Starting April 8th, 2017, Yukon College Library will no longer be the same. In fact, we can even say that the library as we know will cease to exist. In its place, a new concept: Yukon College Learning Commons.
A “Learning Commons”, also called “Information Commons”, is basically a space where quiet study meets collaboration, traditional books meet technology, and support services are more integrated (mostly located in the same area). It involves open spaces with mobile furniture, breakout rooms, and a different use of space, focused more on people and services rather than objects.
Yukon College Library in March 2017.
The new Learning Commons – expected to open September 2017
While this concept is not exactly new, it is not very easy to grasp for people accustomed to a more traditional model of library. In a certain way, a Learning Commons is more similar to what we generally see in larger public libraries: many of these libraries offer a multitude of services that go beyond lending books or help accessing information (computer classes, help preparing taxes, and tutoring for all sorts of topics are just a few examples). These libraries are also notorious for implementing alternative uses of space, such as studios for video and sound recording, “makerspace” areas, or open spaces for events and general collaboration.
Though it is hard to imagine that academic libraries would be offering all types of services that public libraries offer — after all, academic libraries operate according to a specific scope and deal with a specialized audience, not the general public — the principle of collaboration is increasingly important in modern higher education institutions. Quiet studying is needed, but being able to have conversations is also part of the knowledge creation process. No wonder why the Learning Commons model became so prominent in several universities in the past few years.
Here at Yukon College Library, we have a bittersweet feeling about these changes. At the same time that our “big move” marks the end of an era and will demand some adaptations on how we organize our own work, it is also the beginning of something new, in which we get to collaborate more with the teaching & learning and IT folks and offer renovated spaces for our students, both for collaboration and for quiet studying.
This is for sure an important step in the “university project”, and we hope to be a successful part of it.