The Van Pelt Library will soon receive a facelift with the installation of a new Information Commons, to be completed in the first half of 2006.
Plans for the new information hub in the Dietrich wing of Van Pelt come in response to student feedback collected last year.
"We want to provide spaces for students to improve their learning and resource skills," Vice Provost and Director of Libraries Carton Rogers said. "The view is that students in the College do not have the same kinds of spaces available for studying, and this is a way of redressing it, even though it is not solely for them."
Students were responsive to the new plans.
"I think, since the new project is going to help with research, it is going to help students a lot to know how to get a start on some projects," College junior Lauren Davis said. "I think it will draw more students in, because it is very easy to start a research project online from your home with inefficient resources, but if there are people helping you with your projects, [then] more people would be interested in coming to the library."
Designs for this collaborative project between the School of Arts and Sciences and the Office of the Provost are still being reconfigured, and a Boston-based architectural firm was recently hired to complete work on the job.
The space, located on the first floor of the Dietrich wing, will offer approximately 5,000 square feet for the new Information Commons, and will be divided into three components.
The first component of the hub will be a technology center, including group study rooms that offer projection and Internet capabilities. Another component is a large digital media center.
"These spaces will provide students the opportunity to work with film and audio, as well as technology support, in order to learn and integrate these aspects into their work," Rogers said.
The last component of the new wing will be a student learning lab, where staff from the College, as well as members of the Communication Within the Curriculum program, will be available to assist students with academic writing and inquiry.
"In our design, we do not want too many permanent offices -- rather, the kind of spaces that are convertible and flexible -- because of the volume of students we have coming in," Rogers added.
The addition of this commons will also enhance the presence of the library staff by having data and project experts available to assist students in their research.
The decision to create this hub stems from the results of a student survey offered to library-goers at the end of last year's spring semester, as well as the need to have spaces available for research opportunities for students at late hours.
Funding for the project was recently approved by the Capital Council, and Rogers stressed the influence of the new University president as well as the Provost's Office in supporting the new information commons.
"We have received a huge amount of support from the Provost's Office," Rogers said. "They have been a great [proponent] in this and have really helped to move the project along."
Some members of the library staff also had a positive opinion of the new project.
"President [Amy] Gutmann seems to be more responsive to the library and its needs," Van Pelt Evening Circulation Desk Supervisor Dan Applegate said. "I think the new project is going to make people more aware of the things the library is capable of and what we can do."
