The changing nature of information transfer in today’s digital environment is more fluid than most people would have believed possible only 10 years ago. On behalf of their patrons, libraries – especially university libraries – across the world must operate in a state of almost constant transition. The St. Thomas libraries are no exception.
St. Thomas will continue to address this challenge by combining physical and virtual resources into a collaborative learning and teaching "space": the Information Commons. It will blend technology and digital resources with traditional library resources and support to provide high-quality research and networked services for students and faculty.
The Information Commons will include state-of-the-art technology and information centers at the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center in St. Paul and the Keffer Library in Minneapolis and will change fundamentally the way in which our St. Thomas libraries do business. The facilities will provide the space, technology and expertise needed to support the scholarly use of information resources and technology, and will be unique in blending traditional library services and resources with the newest digital resources to provide a hybrid learning and community-enhancing space.
In addition to supporting and encouraging scholarship at St. Thomas, the Information Commons will be spaces that nurture a sense of community on campus. Both library and faculty leaders understand the social dimension of learning and today’s changing learning behaviors, in which group study is increasingly important.
The Information Commons will be an integrated technology and information center that will foster student learning and enhance faculty research and teaching opportunities. It will create a library combining books, computing, media, telecommunications and video services, information-literacy programs, tutoring, advising, instructional and social space, and student and faculty services. In addition to housing valuable print collections and reference librarians, the Information Commons will provide spaces for students and faculty to interact, attend technology training classes and have access to technology services.
An Information Commons endowment of $1 million will be used to support the continued acquisition of digital publication subscriptions. The remaining $4 million will be used for renovation and furnishings in the libraries and wireless networking across the St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses. This enhancement of St. Thomas’ physical information infrastructure, along with the implementation of new research- and library-service models, will benefit students directly by increasing their access to learning.
Specifically, this technology- and information-rich environment will feature:
Just as the village common was a gathering place for information exchange centuries ago, the Information Commons will be a meeting place for the exchange of ideas and information in the digital age. A naming opportunity for the entire Information Commons is available.