It's Not Your Father's Library
The Commons has a 21st-century attitude
Today’s students are more technologically savvy than any past generation. They’ve grown up with e-mail, the World Wide Web, and laptop computers. Despite these changes in lifestyle, universities too often keep things just like they’ve always been. Take libraries, for example—stacks of books, checkout stands, and a librarian urging quiet study.
At the University of Tennessee, however, going to the library means a double skim latte and a Podcast at 1 a.m. in The Commons.
The Commons is a space dedicated to filling the needs of students and faculty with a 21st-century attitude. Occupying the second floor of UT’s Hodges Library, the space offers an 80-workstation computer lab with more than 100 software programs, wireless access, loaner laptops, reference and research services, a media center, a design studio equipped with editing software, and a Starbucks Coffee for those late-night cramming sessions.
This physical and virtual environment is becoming a trend in universities to address the changing needs of students. UT recognized the need to increase services offered to its students and change the environment to make the library more appealing. The plan worked. User statistics have reached never-before-seen highs for the library.
All the services students need are grouped together in The Commons
- 196,555 desktop computer logins were recorded
- 6,699,947 minutes were spent on computers
- 30,670 laptops were checked out, an increase of 70 percent
- 46 percent more people walked into the library (turnstile count) in December ’05 than December ’04
- A staggering 79 percent increase in circulation was recorded in December ’05
During the summer of 2006, the periodicals section of the library was relocated to allow for an additional computer lab in The Commons. Also, the Office of Information Technology Help Desk and student computer repair were relocated to The Commons. The OIT Help Desk answers questions about e-mail support, Internet usage, password resets, and all other technological concerns. The repair center troubleshoots desktop and operating software problems for student-owned computers.
A second phase of The Commons will offer a writing help center, movable and comfortable furniture, audio and video conferencing capabilities, and multimedia conference/presentation rooms. Additional space has been allocated for The Commons and most services will be offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
—Beth Gladden
