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Inside Iowa State, a newspaper for faculty and staff, is published by the Office of University Relations.

Oct. 5, 2007

For your reference

by Erin Rosacker

Learning connections center

The Library's Learning Connections Center offers work stations designed to provide enough space for students to work together on group projects and assignments.Photo by Bob Elbert.

Missing the old reference desk in Parks Library? Walk a few more steps to find the new and improved version. Thanks in part to a $266,000 grant from the Roy Carver Charitable Trust, the former first-floor reference and index area has been transformed into the Learning Connections Center (LCC).

Gone are rows and rows of seldom-used reference books. Duplicate resources already available online were eliminated and the rest were moved to nearby shelves and tiers. Only a handful of heavily used printed resource books remain in the refurbished space. New to the space is a centralized information and help desk, group work stations, a room for practicing presentations, and multi-media production studios.

"One of our objectives was to get the reference desk into the room where people were working," said library associate dean Dave Baldwin. "The other was to create collaborative work spaces. Students are working together so much with group assignments, and they didn't really have a place to get together to work."

Completed just as the summer session ended, the LCC is staffed by subject reference librarians and library information technology personnel. They assist users with research and technical questions at a service desk area, but they also circulate through the space to see if users need help.

New furniture and equipment in the LCC offer users many options, including individual and group areas, tables wired with laptop power and comfortable seating for relaxing between classes.

"It's really amazing," Baldwin said. "We're finding that early in the morning we fill up and they're in use all day long. It's become a very popular place."

The group work stations provide space for students to collaborate on group assignments. Each is equipped with a computer. The 24 smaller work stations (pictured above) can accommodate three people comfortably, while the four larger stations are ideal for groups of up to six.

A room in which students can practice classroom presentations was added to existing individual study rooms along the east wall. Students can record presentations for self-evaluation with available audio and video equipment, or use the computers to perfect a PowerPoint show. A small conference area in the room also offers space for groups to video conference or work on collaborative presentations.

Each of the four multi-media production studios sport two computers (both Macintosh and PC) equipped with state-of-the-art software and conference tables for groups. Students can work on projects such as movie making, audio and video dubbing, animation, graphics and design.

The studios and presentation room are available on a first-come basis daily during library hours, but they can be reserved for use in advance. Free digital scanners and color printing also are available.

Quote

"One of our objectives was to get the reference desk into the room where people were working. The other was to create collaborative work spaces. Students are working together so much with group assignments, and they didn't really have a place to get together to work."

Dave Baldwin, library associate dean