![OIT Pulse Survey Fall 2007 Results [n=499] How often do you visit the Learning Commons? More than once per week: 24% (07); 28% (06); 31% (students of color 06); 22% (white 07) How often have you had difficulty finding an open computer workstation when you are in the Learning Commons? Very often: 35% (07); 23 % (06); 16 % (1 st yr 07); 51% (Senior 07) How conducive or non-conducive is the atmosphere in the Learning Commons for studying and concentrating on your academic work? : 73% conducive To what extent do you feel that working in the Learning Commons has improved your study habits? To a great or very great extent: 19%; students of color 30%; white 16% Do you own a laptop?: 90% (07); 81% (06); 70% (05)](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/learning-commons-subject-librarians-the-university-of-massachusettsamherst-1205784409764665-4/85/Learning-Commons-Subject-Librarians-the-University-of-Massachusetts-Amherst-19-320.jpg)
![Revenge of the Experts “ The individual user has been king on the Internet, but the pendulum seems to be swinging back toward edited information vetted by professionals.” “ Some of the same entrepreneurs that funded the user-generated revolution [Wikipedia- and Google-like services] are paying professionals to edit and produce online content.” Dokoupil, T. (2008, March 6). Revenge of the experts. Newsweek . Retrieved March 14, 2008, from http://www.newsweek.com/id/119091](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/learning-commons-subject-librarians-the-university-of-massachusettsamherst-1205784409764665-4/85/Learning-Commons-Subject-Librarians-the-University-of-Massachusetts-Amherst-33-320.jpg)
Learning Commons & Subject Librarians @ the University of Massachusetts-Amherst
- 1. Learning Commons & Subject Librarians Anne C. Moore Associate Director for User Services W.E.B. Du Bois Library March 15, 2008
- 2. Mission Statement As the heart of UMass Amherst, the Learning Commons (LC) provides a welcoming, flexible, and student-focused environment. Rich in services and technologies, the LC fosters community, innovation, and the creation of new knowledge. With long hours, peer support, and a relaxed and inclusive atmosphere, the LC encourages students to make the most of their educational experience. Campus service providers pool their expertise to provide convenient access to the core academic support services that enable students to succeed and excel at UMass Amherst. The LC strives to assist students to become self-directed learners and engaged adults to build a better future.
- 3. Learning Commons & Technical Support Desk
- 5. Academic Advising Link & Career Services
- 6. Procrastination Station Café (Auxiliary Services)
- 7. In a nutshell… 20,000 undergraduates; 5,000 graduate; 1,200 faculty 3.2 million volumes; 55 librarians; 75 staff; $12 million annual budget 26 Floor W.E.B. Du Bois Library For $2.5 million, renovated Lower Level in 4 months; opened Sept. 2005 25,000+ square feet; 300 seats; 17 glass study rooms Hours (24/5): Sunday 11 a.m. – Friday 9 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. Gate count: 4,500-7,500 per day; 1 million annually Users are: 85% undergraduate; 50/50 gender; all majors; diverse; 35% daily users 90% owned laptops in 2007; 82% in 2006; 70% in 2005
- 8. UMass Amherst Learning Commons Student-centered space Inclusive, collaborative learning environment Welcoming gathering place for studying and socializing in the heart of the campus Convenient access to campus resources, services, and technologies that support student success in a single building Staffed by highly-trained student assistants, peer tutors, librarians and library staff, OIT personnel, writing center tutors, academic tutors, academic advisors, and career counselors New, comfortable, movable seating arrangements; bright and natural light; group study rooms; Wireless; food and drink Few, but enforced and advertised, policies Matches the non-stop, social lifestyle of today’s college students
- 9. Synergistic and Symbiotic Collaborations Office of Information Technologies Writing Center Academic Advising, International Programs, ALANA, Career Services Student Affairs (New Student Orientation) Auxiliary Services Parking Services Physical Plant: Custodial, Building maintenance Police Center for Faculty Development IT Minor Program
- 10. What can students do in the LC? Collaborate Socialize Eat and drink Meet in group study rooms and spaces Study Use library collections Use licensed software and databases View exhibits Attend events and training Attend library instruction Copy, print, scan Ask any kind of question Get technology, writing, research, information, career services, academic advising, international programs, adaptive technology, academic tutoring, supplemental instruction, and all library services Use wireless Borrow tablet PC/laptops and projectors Buy office supplies
- 14. What’s important to users? Food and drink Computers, scanners, printers, software, Wireless, electricity Flexible, comfortable, and attractive furnishings they can move around Responsive service; Customer-focused, committed staff Custodial and clean workstations and surfaces User behavior policies Security and building maintenance An awesome Web site with comment form and other forms of listening… …It is their space!
