Information Commons and Learning Commons Site Visits
 

Site Visit:	J. Murrey Atkins Library Information Commons  -- University of North Carolina at Charlotte,  North Carolina
Contact:	Barbara Tierney, Science Reference Librarian and Information Desk Coordinator Mark Reynolds, Facilities Manager Debra Myers, Digital Media Specialist Mike Winecoff, Librarian for Library Systems
Web Site:	Library:  http://library.uncc.edu/ Information Commons:  http://library.uncc.edu/infocommons
Organizational Structure:	Traditional Library Organizational Structure.  Not merged with Information Technology
Library Building	Renovated Library Building by Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson, and Abbott
Date of Visit:	April 18, 2007

Overview

UNC Charlotte is the fourth largest of the 16 institutions in the UNC system.  They offer 17 doctoral programs, 59 master's degree programs, and 85 undergraduate majors.  The Library supports 19,100 undergraduates, 4,000 graduate students, and 900 full-time faculty members.  They are a member of ASERL (Association of Southeastern Research Libraries), have 30 librarians and 70 full-time library staff.   On April 20, 2007 the Atkins Library celebrated the acquisition of their millionth volume. 

The Atkins Library Construction/Renovation Project (1996-1999) was completed in three phases and is a blend of new construction and the renovation of three separate buildings that have been joined together with new construction to form a fourth unified building. The project was funded from existing library funds, new money appropriated from the legislature, and a bond for the renovation of the facility.  The central Information Commons area is located on the first floor of the library.  The Second and Third floors also house library services and technology related to the Commons.  Floors Five - Eight and the ground floor house most of the circulating collections and the Tenth floor is home to the Special Collections. A virtual tour of the library is available at http://dlib.uncc.edu/tours/virtual/index.php.

The Atkins Library Information Commons opened in Spring 1999. Its initiatives and implementation was coordinated by the UNCC Information Commons Task Force which was chaired by Don Beagle.  This task force investigated national IC models and solicited input from all potential users to form the foundation for their service framework. UNCC's IC is designed to provide integrated services and multi-functional spaces that support both individual and collaborative work.

Description of Services and Facilities

The Information Commons is comprised of five different sections: The Information Desk, Reference Services, Presentation Support Services, Research Data Services, and Instructional Services.  To service these five sections, The Information Commons has three primary service desks on the first floor -- the Information Desk, the Reference Desk, and the Presentation Support Desk. The Information Desk -- is the functional center of the Information Commons and is the first desk one encounters upon entering the Library.  It provides basic information about library resources and services and acts as a referral center to the other desks as patron inquiries warrant.  They also assist with library security issues, monitor printing and photocopying machine problems, and book group study rooms.  This desk is staffed by library paraprofessionals and students who are trained to provide referrals to the other service desks or specialized staff. The Reference Desk is staffed by both professional librarians and paraprofessional staff and operates as a traditional reference service point.  The Presentation Support Desk provides assistance to users using digital technologies for production and presentation.

Also located on the first floor is the Circulation Desk.  A fifth Collections Public Service Desk, located on the second floor, supports course reserves, AV, Curriculum and Instructional Materials, and listening and viewing stations.

Information Desk - View upon entering the Library	Information Desk - Side View

On either side of the Information Desk are the Reference Services Desk and the Presentation Support Desk.  Further to the far side of the library entrance and close to the Presentation Support Desk is the Circulation Desk.  As the center desk, the Information Desk is the largest with strong straight edges.  The other service desks located on either side of the Information Desk are curved in toward the center of the area.  All desks are in line with one another and are counter height.  Some staff wonder if it may have been better to have a single integrated desk or to have moved the Reference and Presentation Support Desks back from the main Information Desk so that the patron is not confused as to which desk to approach first for assistance.

Reference Desk	Presentation Support Desk
Circulation Desk located on one's right upon entering the Library Information Commons	Service Desk on the Second Floor

Surrounding the three Information Commons service desks are multiple computer areas arranged in circular pods of eight computers each.  These circular pods are found throughout the first floor commons area and are repeated on the second and third floors as well. Behind the Information Desk there is a spacious and comfortable reading/meeting area that serves as a common space between the Reference Services and the Presentation Support sections. Currently they have 200+ public computes throughout the Library, 107 of which are in the first floor open space shown below.  Additionally, students can check out 50 laptops from the circulation desk and use them throughout this wireless facility. The circulation desk also loans camcorders, projectors, video monitors, headphones, and other equipment.

Except for approximately 20 workstations located near the reference desk, all computers have productivity software.  The software is provided through campus site licenses so it is the same as the software loaded on computers in other computer labs on campus.  Software includes office suites, desktop publishing, graphics, mathematics/statistics, multimedia presentation, scanning, and access to the Internet. Printing is available from all networked computers and requires a copy card.

