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Virtual Space, Virtuous Place
College Libraries in the 21st Century
Libraries Being Both Virtual & Physical Places
Human interaction, creativity, & needs require different environments
Libraries create collections & services that support existing types of learners & learning activities
Concept of the library = one’s own place
Both/and mirrors contemporary life
What Do We Know about the Virtual Environment?
Accessible Just in time24/7 ImpersonalSelf-directingBuilding Capacity
challengingCan improve
interactions
Effectiveness for student learning is not clear
Can eliminate the intermediary
ImpersonalTime-consumingDiscourages
selectivity
What Do We Know About the Virtuous Environment?
Encourages reflection & critical thinking
Connects learning experiences
Supports vision & values
Broadens role of library
Distracts from primary functions
Misunderstood by constituents
Requires different expertise
Inserts internal competition for resources
Creativity & the Life of the Mind
Ideas and thoughts happen in the in-between spaces of time, place, experience, & interaction. Where is best?
Value of the Learner
“In these new learning paradigms, the word student becomes largely obsolete…instead we should
begin to refer to the clients of the 21st centuryas active learners, since they will increasinglydemand responsibility for their own learning
experiences and outcomes.”
-- James J. DuderstadtA University for the 21st Century
Knowing About the “Occupant”
Does the learning activity as defined by the educational objective require: observation or reflection?
Are interactions with people, resources, or materials?
How are the learning requirements aligned with student abilities to: multitask, adapt, self-regulate?
Designing Spaces for Learning and Learners
For what student learning outcomes are spaces being created?
How are criteria for design of spaces determined?
Does collaboration & active learning need different kinds of spaces?
How might continuous improvement affect continuous design?
Imagining the Future: Institutional Models
In his book, University for the 21st Century, James J. Duderstadt, President Emeritus of the University of Michigan,
offers an array of “possible futures” forinstitutions of higher learning:
the world universitythe creative university
the divisionless universitythe cyberspace university
the university collegethe lifelong university
Elements in Future Models of Space
Responds to learning styles & needsAlignment with institutional
purposeIntentional designFulfillment of educational objectivesFluidity/adaptability to changeLinkage to what really mattersOffers the potential to inspire
Accreditation as a Frame for Viewing Space
Focus on student learningAlign with institutional purposesBe intentional about achieving
academic goals to support learningBoth virtual & physical contribute to
capacity & educational effectivenessOrganized venues for learning, &
measuring student performance
Making Meaning from Assessment Activities
Use accreditation process as opportunity to learn about student learning in the virtual and the physical contexts
Data collection about activities may yield interesting contrasts for decision-making
Identify probing questions on the role & impact of library experiences
Research Questions: Place and Space
By what means & methods can students successfully achieve skills?
How do changes in teaching & course delivery impact use of space?
Will the design of virtual & physical places enable the institution’s vision of education to be experienced?
Does research inform space design?
Degrees of Distance
“Criteria for access to communities are quite differentfrom criteria for access to information.”
--John Seely Brown & Paul DuguidThe Social Life of Information
