In the current architectural plans:

A service desk with space for library access services and reference operations, plus one "IT help desk" spot which needs to be defined

Access Desk, Reference Desk, IT Desk

Approximately 4000 square feet of public space (i.e. not including the service desk) 

Approximately 20 group study rooms seating 4-10 people located on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors

Media Center on the ground floor with 24?+ group viewing/listening rooms and 24?+ individual stations

Instructional Technology Services a variety of offices, instructor training and development, and media production spaces (to be fleshed out...)

 

Greg: Here is a site that presents some examples of good cross-campus collaborations implementing Info Commons and other technology collaborations on university campuses. www.dartmouth.edu/~collab/

 

1.    Individual computer stations :

Provide both informal and study space for individauls

 

Define "library commons public workstations," a service of public computers that meet a defined client need (what OS, what applications). Define service level (how many, how often refreshed). Define hardware and support funding (currently library funds both). Define roles for support.

 

Related services from brainstorming: 

Online maps with real-time availability of workstations and group study rooms.  (NCSU Learning Commons)

 

Heather's thoughts (and yes, this is an area that interests me to do more work on!)

Print billing

Noise levels

Support both of the machines (backend infrastructure) and in-person help (at the Help Desk located onsite)

What is baseline software and services for this area? Add any special peripherals or software to one or more stations? 

Furniture to accommodate small groups (idea of "pod" facing a column so people could talk but the noise is broken up by concrete) Chairs on wheels or drag them?

Issues with power being on the floor - break off the covers? 

Securing the machines physically

Similar to Science Library Lab pilot project, any differentiation to what services an official UCSC affiliates versus the public?

How IC/ITG is involved? Workstation support folks? 

Webcam or headcount so people can see how busy it is before coming?

Express stations?

Furniture replacement cycle?

Enough desk space for people to lay out their books?

Signage - how to relay info without close walls to post signs?

Keeping ports accessible (for thumb drives, etc) but preventing people from pulling out connections they shouldn't? 

 

2.    A variety of individual and group study spaces from comfortable chairs to large tables to group study rooms with white boards and large monitors :

Informal and formal group study spaces get to use space at whatever volume patron chooses (not necessarily whisper)

 

How many?

Who administers and maintains? 

Initial purchase and replacement?

Additional supplies?

Who provides desktop support?

 

Related services from brainstorming

Online reservation booking for rooms and equipment.

 

Heather's comments:

Just a plug that projection/monitors have to be SUPER easy to setup on one's own or folks won't use them. It has to look easy too.

 

Greg's comments:

Group study rooms by floor (post-renovation):

Ground: 0378, 0379, 0380, 0381, 0382, 0384 (4 person rooms)

3rd:  3360, 3362, 3364, 3366, 3368, 3370, 3372, 3374, 3376 (4 or 6 person rooms)

4th: 4360, 4362, 4372 (10 person rooms); 4364, 4366, 4368, 4370,4374, 4376 (4 or 6 person rooms)

 

SCP - Current focus groups are showing students want comfortable chairs, group study rooms that can be reserved online, and MORE COMPUTERS

 

Configuration for 4-6 person rooms:

 

Wall mounted LCD monitor ~42"

Round or rectangular center table with power.

Wireless monitor access via www.tidebreak.com/products/teamspot or similar software. Requires one permanently installed Mac/PC with wireless capability per room. Requires application installed on each library laptop. Software should be accessible for student download onto personal laptops.

Floor to ceiling whiteboard on one wall using www.walltalkers.com/products/just-rite.asp or similar product.

 

GC 3/6/09: I investigated the TeamSpot software. The licensing terms are prohibitively expensive. The annual cost to maintain the software in 20 group study rooms is approximately equal to the library's budget for supporting the replacement cycle of public computers.

 

Examples:

North Carolina State University Library Information Commons group study:

www.flickr.com/photos/ncsulearningcommons/1518003860/

 

Room reservation system:

Explore the suitability of using Millennium booking module for patron initiated room bookings.

Q: Can the module support a calendar view to see which rooms are available throughout the day?

Q: Can the module support a map view to show currently available rooms by floor? 

 

GC 3/6/09: The Library has identified an alternate open source room booking solution that supports searching by room and by date. mrbs.sourceforge.net/

Here is a copy of a draft project proposal to install and test it: MRBS proposal

 

GC 3/6/09: Here is a draft proposal for a group study room prototype that would give us a space to test equipment and configurations:  group study

 

3.  Printing.  Should be available to community as well as students & faculty.  Should be available to personal laptops via wireless.

Define a public printing service: features, costs to clients/patrons, how to access. What needs to change from current printing service? Define service levels: when and where is printing available, how often refreshed. Define roles for support. 

 

Heather's comments (Probably should be Jim Phillips/Phillip Stark as main ITG contributors eventually):

UCSC needs a standard on this so we don't have 4 different systems. It should be scalable and easily installed and supported as Frank mentioned at our last mtg. 

UCSC affiliates versus public users (print billing to account and some pay as you go system).

Can we also maintain some campus consistency on printer types so we can better swap them out, have spares, etc.? Better deals on printing supplies?

Color printing?

100% recycled paper?