Reading Area behind Information Desk	Circular Computer pods
Computer Pod near Reference Desk
	Computer Pod on Second Floor

In addition to the more open circular computer pods, Atkins also uses individual carrels to house 60+ individual PC workstations.  Each Carrel has both power and data ports.  Carrels are located throughout the library, with the largest concentration located on the first and second floors.  As you can see from the picture below, carrels are often located near comfortable seating areas, giving users a variety of study choices.

Computer Workstations in Carrels	Carrels and Comfortable Seating on Second Floor
Expansive, quiet and light reading/study area located in a lovely curving area on the far side of the first floor.

For collaborative group work, Atkins Library offers a variety of group study rooms that can accommodate up to 12 users. These rooms have also been popular for individual quiet study. In total, they have 15 group study rooms -- nine on the first floor and six on the second floor.  All rooms are booked through the Information Desk.

Computer equipped large group study room	Group study room with data ports, electricity and chalkboard

Supporting the Library Instruction Program are two Library Instruction Classrooms, one located on the first floor (with an instructor demonstration station and 20 laptop units stored in a mobile locker) and another located on the second floor (with 20 student computer stations and an instructor demonstration station).  Additional classrooms are nearby and are available for both library and academic classes.

Library Classroom on First Floor	Picture shows laptop container housing 20 laptops for library instruction

The Presentation Support area of the Library houses the Library's Digital Media Services.  This area provides the resources and technological assistance for user presentation and production activities.  Technologies available include video and sound editing equipment, scanners, DVD and video players, and a video standard conversion unit that converts VHS tapes from one country’s standard to another.  There is an Assistive Technology Lab for disabled patrons in this area as well.  The Presentation Support desk is staffed by one full-time and one part-time paraprofessional and a team of students. Down the hall from this area, there is a video production studio that supports Distance Education, video conferencing, and television broadcasts to the campus and local community which is administered by UNCC’s Broadcast Communications.

Presentation Support Desk (also shown above)	Digital Media and Scanner Lab
Video/Audio Lab for creating and editing digital products	DVD Standardizing equipment
Adaptive Technology Lab	Video Conferencing Room supporting Distance Education

The lovely Dale Halton Reading Room on the first floor serves as a reception area for intellectual and cultural events. There is also a large stadium style classroom that can accommodate large audiences for guest speakers. There is an interesting permanent display of Pepsi Memorabilia in this area.   Based in Charlotte, Pepsi is a major library donor.   In the picture below, comfortable seating and tables have been removed to prepare for their millionth volume acquisition celebration. 

The tenth floor is home to the Atkins Library Special Collections which houses oral, photographic and written historical materials on the Charlotte region, the University archives, and rare books and manuscripts.

Dale Halton Reading Room/ Reception Area	Pepsi Exhibition
Pepsi Memorabilia Exhibit

The Ritazza Coffee Shop on the Ground Floor is a very popular spot for students.  With an agreement with the Library, there is a security gate at the entrance of the Coffee Shop.  All materials brought into the coffee shop must first be checked out from the library.  In case one forgets, there is a self-checkout station right outside the coffee shop. On the ground floor there is also a large screen monitor as one leaves the building announcing upcoming events and other important information.

Ritazza Coffee Shop	Security Gate to Coffee Shop
Self Checkout station across the hall from Coffee Shop	Large Screen Monitor used for announcements and news

To monitor security in this large building they have a full-time security staff and electronic monitoring to ensure the safety of their patrons.

Library Electronic Monitoring

Governance and Strategic Fit

The Information Commons Planning Group existed from 2001 - 2003 to help guide them through the building and implementation of the IC. This group included representatives from every area of the library and was responsible for developing service plans and procedures. This group has since been absorbed by the Atkins Library Public Services Committee that meets once a month to deal with all public services issues.

The Information Commons is coordinated by the Associate University Librarian for the Information Commons.  Although, currently vacant, this position reports to the University Librarian who meets regularly with the Provost for Academic Affairs and Deans' Council.  The Library Information Commons strives to strategically align itself with the academic goals of the university.  They undergo a parallel strategic planning process with the university which is updated every two years.  The Faculty Advisory Library Committee which consists of representatives from various academic departments also serves as an advising body to the Library.

Although the Library and Information and Technology Services were organizationally merged in the late 1990s, they are not currently merged and are quite distinct organizationally.  However, the University Librarian and the CIO have adjacent offices in the Library building.  The Faculty Center for Teaching and E-Learning is located on the first floor of the library but is governed by the Information and Technology Services Department.