- 15. How do you measure success? Positive comments Gate counts are consistently up 70% over same month during previous year Procrastination Station customers up 371% FY06 from FY05 ($281k in FY06; $404k in FY07); FY07=75,600 cups of coffee were sold in 184k transactions at an average cost of $2.20 per sale Noticeably diverse population Long lines for computers All 24 Tablet PCs checked out most nights Over 400 users during exams at 3 a.m. (we only have 300 chairs)
- 17. The Campus LC An initiative of the Provost Belongs to the whole campus, not just the Library Everyone wants to join in: faculty, administration Everyone wants to hold events and meetings, have offices, etc. Starting place and safety net for students: The source for information, services, and support
- 18. Everyone wants to be there… The buzz passed by word of mouth Gate counts continue to increase by 30-70% a month over the previous year Circulation is up Questions are up (Info D. 55% increase 05 to 06) Instruction is up Support service use is way up: Learning Resource Center and Writing Center doubled FY05 to FY06
- 19. OIT Pulse Survey Fall 2007 Results [n=499] How often do you visit the Learning Commons? More than once per week: 24% (07); 28% (06); 31% (students of color 06); 22% (white 07) How often have you had difficulty finding an open computer workstation when you are in the Learning Commons? Very often: 35% (07); 23 % (06); 16 % (1 st yr 07); 51% (Senior 07) How conducive or non-conducive is the atmosphere in the Learning Commons for studying and concentrating on your academic work? : 73% conducive To what extent do you feel that working in the Learning Commons has improved your study habits? To a great or very great extent: 19%; students of color 30%; white 16% Do you own a laptop?: 90% (07); 81% (06); 70% (05)
- 20. Those who entered on March 14, 2006 85% Undergraduates 50/50 gender split All majors represented (SBS 33%; HFA 18%; NSM 16%; SOM 15%) 75% visit the Lower Level 35% visit daily; 94% visit at least once a week Traffic: Tuesday (88%), Wednesday, Monday, Thursday, Sunday, Friday, Saturday 60% come in the afternoon or evening; 23% overnight; 22% morning 48% study in the Library
- 21. Those who entered on March 14, 2006 (n=682) More diverse group than the campus population 12% 8% Asian 4% 4% Hispanic 8% 5% African-American 71% 83% Caucasian Survey UMass Ethnicity
- 22. What services are they using? March 14, 2006 General Information Desk: 75% Reserves: 72% Computer Classrooms: 65% Circulation: 60% Reference and Research Assistance: 41% Learning Resource Center: 39% OIT Help Desk: 38% ILL: 34% Special Collections: 19% Writing Center: 18% Academic Advising: 6%
- 23. Lessons Learned What would we do differently? –More of everything More electricity More computers More Wireless Quick print stations High performance and memory printers More event and exhibit spaces Schedulable spaces Larger caf é (open 24/5) Reconsider former hours on holidays and intercessions – need to be longer 24/7 during academic semesters
- 24. They want more… 24/7 building hours Computers, laptops, electricity, wireless, printing stations, tables, staff, etc. Graduate students and some undergrads demanded quiet study space; quick look-up stations Renovations continue to transform other spaces Other academic support and administrative services want to move in: VP for Research, Advising, etc. Faculty want to hold office hours (scheduled) Students want longer café hours (1 a.m. along with vending machines isn’t sufficient) Need to increase hours in Reserves to meet demand for laptops (25% of Library users had laptops with them in fall 2007) – 24/5 in spring 2008
- 25. Recent additions (2007-2008) Current reading area 5 th Floor 30 additional loaner tablet PCs (54 total) Powerpoint slide show listing events, services, announcements where students stand in line and on website plus blog Web-based display of open workstations in OIT computer classrooms and LC International programs information at Academic Advising Link Additional tables on Lower Level Quick look-up stations on Entrance, 2, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23 Atomic Learning for software help Reserves, Media & Microforms going 24/5
- 26. Wish we had… More of everything (lines are too long) Wireless throughout the building Line of sight to all computers and areas More and larger library classrooms Larger café with more food choices More renovated spaces More custodial staff Multimedia, digital editing, testing, language support More staff (back-ups for illness & vacations) ATM machine Printing stations
- 27. What’s next? Renovate additional spaces Attract donors – naming opportunities Bring in additional services Integrate facility, resources, and services into the curriculum and online courses Encourage faculty to assign group, collaborative projects Create a campus-wide information literacy program Assessment: How is it contributing to student learning, success, retention, and inclusion? Teaching Commons (26 th Floor) Research Commons
- 28. Next Collaboration: Teaching Commons Create a portal to our many teaching service providers to support faculty to transition lecture courses to the online environment (course management system) and incorporate IT into courses A facility that faculty come to in the Library to concentrate and get help Service providers include: Library, Academic Computing, Center for Educational Software Development, Center for Teaching, Continuing Education, Facilities & Planning, IT Minor Program Student helpers from the undergraduate IT Minor Program work under the guidance of a dedicated instructional designer Case manager model of support Top of Du Bois Library Opens Fall 2008