Will likely need at least two printers going at the same time for backup because of the increase in printing due to print billing. And they need to have LOTS of trays. Lots of space for printing supplies - toner and paper.

How to handle refund requests? if print billing need an automatic system? Signage about this? IC gets lots of refund questions and requests that go through a consultant.

 

4.  IT Help Desk

Define a Library Commons IT Help Desk service based on client needs. Which services from the ITS catalog need to be supported in this location?   Define service levels (when is it staff, and by whom?) How is it different from current Help Desk service, if at all?

 

comment from Linda: 

I agree that it may make more sense for this "help desk" to be more like a staffed IC lab. Looking over this page of services, there are several that looking like "walking up to a desk and asking for something." Can we have one "desk" that delivers most of what would be asked for?

I forgot my XXX password

I need help with print billing

I need help with that computer over there, I don't know how to XXX with the XXXX OS.

I need help....(and we need to open a ticket so that they can get more advanced IT support.

That printer is broken. That computer is broken

There are no blue whiteboard markers.

Can I borrow a laptop? 

Can I borrow a digital camera? 

Can I reserve a XXXX room?

What video editing gear is available, where.

I need help with the LMS. How do I......? 

I'm working at the library because the jack in my room is broken. How can I get it fixed? 

 

Heather's comments:

I would be interested in how IC staffed labs might fit in this. Is there a way our student staff can mimic what goes on here so there are standard "satellite" help desks around campus?

 

comment from Linda: 

Looking over this page of services, there are several that looking like "walking up to a desk and asking for something." Can we have one "desk" that delivers most of what would be asked for?

I forgot my XXX password

I need help with print billing

I need help with that computer over there, I don't know how to XXX with the XXXX OS.

I need help....(and we need to open a ticket so that they can get more advanced IT support.

That printer is broken. That computer is broken

There are no blue whiteboard markers.

Can I borrow a laptop? 

Can I borrow a digital camera? 

Can I reserve a XXXX room?

What video editing gear is available, where.

I need help with the LMS. How do I......? 

 

 

5.    Laptop loans.  The libraries currently loan out 18 laptops for in-library use.  This program could be expanded.

Define laptop loan service, its features based on client needs, how to access service, how to access technical support. How is it different from public computing (service #1 above) in terms of features, OSs, and applications? Define service level (how many, how often refreshed). Define hardware and support funding (currently library funds both). Define roles for support.

 

What was IC laptop loan like? how are library and IC loan similar / different? ( this service is just another part of six, media equipment loans)  IE the service should be Circulated Equipment

•      Media
•      Computers
•      Etc..

 

6.    Media Equipment loans including digital cameras, digital video cameras, GPS devices...

How many?

Who administers and maintains? 

Initial purchase and replacement?

Who provides desktop support?

Is there space in the library for digital media editing (Media Center)?  Who supports?  What's the relationship to the Arts Division and DANM?

 

7.    Specialized lab equipment and space such as video editing, graphic design, and music composition.

Where will the equipment be housed?

Who administers and maintains? 

Initial purchase and replacement?

Who provides desktop support?

 

Heather's comments (this area interests me as well, and possibly Angela Thalls can get involved):

For digital media editing, it is super important to get the following groups on the same hardware/software versions: ITG, Library, Social Sciences/Media Center, Arts, Film. We are seeing major issues with students not being able to do work in multiple locations because we all don't have consistent software and hardware.  The importance of Digital Media (especially as outlined in our Academic Plan) means this demand will just be increasing.

 

Also consider Adaptive Technology and the DRC and where that fits into all of this. It would be great if the Library could house an ancillary Adaptive Technology Stations which has the capacity to provide the common adaptive tech (Jaws, Dragon Naturally Speaking, Kurzweil, Zoomtext, and possibly Braille software) and has the ability to allow students to do speech to text, this would help the students a lot. The facility IC provides for this is inadequate because of our lack of space. I know much of this is in the Library, but I am unclear if the speech to text part of it is an option because it would require the students to be speaking out loud  (so they need privacy). 

.

In regards to music, IC has a small music-specific lab and I would love to have consistency between these locations there as well.

 

Greg: We have an adaptive workstation with text to speech in the Media Center. We should consider whether to extend the technologies to one or more of the group study rooms.

 

maps room services: digitization of ariel photographs and maps

photographic and image-making services

 

• Media Center
• FITC
• Maps Room
• Music Rooms
• Adaptive tech
• Arts
• GIS

 

All of these have a place in the library / infocommons through referral or actual placement

 

8.  Intelligent referrals to other service points in the library and campus (i.e. Instructional Tech Services, Special Collections, Visual Resources, Media Center, Reference, Library Access Serv. etc.)

 

Other services:

 

o    Blogs to answer questions, provide feedback on services, and encourage participation in shaping services

o    Instant Messaging reference and research assistance (along with phone and email)

Already available

o    IT help via Instant Messaging

o    Video and computer gaming.

o    Others?

 

9. Faculty Development Support

 

• Instructional
  • Digital Content Production
• Research
  • assistance with Open Access requirments
  •  

 

10.  Learning Management System Support and Integration

Library Reserves

Faculty Support

Student Support

11. Access / Self checkout of Circulation items

• actual books