Rethinking the information common
- 1. Rethinking the Information Commons Joanne Br i t ton, Ci r culat ion and Reference Manager Helene Laf rance , Head of Ins t ruc t ion, Resear ch, and Out reach Santa Clara Uni ver s i t y
- 2. 2008
- 6. Information Commons Designed to serve the needs of the millennial generation Offered state-of-the-art technology and digital contents Catered to students’ social needs as well as academic ones Provided physical space designed to encourage collaboration and sharing of information Featured a large service desk staffed by librarians, IT and Media Services staff
- 8. 2013 Problems with the layout of the Information Commons Changes in students’ expectations and needs Opportunity to assess services and resources and implement changes
- 9. What we want to do today… Take you through the process we used from evaluation to implementation Get your input along the way on how this process could have been improved Involve you in some of the discussions we had
- 10. Virtual Tour of the Information Commons What do you notice? What are your first reactions?
- 14. Photo of the computer area
- 19. Students’ Expectations: What has changed in 5 years?
- 20. How Did We Begin? Appointment of a task force ◦ Charge ◦ Members Launched a six-month long assessment project Needed input and solid data to make a case for a renovation project
- 21. What Did We Do? Compilation of statistics already available (use statistics for service desks, LibQual data, etc.) Review of the literature on learning commons remodeling Observations of the 1st floor activities at different times of day
- 22. Quick Flip Chart Student Survey to learn how students use various areas of the first floor Staff Survey: to get their opinion first and to use their input to help us build a survey for the entire community Student Workers Survey Focus Groups: 2 for students, 2 for faculty Meeting with Director of the Hub Writing Center, and with the Disabilities Resources Office staff
- 23. Campus Wide Survey Why do you use the 1st floor Information Commons? What services do you use? How satisfied are you with services, space, and equipment on the 1st floor? What would you like to add? Comments 11questions, 2 open ended
- 24. What did we learn from the campus survey?
- 25. Campus Survey Response We received over 2,300 responses (33% response rate) with the following demographic breakdown: ◦ Undergraduate students: 55.8% ◦ Graduate Students: 25.3% ◦ Faculty: 7.8% ◦ Staff: 11.1%
- 26. About Services Our users are very confused about the purpose of the four service desks located in the Information Commons.
- 27. Greeter Desk 54% of our users never use the Greeter Desk
- 28. Start Here Desk Majority of users don’t know what services are offered at that desk and which part of the desk they should go to
- 29. Circulation Desk Users don’t understand the difference between the Circulation Desk and the Library Help Desk (part of the big Start Here Desk)
- 30. About Services 52.1% said they never use the services of a reference librarian at the Start Here Desk and many comment that they did not know reference librarians were available. 48.7% never use the Media Services Desk
- 31. About Space Students want more group study rooms, group study/collaborative open spaces. Students use the IC as a space to meet and socialize with friends, so 80% would like more comfortable furniture. 52.1% rated as important (or very important) the addition of a HUB satellite (writing center) on the first floor.
- 32. Two areas of the Information Commons are under utilized, the viewing stations area and the shelved reference collection.
- 33. About Equipment Top requests for additional equipment: Print only computer stations (68.4%) More computers (72.4%) Charging stations for personal mobile devices (75%) Document assembly area (79.1%)
- 34. Any Surprises?
- 35. Recommendations (Services) Remove the huge Start Here desk Consolidate all library service points (Circulation, Library Help, Greeter Desk) and move near the entrance of the building Relocate IT Student Help Desk where the Circulation Desk currently is Create a space for a satellite of the Hub Writing Center
- 36. Recommendations (Space) Remove the Reference Collection and the viewing stations and replace by group collaborative spaces Add lounge furniture Improve signage throughout the Information Commons Reduce noise from café; expand café hours and menu selections
- 37. Recommendations (Equipment) ◦ Add three print-only stations ◦ Add mobile device charging stations on each floor ◦ Add a document assembly counter ◦ Add computers to other floors ◦ Add vending machines
- 38. Recommendations (ADA) Add ADA door buttons for restrooms, multimedia lab, and a few collaborative rooms Add wheelchair accessible Smart Print release station
- 39. Need for Marketing Self check-out machines Wayfinder Viewing stations Research assistance service Media services hours and location
- 40. What happened next? Recommendations accepted Architects hired to design a new layout for the Information Commons University Librarian and CIO looked for money and found some Estimated cost: $140,000
- 41. Implementation New implementation team working with architects on new layout and selection of furniture Project will be done in two phases Small changes already implemented: ◦ Improved café hours + vending machines ◦ Removal of the reference collection (weeding project) ◦ Addition of charging stations ◦ Pilot project consolidating library help desk and circulation desk Project completion expected in summer 2015
- 43. What we learned Successful change cannot happen without thorough assessment Working with architects is not always easy Students’ expectations are constantly changing (need for collaborative space, mobile revolution) Combining Library Help and IT Help is not always the right thing to do
- 44. What we learned We need to change the way we name library services and resources Change impacts staff (weeding project) Communication is essential Implementation can be delayed and plans may have to change. Nothing is set in stone.
- 45. Questions?