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Info Commons Development Task Force Information Commons Development Task Force 2008 Recommendations For the Development of the Information Commons Services and Facilities At the University at Albany 2008 – 2010 By the Information Commons Development Task Force Greg Bobish, Jane Kessler, Chris Moore, Lorre Smith, Laura Ryan, and Robert Wachs March 10, 2008 1 Information Commons Development Task Force 2008 Introduction The Task Force charge is to provide ideas for development of the current Information Commons (IC) to allow evolution to the next generation. The Task Force was asked not to be overly constrained by resource limitations, but to provide ideas that may be used by the University Libraries and Information Technology Services to develop facilities, staff and services. The Task Force was encouraged to develop an expanded concept for the IC. The Task Force decided to look at IC‐related web pages at our peer institutions as well as look at additional Information and Learning Commons that featured services and facilities that were innovative. We used the InfoCommons‐L electronic discussion list to find IC sites and discover ideas through those discussions at the international level. We used survey data gathered from users in the University Libraries by the Reference Assessment Librarian during the fall of 2007. We also met with IC staff and asked them to tell us from their experiences what were successful services, what the users indicated that they liked, what problems users were having, and what they requested often that we are not currently offering. We searched the growing body of literature about Information Commons and Learning Commons and drew philosophical and pragmatic ideas from our results. In the literature we found a focus on innovative thinking in higher education and the shift in educational paradigm from teacher centered [sage on the stage] to learner centered: Information and Learning Commons as manifestations of encouragement of creative learning and use of resources and technology for development of learning skills. With a brief time frame, the Task Force was not able to conduct more complete surveys of students and faculty regarding current services and potential services, and it expects that subsequent groups charged with developing and planning will conduct such surveys in order to tailor services and facilities to our University community. 2 Information Commons Development Task Force 2008 Executive Summary of the Task Force Recommendations The Information Commons should evolve to a user‐friendly and user‐centered hub through which a multitude of support services can be accessed, negotiated, coordinated and applied to the broad array of teaching, learning, and research activities. The IC could be conceived of as both virtual and physical manifestations with physical location(s) as well as a conceptual framework that connects the processes and work of various departments/units/offices in support of academic activities. The next generation IC should seek to extend and expand the current model beyond the user room/reference support paradigm to a more integrated “learning commons” model that could encompass a wider spectrum of the University at Albany experience. Such an evolution would respond to and support user‐centered, social, interactive, and technologic aspects of teaching, learning, and research by providing an environment that encourages expansive, flexible and innovative uses of the IC resources and facilities. The Task Force makes the following recommendations, listed in an order of priority according to attainment of a fully integrated Information Commons. The Task Force envisions a phased implementation of them, over time, to attend to both pragmatic needs in the near‐term while enabling scalability to the longer‐term state of integration. It is likely that some lower priority recommendations are more easy to implement before other higher priority recommendations. While many of the recommendations might be dependent upon completion of others, they should not necessarily be viewed as being mutually exclusive or entirely dependent on a strict sequence since their implementation will depend on strategic decisions taken regarding the direction of IC development and degree of commitment. 1. Conduct a needs analysis to determine objectives and direction of the IC and to develop metrics for ongoing evaluation. It is difficult to propose innovations or changes without better comprehension of needs. 2. Appoint a coordinator for the IC in order to assure coherence in operations, development and evaluation. 3. Integrate additional UAlbany services through the IC, whether in a “hub and spokes” configuration – with the participating service units located outside of the IC locations ‐ or in a central location with all participating services being co‐located. 4. Develop a well articulated “front end” in both physical and virtual (online and coordination) realms. “Zones” designated in the physical IC should provide clear distinctions between various services and space usage options. Virtual interfaces (web) and conceptual frameworks facilitating policies and procedures that support principles and objectives will help to make the IC usable beyond its physical location(s). Users and service staff alike will be most productive if able to work within a clear and easy to navigate environment that enables guidance and facilitation of their endeavors. 5. Develop outreach models to further engage the university community in a variety of teaching, learning, and research activities. 6. Apply for grants to fund a variety of the elements that comprise the IC (i.e., technology, space, renovation, furniture, scholarship and creative activity, aesthetic enhancement, staffing, etc.). 3 Information Commons Development Task Force 2008 7. Promote the IC concept to all users. 8. Evaluate the design and staffing of the service areas to assess how well existing configurations are providing services. The staff should be supported through development opportunities that further balance and integrate ITS HelpDesk and Library (and other service) perspectives. 9. Enhance equipment, facilities and usage of the IC: • Install more electrical power for overall IT use in University Library • Procure additional laptops for loan • Install more computers, including Macintosh • Encourage students to use their own laptops by providing more spaces configured for group and individual laptop use, power outlets, seating, and enhanced wireless coverage areas • Implement a wireless printing solution • Provide fax service in the IC locations or kiosks • Provide additional scanning and color and duplex printing capability in IC • Design more collaborative rooms • Redesign some existing group spaces as flexible spaces that allow easy reconfiguration by users (as appropriate according to “zoning” needs) • Examine additional IT solutions for collaborative work areas (perhaps pilot test) o Teamspot collaboration software (other solutions) o group monitors o shared monitors o web conferencing support tools (microphones, headsets, software, etc.) o production/creativity applications • Develop and implement a scheduling/reserving procedure for IC facilities like the group rooms • Create presentation practice space(s) • Create media production spaces with support staff trained in production technologies (e.g., closed rooms for sound recording, multimedia recording and editing equipment, etc.) • Install a vending machine for office supplies (CD, DVD, cables, batteries, cassettes, thumb drives, pens, highlighters, etc.) • Enable support for mobile devices (PDA, smart phones, etc.) • Make enhancements to the aesthetics of the IC, including artwork and other environmental improvements • Consider compact shelving options for hard copy collections • Consider needs for purchase, cataloging, and storage of digital collections and archives. • Cell phone “pods” to contain loud phone conversations and maintain quiet IC space • Consider providing Ethernet access points for student laptop use 10. Evaluate the IC using metrics that have been based on results of the needs analysis. Learning activities in the commons should be evaluated and reference /research question statistics should be kept and analyzed. Equipment use and training as well as collaborative space use should undergo ongoing evaluation. 4 Information Commons Development Task Force 2008 Information Commons at Peer Institutions Our examination of web pages from peer universities, some of which have an Information Commons and/or Learning Commons, revealed much about the trends among institutions of higher education. The IC approach to services has been developed in libraries to provide users with adequate hardware and software to take advantage of institution–wide networked educational resources as well as library resources. Services most often include library reference faculty and staff and technology support staff as well as library public services. Often there are scanning and printing facilities. Campus libraries and information technology staffs have sometimes found the IC to be an opportunity to begin collaborating. Variations on this basic model include collaborative study spaces and computer workstation spaces that are designed as collaborative spaces. Developments of the IC model include spaces developed as multimedia production facilities, presentation rooms to be used as rehearsal spaces, more comfortable furniture to accommodate groups who wish to take advantage of the social atmosphere, laptop loans and flexible space configurations
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