learning commons & subject librarians @ the university of massachusetts-amherst

UMass Amherst Libraries – W.E.B. Du Bois Library

Learning Commons & Subject Librarians

Anne C. MooreAssociate Director for User Services

W.E.B. Du Bois LibraryMarch 15, 2008

2UMass Amherst Libraries – W.E.B. Du Bois Library

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.


Learning Commons & Technical Support Desk


Writing Center Enclosure


Academic Advising Link & Career Services


Procrastination Station Café (Auxiliary Services)


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


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


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


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


http://www.umass.edu/learningcommons/


http://blogs.umass.edu/umasslc/


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!


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)


Gate Counts in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library - October

77,932

108,760

149,563

161,807

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

FY2005 FY2006 FY2007 FY2008


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


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


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 % (1st 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)


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


Those who entered on March 14, 2006 (n=682)

More diverse group than the campus population

Ethnicity UMass Survey

Caucasian 83% 71%

African-American 5% 8%

Hispanic 4% 4%

Asian 8% 12%


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%


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 café (open 24/5) Reconsider former hours on holidays and

intercessions – need to be longer 24/7 during academic semesters


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


Recent additions (2007-2008) Current reading area 5th 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


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


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 (26th Floor) Research Commons


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


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

UMass Amherst Libraries – W.E.B. Du Bois Library

Subject Specialist Librarians

Liaisons


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


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)


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


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


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%)


Funding

Challenges: Competition, declining support, external control

Strengths: Fundraising, development, public relations

Opportunities: Reallocate, alumni, retirees, donors, campus wide collaborations


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


LeadershipChallenges: 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


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


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


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


Library Net

Library Building Students INExperience

University

Staff OUT/Online

Storage

Online Library

Physical Collections


Academic Libraries

Central Value-infusing Dynamic Flexible Technology-rich Experiential

Collaborative Transformative Innovative Entrepreneurial Supportive Information experts