane explains. "But that's been good for us; we've had plenty of examples to look at, right here in our own state." (She points to the OhioLink library network as offering a wealth of resources for sharing.)
Branin, who has been at Ohio State for approximately eight years, says that he has learned a lot from watching the progress of his own institution's library renovation project. His advice to other libraries considering the addition of learning-commons-type spaces into their facilities?
"Don't fall in love with any particular technology," he warns. "What we mean now when we talk about the technology piece of this project is different from what we meant at the beginning. We didn't invest as heavily as we thought we would in devices, for example, because the students are using laptops. We thought we would have LCD screens all over the place, and we actually had a plan for an 'instant theater' until the idea became passé. Now all of that is gone. One good thing about a project that takes this long to complete is that you get to see trends come and go. Now our plan is focused on making sure that there's a flexible infrastructure in place, so that as the technology changes-as the devices evolve-we can adjust. If you design space for a currently popular device, you'd better hope its popularity lasts a long time."
As far as Bennett is concerned, in the design and planning of collaborative learning spaces, the technology, though essential, is quickly descending to the status of furniture. "I think it's pretty clear that common spaces for learning need to be congenial to digital natives," he says. "They should have outlets everywhere, wireless connectivity, maybe some projection equipment. But I'm not sure that the technological capabilities of these spaces are, in fact, key defining characteristics anymore. Another way of saying that is, the tech is an expected part of this kind of environment. The digital natives don't think about the machinery; they just assume it'll be there."
::WEBEXTRAS ::
Culture Morph Technologists and librarians are discovering that intelligent organizational overlap is the route to the digital library of the future.
2007 Campus Technology Innovator: San Jose State University (CA) Learn how SJSU turned an abandoned library structure into a state-of-the-art, 10,000-square-foot Academic Success Center, with formal and informal learning spaces that foster collaboration among students and faculty.
John K. Waters is a freelance journalist and author based in Palo Alto, CA.
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