The Information Commons
In the last year I have been reading about the information or learning commons environment. For the most part I am enthusiastic about the guiding principles underlying this type of setting. I am particularly intrigued by the institutions that have created shared service desks for Library and IT departments (and/or Writing Center, Multimedia software, etc.). Since information and technology are so intertwined, it makes sense that staff from different departments should work together to create new spaces that support the teaching, learning, and social environments on campus. Providing students and faculty one physical or virtual space in which to seek help sounds more appealing to me than bouncing people from one department to the next, never knowing if in the end, the person who needed help ever found the answer they sought.
In the old print world, we had different locations for teaching, researching, learning, and socializing. Technology has broken down these barriers. Sure, print resources and real places are still necessary and important. We simply need to rethink how we want to utilize the online and offline places and spaces in order to better accommodate the needs of people, resources, services, and technology.
One of my favorite books to read this year was The Information Commons Handbook by Donald Robert Beagle. I found this manual very inspiring, right from the introduction pages where the author asks “What is the best environment for communities, culture, learning, and research?” The answer? “Start with the user. ” This statement seems, like an obvious idea, but this principal can easily get lost in assumptions, finances, personalities, and politics within an organization.
Both this book and another fun read, Learning Spaces by Educause, reminds me that there are a lot of brilliant people out there who see beyond their own cubicles to the greater mission of the university, and more importantly, the greater good of the student. It is possible for Librarians, IT, and Faculty to rethink and re-imagine our roles and contributions in academia and to really show that we honor creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and ingenuity in higher education.
The only thing about the information/learning commons movement that makes me sad is this: I thought the Library was the information commons. Call me selfish, but I wish that the word “Library” was the hip new term for these collaborative places. Oh well. I don’t think the Library is getting left behind. Maybe I’m just feeling nostalgic.
June 23rd, 2008 at 1:52 pm
This is a great opportunity to think about spaces and learning. I’ve seen two presentations about how to go about this level of transformation, and clearly it takes early and intense cooperation across multiple departments. What I’ve been struck with is the idea that there are still quiet stacks wee scholars can hang out and also noisy coffee shops and multimedia labs whee other scholars can create.
August 15th, 2008 at 11:27 am
I really appreciate the nice comments about my book, The Information Commons Handbook, as well as the EDUCAUSE monograph. The blog raises a question I’ve been wondering about: how can I/we help faculty become more aware of these books? My motivation is (honestly!) not about selling more copies. It is already in more than 500 libraries, so I would be thrilled to simply see faculty borrow it from their campus libraries. My concern stems from the fact that the discussions about the Information Commons I’ve been seeing in places like the Chronicle, the Wall Street Journal, even magazines like Campus Technology, have really missed the mark. They leave the impression that we librarians are presiding over the death of the printed book and placing in its wake only comfy coffee lounges for occasional student socializing. These articles have failed to even acknowledge that there is a deeper process at work here. They have failed to address what both these books and a few others have at least aiiempted to address: what you well describe as a reinvention of service within libraries that augments the old quiet reading spaces with new arenas where “we honor creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and ingenuity.”
August 26th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Don, thank you for adding your comments and insight. I too hope more people read your book. It was the best educational read I have had in a long time. Congratulations on compiling such a inspirational work.
You ask a great question - Why do we lose sight of the greater purpose for the information commons/Library spaces? Why do we focus on the “stuff” and not the people? I find the Information Commons model exciting because in theory, the IC acknowledges the importance the people who use these spaces. Creating engaging places for resources and people, regardless of department affiliation, and irrespective of the format of the information is absolutely thrilling. The Library/Information Commons should be about people, not technology, toys, or comfy chairs, as enjoyable as all these things are. The moment we become more enthralled with the technology or the “stuff” is the moment we become a warehouse for neat toys and not a place of learning, collaboration, and discovery.