- 29. Visioning Collaboration: Research Commons One-stop destination for faculty and student research support Support to use, create, manipulate, and preserve research data from library, IT, instructional design, stats, and Office of Research consultants Grant information GIS, mathematics, statistics, and data Collaboration tools such as visualization and teleconferencing Presentation rooms for research project information sharing events Specialized research services, equipment, and software In the initial planning stage
- 30. Subject Specialist Librarians Liaisons
- 31. Opportunities for Subject Specialist Librarians Adapt to our users: Operate in real time and online Forge new roles in teaching and learning on campus and market them effectively Focus on value-added services rather than just-in-case collections Demonstrate impact on learning and teaching
- 32. The Future for Librarians… The skill set for librarians will continue to evolve in response to the changing needs and expectations of the populations they serve, and the professional background of library staff will become increasingly diverse in support of expanded service programs and administrative needs. ACRL Research Committee. (2008, January). ACRL Environmental Scan 2007 . Chicago: ARL. (p. 2)
- 33. Revenge of the Experts “ The individual user has been king on the Internet, but the pendulum seems to be swinging back toward edited information vetted by professionals.” “ Some of the same entrepreneurs that funded the user-generated revolution [Wikipedia- and Google-like services] are paying professionals to edit and produce online content.” Dokoupil, T. (2008, March 6). Revenge of the experts. Newsweek . Retrieved March 14, 2008, from http://www.newsweek.com/id/119091
- 34. Change Why didn’t we do this last year? … Unrelenting pace Challenges: Complacency, resistance, silos Strengths: Collaboration, reinvention, technology integration, learning Opportunities: Anticipate trends, become entrepreneurs, demonstrate impact, create innovations, support interdisciplinarity, be virtual, collaborate cross-institutionally
- 35. Future of Higher Education Top Three Threats to HE Success Resistance to change (55.8%) Lack of resources (43.7%) Increased cost of an education (34.7%) Top Change Drivers in HE Insufficient financial resources (60.5%) Technological change (32.6%) Changing student demographics (23.7%) Aging buildings (21.1%) Demonstrate outcomes (20.5%)
- 36. Funding Challenges: Competition, declining support, external control Strengths: Fundraising, development, public relations Opportunities: Reallocate, alumni, retirees, donors, campus wide collaborations
- 37. Technology Challenges: Cost, time, expertise, training, risk Strengths: Collaborate, integrate, innovate Opportunities: Develop single search or integrate local holdings and content into Google Create comprehensive information organization and access structures Support content creation Support learning anywhere Develop learning objects
- 38. Leadership Challenges: Graying Few librarians eager to lead Strengths: Existing leaders are outstanding role models Opportunities: Entrepreneurs Support staff to learn, experiment, and develop Experienced professionals from other fields are bringing their expertise to librarianship as a second career Become leaders on campus: “flexible, dynamic, and progressive leaders…and….essential partners in learning and scholarship with faculty…” Provide opportunities for and mentor librarians to develop leadership potential
- 39. Campus Perception of the Library A librarian or two on every Faculty Senate Committee and Council Librarians are active and visible – make a difference; peers with faculty; a valuable resource; empowered Liaison office hours in departmental buildings and cafes; visits to academic department meetings; consultations, emails, etc. Huge increase in respect for everything related to the Library – transformative and open-minded participants
- 40. Liaisons Experts, consultants, facilitators Partners with faculty Support areas faculty get stuck: intellectual property, scholarly communication, copyright, ethics, technology integration, instructional techniques, assignment construction, information literacy, standards, organization of information Customize information to support disciplinary needs Outside of the library: in departments, cafes, dining halls, attending events, etc. Key to students is through faculty Train administrators and staff in research techniques and information management Support information needs of alumni and broader community
- 41. Liaison Opportunities Model effective teaching methods Study the human search process Create learning standards Improve curricula by integrating information literacy Develop evidence-based learning activities and assessments Teach students Convergence of literacies Content creation in their discipline, profession Ethical and legal values
- 42. Library Net Library Building Students IN Experience University Staff OUT/Online Storage Online Library Physical Collections
- 43. Academic Libraries Central Value-infusing Dynamic Flexible Technology-rich Experiential Collaborative Transformative Innovative Entrepreneurial Supportive Information experts