Indoor environment and student productivity for individual and collaborative work in learning commons: a case study

PurposeThis study investigates the relationships between the built environments of learning commons and user productivity, such as collaborative and individual work productivity and overall environmental satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachA case study was conducted in a learning commons building at a higher education campus in the USA. The data collection and analysis were conducted with the survey responses of satisfaction with indoor environments and perceived productivity as well as the objective indoor environmental quality (IEQ) measurements. Statistical analysis was performed, including descriptive analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), regression analysis and ANOVA test.FindingsThe study presents that satisfaction with noise level is positively associated with individual productivity. The results imply that the spatial properties of open-plan commons, such as visibility and accessibility, are associated with space users' interactions and collaborative productivity. Overall satisfaction is in a positive relationship with lighting satisfaction, study supporting artifacts and furniture configuration. The results of this study reveal the importance of meeting the standards in IEQ factors on individual productivity and the spatial features preferred by space users that facilitate tasks and activities.Originality/valueThe mixed-method approach, including subjective and objective data collection of IEQ, is rarely utilized to show the relationships with perceived productivity. This study investigates a unique building design feature such as step seats in relation to space use and perceived productivity. The findings inform library leadership about environmental characteristics related to the user experience in learning commons, a new format of academic libraries.

User perceptions, academic library usage and social capital: a correlation analysis under COVID-19 after library renovation

PurposeWhile the library has remained a preferred place of learning and received a positive perception in all aspects, the current space planning, as categorized in the “four-space model,” does not seem to address user needs well. The purpose of this article is to explore the correlations of user perceptions, academic library usage and social capital.Design/methodology/approachThis research presented a new approach to understanding the academic library's role by surveying 120 users about their preferred place on the campus, actual usage, and perceptions of the library physically and remotely. Correlation analysis between library use and user activities was performed.FindingsThe findings indicate that the library demonstrates attributes from all four levels in the learning space hierarchy, providing an ideal learning space for students. However, our results do not support academic libraries as the breeding ground of social capital.Originality/valueAs the data of this study were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic period, the findings may provide us with insights on how library users have adjusted themselves in using these public facilities with social distancing in their minds. The findings also provide implications for re-designing the library places to meet the users' needs and make it favorable learning commons to students in both the pandemic and post-pandemic eras.

Library café or elsewhere: usage of study space by different majors under contemporary technological environment

PurposeAs current university students may access information for their study anytime, anywhere with ubiquitous mobile technologies, this research re-examines the roles of study space in students' learning and campus life.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted to collect students' opinions and habits regarding the usage of different study spaces. Results in three different academic majors (science and engineering, arts and business) of a comprehensive international university were compared.FindingsThe authors’ findings showed a more diversified space usage among students, with the library café increasingly important in students' learning and life while learning commons remain important. However, there were only minor differences among these three study majors towards the learning and entertaining spaces, as these students generally apply inquiry-based learning.Originality/valueWhile some researches have investigated students' usage of university and library learning spaces, few studies have focused on the study space issue in Hong Kong or other metropolises in the East under the current mobile learning environment. This study's insights could help libraries and universities improve the management of their physical spaces to meet student needs.

Konsep Learning Commons Sebagai Inovasi Fasilitas Perpustakaan Perguruan Tinggi

Pengembangan perpustakaan perlu dilakukan untuk memenuhi berbagai tuntutan dan kebutuhan masyarakat pemustaka serta perkembangan teknologi yang sedang terjadi. Usaha pengembangan perpustakaan dilakukan dengan memahami perkembangan gaya hidup pemustaka dalam kesehariannya dan dalam pencarian informasi. Perpustakaan dihadapkan dengan generasi digital maka dengan adanya fenomena ini mendorong perpustakaan menyediakan fasilitas yang sesuai agar meningkatnya angka kunjungan pemustaka. Munculnya learning commons diharapkan memberi respon baik yang bagi pemustakanya, sebab learning commons diadakan untuk memberikan fasilitas yang mendukung kegiatan belajar di perpustakaan.

Collaborative Leadership in School Library Learning Commons

We have a brand new school library standards document in Canada to assist schools with transitioning to futures oriented teaching and learning. Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada was officially released to the world in June 2014 and is now finding its way into strategic planning around the country. The publication of Leading Learning is an event of true historic significance. As the document says, “Learners have a right to expect good school libraries in every school in Canada.” Standards can indeed help measure practice, but Leading Learning does much more. By focusing on the needs of the learner, Leading Learning provides a framework for growth. Every school, no matter the status of its library program, can find itself in this framework and decide on tangible steps for improvement. The development of Leading Learning brought together input from every province and territory in the country, and successfully developed standards for growth that are meaningful within this very disparate context. This is a remarkable achievement.

The Virtual Learning Commons

We are now living in a world where one can download information onto smaller laptops, notebooks, and even cell phones. This opens the school library to the wide world, and, for school librarians, it requires them to rethink their role in the lives of students. Loertscher et al in their The New Learning Commons: Where Learners Win! Reinventing School Libraries and Computer Labs describe a physical facility with a “completely flexible learning space where neither computers nor books get in the way.” (p. 11) This open, flexible space has two major functions, the Open Commons and the Experimental Learning Center. The central focus was to transform the idea of a library as a storage and retrieval space into a fresh new learning space. By opening up the space and using various movable pieces of furniture, the space could be re-arranged at any time of the school day to accommodate individuals, small groups, and large groups while balancing the need for quiet, purposeful group work, mobile technology, project-based learning, and even performance.

The role of the teacher librarian in the bookless library: information literacy and resource creation

This modified Delphi study examined the views of the leaders of Australia’s teacher librarian associations on the bookless school library i.e. a library with no printed books or other printed material. Interviews were used to gather data on the participants’ views of what a bookless school library might look like, and what the role of the teacher librarian would be in relation to information literacy and resource creation. Results showed that a bookless school library would contain flexible learning spaces and be a learning commons in the school, which made use of a range of advanced technologies, including interactive walls. The roles of the teacher librarian as information literacy leader and as resource creator would be more important than today.

Servicios Académicos en Learning Commons de Bibliotecas Universitarias: Una respuesta a los requerimientos educativos actuales

Indudablemente, la biblioteca es una institución orientada hacia el servicio, que posee también una profunda dimensión social. Esto significa, entre muchas cosas, que existe una relación entre la sociedad y la biblioteca. Debido a esto, el grupo social influye en la configuración del centro de información con lo cual afecta cada uno de sus procesos, incluyendo sus servicios. Las bibliotecas universitarias participan de esta clase de dinámicas y se han tenido que adaptar a los requerimientos educativos, dando paso a los Learning Commons o Ambientes para el aprendizaje los cuales, a su vez, han generado cambios en los servicios que ofrecen a sus usuarios. Ante esta situación, el presente artículo propone el concepto de servicios académicos para el apoyo a la labor y a la vinculación de las universidades, mediante la transversalidad, la gradualidad, la flexibilidad, la innovación, el dinamismo, el trabajo en equipo, la corresponsabilidad extendida y las habilidades del bibliotecario.