The UMKC University Libraries Information Commons in the Miller Nichols Library opened on Wednesday, October 18, 2000.
The Information Commons, made possible with funding from
the Nichols Trust, is designed as a collaborative, interdisciplinary, learner-centered,
lap-top-ready lounge and study space to meet the needs of UMKC students and
faculty as they study and conduct research. The Information Commons is approximately
9,600 square feet in area and features over 30 scholar’s workstations and
space for students, faculty, and librarians to work with each other and all
of the University Libraries’ resources. The spatial design and the computer
furniture system groups computers and reference services efficiently, effectively,
and attractively. The area includes flexible seating and working spaces with
44 additional networked jacks for laptop computers.
The Information Commons area design and construction were the result of a very successful, three year collaboration among the Miller Nichols Trust represented by Mrs. Jeanette Nichols, the UMKC University Libraries, Peckham Guyton Albers & Viets, Inc. Architects, Stanger Construction, UMC and UMKC Facilities Management, and UMKC Telecommunications. Planning for the new area included visits to the University of Southern California to see the Levy Library Information Commons and the University of Iowa Libraries Commons area. Library faculty at UMKC recognized students needed continued and increased access to all the electronic resources in support of their learning, but they also needed adequate spaces to use these electronic resources, to consult printed resources not available online, to collaborate with each other and faculty, and to produce products in a variety of formats to meet the demands and assignments for their classes.
The concept of an information commons--space that supports access, collaboration,
and production for an optimum learning experience--addresses these needs. “Our
visits to USC and UI gave us an opportunity to see how the concept had been
implemented in other places. We saw students using electronic resources, writing
papers, producing spreadsheet projects and presentations all at the same workstation.
These were busy and productive areas and very popular with the students. However,
as our ideas developed, we saw the possibility for more than this at the Nichols
Library,” comments Ted Sheldon, Director of UMKC University Libraries (1985-2004).
Describing the planning process, Elizabeth Henry, Assistant Director for Public
Services for the University Libraries reports, “In designing the Nichols Library
Information Commons space we incorporated more of our ideas. Mrs. Nichols
is a strong advocate for space that is less institutional and more welcoming
and comfortable for students and faculty. She saw an opportunity for the lighting
to be inviting and more like natural sunlight and to provide a space for quiet,
comfortable reading - similar to a living room area. In addition, we wanted
a room that would accommodate a variety of learning and study styles. More
and more students are collaborating, working in small groups on projects,
presentations, and papers. So the space had to provide for areas where students
could work and study together, not only at the scholar’s workstations, but
also with traditional printed materials. It was important that the area support
excellent reference services and space for library faculty to consult with
students and faculty about their studies and research.”
Completed in record time, only four months (May through September), the Information Commons blends all these concepts into one coordinated space. As you enter the space you first encounter an area with soft, upholstered chairs grouped near shelves for reference books. The lowered ceiling above this area has reflected cove lighting. Tables in these areas are wired for electricity and data to allow for use of laptop computers. The reference service desk faces the entrance to the area and has room for reference staff members to consult with several students at a time. There are additional areas to accommodate more in-depth or longer consultations between students and library faculty. The scholar’s workstations are placed on furniture designed to give users plenty of space while they work individually or in groups of two or three around the computer. Universal Access workstations with special software and a Braille printer are in an easily accessible area on the southeast end of the area. Chairs with small, moveable work surfaces attached to the arms make it possible to take notes from reading material in a comfortable setting in each of the alcoves on the south side of the Commons. These areas also contain tables wired for both electricity and data connection. Finally, there are three study rooms available for student groups of three or more. These rooms may be booked a week in advance by UMKC students and provide a place for extended collaboration and group study.
Associate Director of Libraries, Helen H. Spalding, recognizes the role the
Information Commons plays in the Libraries’ support of UMKC’s instructional
and research missions. “The UMKC University Libraries have had a long-standing
commitment to student-centered learning and to integrating information literacy
skills into the curriculum, which have been evident in many of our services,
including our collections in diverse formats, growing library instruction
program, and the new Information Commons. Only in the library can students
and faculty consult with library faculty, who facilitate inquiry, problem
solving, and thinking critically in locating, evaluating, and applying appropriate
information resources, whether they are available online, in print, on sound
recordings, or in other formats.”
Elizabeth Henry reports initial reaction to the space has been enthusiastic and very positive. Students entering the area for the first time are calling it “beautiful,” “cool, truly cool,” and “fantastic.” Library faculty and staff working in the area observed students using the various areas just as intended: reading quietly in the comfortable furniture, working individually and in groups at the scholar’s work stations, using the group study rooms, consulting in small groups with library faculty, and studying together with books and materials spread out on the roomier tables. Rebecca L. Schreiner, former Head of the Reference Department at the Miller Nichols Library who participated in the planning from the beginning says, “In my 15 years of working in academic reference departments, I have never been more pleased by a renovation as the one we have just completed at the Nichols Library. It is so rewarding to see such a direct and positive impact on students and how the Information Commons promotes information literacy. It is working!”
A formal UMKC dedication of the Information Commons in the Miller Nichols Library took place on April 7, 2001.