Communication

The Information Commons Planning Group was charged with ensuring communication to the whole staff during the planning and implementation of the IC.  They achieved this through the use of a variety of communication tools.  They had a Commons Web Site, a Commons listserv, hard copy distribution, face to face meetings, and electronic distribution of their meeting minutes to all library staff.

Collaboration and Partnerships

The Faculty Center for Teaching and E-Learning (FCTeL) is a library partner located adjacent to the Information Commons.  This center provides instructional and e-learning support, including services on teaching methods, online instruction, instructional technology, learning styles, course management, and professional development.  They offer several faculty workshops throughout the semester and support specific academic technology products such as WebCT, Centra (virtual classroom), SurveyShare, Turnitin, and Respondus (quiz creator).  Each semester librarians and FCTeL staff jointly teach technology and research methods classes for UNCC faculty and staff.

Video Production Services are adjacent to the Information commons.  These services provide video conferencing and distance learning connectivity to the university through the North Carolina Research and Education Network and the North Carolina Information Highway.

They are currently considering seeking space within the Library for satellite offices for the University’s Writing and Tutoring Centers.

FCTel work area	FCTel Digital Lab for Teaching and E-Learning

Staffing and Training

Staff positions for the Information Commons are a combination of professional, para-professional, and student positions. The IC has 11.5 Reference/Research Data Services librarians, 4 Support Staff, and 4.5 FTE Student Assistants. Some job descriptions for existing staff were redefined and some staff was reassigned from other departments.

To train the staff working on the IC service desks they cross-train in general public service desk competencies.  They also provide a second-level of cross training to give workers desk-specific competencies.  They have offered cross-training classes to all interested library staff, including sessions on the reference interview, library databases, computer troubleshooting, software applications, library policies and procedures, and customer service. Materials from these training sessions are posted on the Library intranet.

Impact on Collections

Compact shelving has been utilized on the ground floor.  They are currently exploring an Automatic Storage and Retrieval System.  Analysis of students current browsing habits has found that students prefer to browse electronically and order materials of interest online.

Reference and Instruction

Reference and Instructional Services comprise two of the five components of UNCC's  Information Commons. Reference is provided by twelve full-time librarians and two full-time para-professionals from its reference service desk on the first floor.   Several reference librarians are liaisons to academic departments and specific student populations (i.e. adult students), have subject collection responsibilities, and teach library instruction classes. Although they do not have a formal Information Literacy program, they do teach classes for English 101 and Freshman seminar.

Virtual Environment

Virtual Reference Chat is provided by the Southeast Research Libraries consortium.  Librarians also provide online research guides and extensive class guides through the Library's web site.

Assessment

Even though they regularly conduct both formal and informal assessment, Librarians wish that an Information Commons assessment plan had been in place when they first opened.  Initially, they had only collection and database use statistics and gate counts. Desk statistics are taken at all public service desks and reviewed on a regular basis.  They would like to have a continuous online survey to gather feedback. 

Atkins Library has recently completed an online survey to 24,000 students and faculty. They received 1500 returns from this survey and have collected good narrative data for their task force which is currently investigating phase two of their Information Commons.

They have participated in LibQual+ and the Project SAILS Information Literacy Survey.

Lessons Learned

• Staff feel that they have too many public service desks in the IC.  Staffing individual desks all the hours that the library is open is problematic.  Too many desks are also confusing to patrons who are unsure which desk to approach for their information need.

• Nothing is static.  From building inception to move in date, nothing stands still and you have to keep making modifications as you go along.

• Stay flexible until the last second.

• It is hard to look out and see what the future holds.

• Put electrical outlets on the table top.

• Laptop checkout is a popular service.  They find students are portable with their data but not with their computer hardware equipment.

• Heavy support columns obstruct sight lines between service points.

• Mill-work furniture is expensive and not flexible enough to grow with evolving needs.

• Classrooms need to be closer to the Information Commons so that they can be opened for student use when not being used for classes.

• Although attractive, an open atrium creates unacceptable noise levels.  Noise from the first floor travels up the atrium to the 2nd and 3rd floor.

Observations Informing Best Practices

• Be careful not to create too many service points.  Find ways to consolidate staff and bring services together.

• Do not invest in expensive, non-moveable, mill-work furniture.  Opt for modular units that can be configured in various ways as patron needs change.

• Create social spaces -- the library is Place.

• Need both quiet study areas and collaborative study rooms.

• Build Library classroom spaces near the Information Commons so that they may utilized by students when not being used for classroom instruction.

• Be careful of spaces that can create unacceptable noise levels.

• Think of the Library's social component -- Look for ways to draw students into the library spaces.

• Relax the Library's food and drink policy.