U. of Washington Opens Research Commons in Allen Library South

The iconic image of the information commons is a large array of PCs and iMacs for accessing electronic resources. UW's new Research Commons has a four word motto -- Talk. Share. Connect. Research. -- emphasizing the importance of collaboration and interpersonal contact.  Twenty-five computers actually take up little of the Commons footprint, which features open spaces with wheeled furniture, whiteboard walls, and group work areas.  Lauren Ray's blog keeps you up-to-date on the project.  Go there for a link to a Flickr slide show.

Grand Valley State University (MI)

Groundbreaking for the Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons will be Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, MI.

From all indications, this is going to be a new benchmark for the integrated learning commons.  The video gives a detailed picture of a wonderfully rich environment for all kinds of learning: collaborative, technological, scholarly. It won't be finished until 2013, but look in on the website now and then to see how it's coming along.



And this video was produced by Steelcase after the project was completed.

The Race to Bookless

It used to be that when you wanted to take the measure of an academic library you asked, "How many volumes does it have?"  That question seems to have been stood on its head.  In the "race to bookless" the University of Texas at San Antonio has claimed victory.  The Applied Engineering and Technology Library opened on September 8, 2010, claiming to be "the nation's first completely bookless library on a college or university campus."  Although it is relatively small (80 person capacity), it does have "similar features to what are commonly called 'information commons,'" according to the report in LJ.

UNC-Wilmington Grand Opening

Randall Library Learning Commons celebrated with a grand opening on August 19.  Read the local paper's account.  Flickr photo set documents construction since December, 2009.

Assessment of the Learning Commons: Three Perspectives from CNI Spring Meeting

 “Learning Commons: What’s Working” is a 66 minute video from the Coalition for Networked Information spring meeting, April, 2010.  John Culshaw, University of Colorado, Boulder; Anu Vedantham, University of Pennsylvania, and Joan Lippincott of CNI spoke on assessment of learning or information commons.  Available on the CNI Channel on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/channels/cni)