It's a Library, not a "Commons"

This post, "Just don't call it a Commons: building the learning boutique model," from The Ubiquitous Librarian, a blog sponsored by the Chronicle of Higher Education Blog Network, harkens to the Project Information Literacy research report I posted recently.  In that study, which attempted to capture in real time how students were using their college or university library, students conveyed their view of the library as a place where they could both escape the distractions of their social lives, including in some cases their use of social technology devices, as well as be "inspired" by the sight of other students studying and being productive.  This latter concept forms the basis of University of California, Santa Barbara's remodeling of their library into a "learning boutique."

Some quotes:

"It’s really about cultivating scholarly behaviors and aligning academic outcomes to specific areas." [Emphasis mine.]  This is what students seem to want and expect from their college library.  I think many times libraries are quick to assume that the only thing students really want from the library is more technology.  It's true that students often are asking for more computers, but it is clear from these studies that what students are seeking is a type of academic experience that they feel is alluding them in other parts of campus -- and perhaps other parts of their lives.  I think this is heartening to those of us in academia.  But as libraries struggle to find their identity in this rapidly changing technological landscape, it is also a great opportunity for us to maintain and refresh our status as a place where learning happens; whether a computer is involved or not is a secondary-level question.

"The central question is how do we design an environment that is ideal for the experience we want to encourage? How do we amplify and optimize the use of library space? It’s easy to just buy nice tables and lots of computers, but it’s much more challenging to design a place for experiences."  I will once again invoke my idol Stephen Bell, who writes a lot about designing user experience in libraries. Personally, as an Instruction Librarian, I like thinking of myself as a designer -- a designer of instructional objectives, presentations, student exercises (i.e., learning experiences), worksheets, and online learning objects such as multimedia tutorials. Essentially, a designer of learning experiences.  But just about every experience in a library is about learning, and we design everything in our building -- our signage, our shelving, our furniture, our service desks, and our service itself -- with the intention to enhance those learning experiences. How well we are accomplishing this, however, is the question that I think will determine libraries' long-term success and relevance -- but I believe that we are on the right track!

"Don't Let What You Know Limit What You Imagine"

This article from the Harvard Business Review was referenced on Stephen Bell's blog, Designing Better Libraries. I love Stephen Bell, of Temple University.  I heard him speak recently at a local library conference, and all I could think was, "I would love to work for this guy!" I love his ideas about design principles in libraries, and about how professionals should not limit themselves to the literature and ideas that come out of their profession alone.

This HBR article gives some concrete examples of how companies have looked beyond their own industry to creatively solve problems and create innovation. It is common sense, really: how can libraries, or any organization or business, expect to grow and change in order to remain relevant and successful, if they don't actively seek new ways of looking at things?  How can we find new ways of looking at things if we keep asking the same people? This is basically the concept behind the "liberal arts" in academia as well, which has repeatedly come under criticism as being impractical, not directly linked to gainful employment. Yet many of the most innovative thinkers and leaders come from liberal arts educational backgrounds.  The liberal arts, at their core, teach people how to think. "Critical thinking" has become a buzzword in academia, and educators are asking, "Are we teaching critical thinking? Can we teach critical thinking? Has our instruction been effective in teaching critical thinking?"

It seems that, given the lack of innovation in the majority of industries and businesses, the answer would be, "no." Because isn't that essentially what innovative thinking is about: looking critically at a piece of information, and applying prior knowledge and other sources of information to develop new conclusions and insights? Yes.  It comes down to selecting, evaluating, and using information, from a variety of sources, as effectively as possible -- the core principles of information literacy, which incorporate critical thinking. Without those vital ingredients, creative and innovative ideas will not rise properly.