Creating a Learning Commons: A Practical Guide for Librarians(55 Practical Guides for Librarians)

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Donald Beagle Preface Acknowledgements Chapter 1. Learning Commons Library Spaces Chapter 2. Building Your Foundation Chapter 3. Partnerships and Strategies for Successful Programming Chapter 4. Architects, Designers, Contractors, and Budgets Oh My! Chapter 5. Strategic Planning for Learning Commons Technology Chapter 6. Choosing What Technology Goes into a Learning Commons Chapter 7. Marketing and Promotion Chapter 8. Teaching and Learning in a Learning Commons Space: Reference Services, Instruction, and Outreach Chapter 9. Assessing Learning Commons Spaces and Reviewing Lessons Learned Chapter 10. Successful Learning Commons Partnerships Chapter 11. The Future of Library Learning Commons Spaces Appendix A. Learning Commons Survey Appendix B. Marketing Action Plan

About the Author :
Lynn D. Lampert is the coordinator of information literacy and instruction at California State University (CSU)–Northridge. Lynn served as a key member of the Oviatt Library’s Learning Commons Planning Team, which managed the $2.5 million learning commons renovation project. Lynn also helped develop and design the learning commons’s new makerspace area, which opened to students in the fall of 2014. Coleen Meyers-Martin is coordinator of outreach services at the California State University (CSU)–Northridge’s Oviatt Library. In 2013, she coordinated a multifaceted marketing campaign that promoted the Library’s $2.5 million learning commons renovation to students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Review :
Those considering the daunting task of remodeling an academic library to create or redo a learning commons will find this volume tremendously helpful. Lampert (coordinator of information literacy) and Meyers-Martin (coordinator of outreach svcs., both California State Univ. [CSU]–Northridge) provide guidance on redesign projects. Beginning with a history of the learning commons model, this practical work also explores the impact on the campus community, programming and partnership strategies, the benefits of technology plans, marketing and promotion, the roles of reference and instructional services, and assessment methods and tools for postoccupancy. Also included are in-depth interviews with a learning commons architect, a designer, and a project manager; a learning commons survey that the authors used as part of their research for the book; and CSU–Northridge’s Oviatt Library’s marketing action plan. VERDICT A superb offering for academic librarians and library administrators, as well as for faculty and students in a library architecture and space planning course.—Susan E. Ketcham, Long Island Univ. Post Lib., Brookville, NY Creating a Learning Commons: A Practical Guide for Librariansis an important resource for any library and campus that is considering creating a learning commons. The authors, Lynn D. Lampert and Coleen Meyers-Martin, have created a tool, as part of the Practical Guides for Librarians series that should be in every library’s professional reading collection. A well organized book. . . . Creating a Learning Commons: A Practical Guide for Librariansis an excellent resource and is highly recommended for every library planning a learning commons. This book would serve as an important reference tool in iSchool libraries. In Creating a Learning Commons, the authors have skillfully distilled their own experience with developing a learning commons at California State University--Northridge into a well-researched and up-to-date guide to the growth and development of these innovative spaces. . . . With its mix of solid research, real-world examples, and practical ideas, Creating a Learning Commons: A Practical Guide for Librarians is an excellent contribution to the literature. It is a must-read for librarians and information professionals considering a new commons space for their institutions or for those seeking to update existing space. Whether you are remodeling an existing space or creating one anew, this well-written and detailed book is a tremendous resource of practical advice, filled with successful examples and grounded in the literature, that will ensure the success of your project. Drawing on survey data, in-depth interviews, and their own experiences, Lampert and Meyers-Martin emphasize the importance of collaborative partnerships and strategy to create library learning spaces to meet the needs of students in each unique campus environment. The result is a concept of the learning commons that is vibrant and relevant! This book offers practical guidance for starting resilient learning commons in contemporary academic libraries. Original survey results and interview findings support high impact vision setting and inclusive partner planning activities, with and for students. A post occupancy assessment tool ensures relevance for the full commons life cycle - from start to finish. Creating a Learning Commons provides a comprehensive outline of the issues to take into consideration whether your library is renovating an existing space or embarking upon a new building project. The strength of the book lies in the variety of real-world examples and advice drawn from the authors’ own institutional experience, as well as surveys and interviews with experts such as project managers and architects.