Skip to main content
Information Services Homepage

Building Facts

  1. Home
  2. Information Services
  3. The Learning Commons
  4. Building Facts
About Information
Learning Commons
  • Opened in April 2008
  • Over 1,200 reader seats in various formats, including carrels, small tables, movable lounge furniture, and outdoor seating in the café and terraces.
  • Three-story atrium with living room area featuring casual lounge seating and study carrels
  • Three video viewing and recording rooms
  • Saint Clare Room - traditional reading room
  • Sunstream Café
Technology Center
  • Information Commons with 68 high-end computers, media stations, assistive technology stations, reference materials, and helpful staff.
  • Digital Media Lab and Faculty development lab
  • Videoconferencing rooms
  • Three training rooms for library and technology instruction that double as drop-in labs when free.
  • Two video editing suites

University
Library
  • Approximately 250,000 volumes on open shelves
  • Approximately 600,000 volumes in the Automated Retrieval System, which has a total capacity of 1 million volumes
  • Approximately 590,000 government documents
  • Approximately 865,000 microform units
  • Rev. Norman F. Martin, S.J., Archives and Special Collections Reading Room and Exhibit Gallery
Size 194,000 square feet on four levels
Green
Features
  • 70% recycled content in the 135,000 cubic foot concrete slab
  • 90% of non-storage areas have natural lighting and outside visibility
  • Energy-efficient lighting throughout
  • Minimal use of materials with vinyl, formaldehyde, phthalates, or mercury
  • Raised flooring to reduce cooling and heating costs
  • Reused roof tile from the previous library
Automated
Retrieval
System (ARS)
  • 3 robotics cranes retrieve and reshelve books and other materials from over 11,000 bins
  • Total capacity over 1 million volumes
  • Currently has over 600,000 volumes (ca. 60% full)
  • 3 robotic cranes were named as a result of a student contest and are called Hart, Ichabod, and Stephen in honor of literary “Cranes”
  • It takes less than 10 minutes from the point when a book is requested online and when that book is available to pick up at the front of the building.
  • Also referred to as an ASRS (Automated Retrieval and Storage system), there are less than 20 libraries in the world using a system of this type
  • Some other ASRS installations include libraries at Cornell, Colgate, CSU Northridge, Grand Valley State, North Carolina State, Sonoma State, University of Chicago, UNLV, and Utah State

25

Collaborative work rooms

200

Computers available for student use