Santa Clara University

About the Learning Commons & Library

The new Learning Commons & Library symbolizes the blending of traditional components of a humanistic education with the new opportunities provided by information technology. The library will be an intellectual hub on campus, a destination spot for students and faculty, where they can access information resources, get assistance in using those resources, and enjoy work spaces that meet the needs of both private study/research and group collaboration. The new library will encourage intensive study and research through electronic resources developed at SCU or accessed via the Internet, licensed online resources, and books and periodicals (shelved on traditional open stacks and stored in a new on-site automated retrieval system).

The new library will also be a broadly useful technology resource for the whole campus enterprise. Nearly 15% (or about $12 million) of the total $82 million cost of the new facility is allocated to providing greatly enhanced technology resources. The building will contain open computing resources with the fastest machines available on campus, connected to the fastest communication networks at SCU. More than thirty collaborative workrooms will be available for students to work on group projects, fully supported by networking and display technologies that allow them to jointly create and modify documents, presentations, and images. Specialty labs for multimedia use, language learning, and faculty curriculum development will offer hardware and software tools that cannot yet be cost-effectively provided generally across campus. "Incubator rooms" will provide space, one of the scarcest resources on campus, for highly experimental uses of technology, the most successful of which will be deployed across campus as costs come down and our understanding of how best to employ the new technologies increases. Wired and wireless networks will permeate the structure, providing quick access to information resources and reference assistance, both on and off campus.

The library is designed as a flexible facility that can be adaptable to future changes in both learning styles and technology. A variety of types of seating for both individuals and groups is planned, and the availability of natural light throughout the facility is an important consideration. Raised floors for distribution of power, communication media, and heating and air conditioning will make reconfiguring the facility much less expensive than more rigidly designed structures. Important but less frequently used print resources will be housed in an automated retrieval system (ARS), which simultaneously optimizes use of building space through high-density storage, while offering users quick (usually less than five minute) access to all the stored materials. Archives and Special Collections materials will be stored in compact shelving areas where appropriate environmental controls for temperature, humidity, and lighting can be maintained. Open shelf stack areas on the lower level will be designed so that they can be converted to compact shelving, if necessary to support the future growth of print collections.

The new library will house the staff and services of the present University Library, Information Technology, and Media Services. A "Help Desk" in the first floor Information Commons area will be staffed by a combination of individuals from the different departments, to more effectively assist students and faculty in their use of information resources and technology. Closer physical proximity of librarians and information technology resource specialists will support collaboration in the development of new uses of technology and information resources and computer and information literacy; and the combination of all of the University's central computing resources will help to appropriately integrate academic and administrative systems to better support overall University operations and meet the needs of individual students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Other features of the building include "windows" into the Automated Retrieval System and the Data Center, putting the building's technology on view; a combined area for reference and government documents to enhance research assistance; improved classroom and laboratory facilities for information literacy, multimedia development, technology training, and language learning; a combined area for the University Archives and Special Collections; more and better exhibit space; an attractive and flexible multi-use room for study and special events such as faculty presentations, lectures, book signings, and receptions; outdoor spaces, both inside the building and in the Alameda Mall area, that can be used for study, as informal gathering places, or simply a place for a much needed break from the pace of campus life.

Updated August 2005