INFORMATION COMMONS: LEARNING SPACE BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
"Information Commons: Learning Space Beyond the Classroom" was
an academic symposium organized by USC (University of Southern California)’s
Leavey Library to mark its 10th anniversary. One of the many successes
of the Leavey Library at USC was its early introduction of an Information
Commons for undergraduate students.
The conference on September 16th and September 17th in Los Angeles brought together a variety of academic professionals and librarians to explore learning outside the classroom, with a particular focus on the Information Commons. For the most part, participants were invited to the symposium. One of the invited institutions was Texas Christian University. Marianne Bobich, Head of Reference, and June Koelker, Associate Dean of the Library, gave a presentation about TCU’s Information Commons.
The concept of an Information Commons brings together skilled library
services (Reference) with highly trained information technology expertise
from a Campus Computing Center. It provides extensive computing facilities,
library print resources, and extended hours of service in one location
to provide one-stop service for a campus community.
As with TCU, some universities also add services from the university’s Writing Center. Other universities offer specialized technology assistance for faculty to integrate electronic material and electronic delivery of teaching with traditional methods at their Information Commons’ facilities.
Both Marianne and June enjoyed two days in the sunny, cool southern
California climate as they attended symposium sessions. The opportunity
to learn from other universities such as the University of Michigan,
Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Arizona, and the University
of Washington proved helpful for the TCU Library staff.