Information Commons: The Future is Now

First established in the United States in the 1990’s, the information commons (IC) has become a common way to provide users of academic libraries with a variety of both library and technology services in the 21st century. Now a worldwide phenomenon, the information commons offers, in a centralized location, research and writing assistance, access to computers and other technology, high-speed Internet and wireless communication, loans of laptops and tablet devices, tutoring, both quiet and noisy work study areas, collaborative spaces, classrooms, digital media services, coffee and food items, and more. From the smallest to the largest institutions, the IC has become almost a necessity if the academic library is to be successful in attracting and serving users, primarily undergraduates. Focused heavily on the use of technology and sometimes known as the learning commons, the IC seeks to both meet user needs and to more fully integrate the library into the academic programs of the university. The effective implementation of an information commons adds value to traditional services and embraces the idea that innovation and knowledge creation are at the center of a modern academic library. This paper describes the features and goals of this innovative service model and presents a description of the very successful implementation of the Information Commons at Loyola University Chicago

Library Spaces in the 21st Century—Meeting the Challenges of User Needs for Information, Technology, and Expertise

Libraries and library professionals face multiple challenges in meeting user needs in the second decade of the new millennium. This is particularly true in academic libraries where students and faculty demand and expect fast, easy, and seamless access to information as well as flexible, comfortable places to work alone was well as collaboratively with colleagues, friends, classmates, and instructors. These same patrons often require the assistance of information specialists to navigate a library’s increasingly large array of online resources. The past fifteen plus years have seen a major shift in philosophy in the U.S. and in other parts of the globe in terms of the importance of “library as space” in enhancing the role of the college and university library. As a result, academic institutions, at the urging of librarians, have created spaces known as information commons, learning commons, research commons, etc. in response to user needs for 1) access to technology, 2) group work, 3) social interaction, and 4) knowledge creation.The information commons in all its forms has not been static, indeed it has matured, adapting over time to changing technologies, patron needs, and pedagogies. This paper provides historical context and reviews recent trends in the area in the area of learning and study spaces in academic libraries. It also cites the successful Information Commons at the author’s home institution, Loyola University Chicago, examining its first six years of operation and projecting changes in its next half decade

Reference 2001: A Director’s Admonitions

Reflections on professional roles and responsibilities are explored, as well as the opportunities and challenges facing academic reference librarians. The information environment has been transformed by technology and the Web, and will continue its exponential change. What\u27s coming? What endures? How will we thrive? Whatever approach we take, it is essential to remember that maintaining the status quo is not good enough to meet the changing needs and expectations of library clientele

The Information Commons Handbook (review)

Once an innovative idea but now a standard feature of many academic libraries, the information commons has transformed library services across the country over the past decade. Although dozens of articles have appeared in the literature on various aspects and models of the information commons (IC), until now there has not been a thorough monograph devoted to the topic

Mexican and U.S. Library Relations

This paper examines recent library interactions involving the United States and Mexico, providing a review of the literature and commentary on current and potential future cooperative endeavors. However, due to space considerations and a dearth of literature describing early work, the focus is limited to the past 30 years, with only selected references to earlier activity. The potential impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), recent developments in telecommunications and computer technology, and a rising number of grass roots binational conferences and projects all make this a good time to review our relationship, librarywise, with our neighbors to the south

Erasing Boundaries: Global Resource Sharing in the 21st Century

Academic libraries have long been accustomed to participating in cooperative ventures with neighboring institutions as well as with those in other regions of their country. In large part, such activities have grown out of a desire to reduce or control costs, as well as to provide users with a broader base of materials for research, study, and teaching. Because not even a well-developed national library is able to fulfill all its users\u27 needs all the time, today\u27s university libraries must depend upon one another to fulfill those needs. For many decades, the resource sharing tradition has been particularly strong among academic libraries in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Western Europe. Rising costs, increased user demand, and enhancements in technology, has all contributed to a steadily growing interest in sharing collections, services, and expertise. Indeed, as the end of the century approaches, resource sharing programs continue to grow in number and scope, now often extending beyond one\u27s own national borders to the world at large. The focus of this paper is to explore some of the important issues related to international resource sharing and to underscore why it is so vital to the academic library community

The U.S.-Mexico Interlibrary Loan Project

Initiated in the fall of 1989, the U.S.-Mexico Interlibrary Loan Project is a cooperative effort providing for the formal exchange of books, photocopies, and microforms between libraries in the Southwest United States and Mexico City. The 25 U.S. participants are all members of the AMIGOS Bibliographic Council and are primarily academic libraries. The Mexican collaborators include six libraries at private colleges and universities and the Benjamin Franklin Library of the United States Information Service. The University Library of the University of Texas at El Paso coordinates the program, the first of its kind between the United States and its neighbor to the south

Resource Sharing Begins at Home: Opportunities for Library Partnerships on a University Campus

Purpose This paper aims to demonstrate that academic library cooperation is not only limited to work with other institutions but also includes partnerships with related campus units. The primary goal of interdepartmental collaboration is to enhance student success, a common institutional priority in the twenty-first century. Design/methodology/approach The paper offers examples of successful library/campus collaboration along with goals, advantages, disadvantages and challenges of such activity. Elements necessary for success as well as the importance of project assessment are emphasized. Findings Many opportunities for cooperation exist, especially with student development, centers for teaching excellence, information technology, academic departments, writing centers and more. The Information Commons model in particular offers the academic library many opportunities for shared services. Based on the successes of many colleges and universities, libraries are encouraged to consider and undertake partnerships with other student and faculty support services. Originality/value The paper incorporates an overview of the literature of library/campus cooperation along with the author’s experience to provide a roadmap for future projects at any college or research library

Academic Branch Libraries

Few issues in academic librarianship inspire as much controversy as the branch or departmental library. At the center of this controversy is the question of whether or not collections should be centralized in the main university library or located in part in separate branch libraries. Although vigorously debated since the beginning of this century, the centralization-decentralization dilemma became even more of an issue following World War II, when college and university enrollments and academic libraries began to grow at unprecedented rates and the pressure for adequate library services and collections increased. This particular issue has never been resolved completely, nor is it limited to the United States. Although librarians have written extensively on the pros and cons of both centralized and decentralized library systems, they have not ignored other issues related to academic branch libraries. Services, collections, staffing, faculty involvement, and other concerns have all been considered in the literature, though not with the frequency nor the intensity of the centralization debate. This article is an attempt to synthesize and summarize the literature, primarily since 1945, of academic branch libraries in the United States, providing an introduction to major issues and philosophies. Occasional references to earlier articles, as well as to selected foreign literature, will also be made