Based on material produced by Dr. D. Russell Bailey. Click here to download in PDF format. For more information about the concept of Library Commons visit the Providence College Digital Commons Library Commons  collection.
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The Library + Commons is the seamless integration of the
Traditional Library  ↔ with the ↔  Technology-Rich Commons.

The Traditional Library
-- books, face-to-face services and interactions, etc. --
↔  +  ↔
The Technology-Rich Commons
-- electronic resources, anytime-anywhere services and interactions --

The Library + Commons is the library designed & focused exclusively on patron needs:

• Point of Need: where patrons are in their work:
  reflection → research → analysis → synthesis → processing-to-product → evaluation
• Level of Need: freshmen, graduate, faculty research
• Time of Need: anytime, 24/7
• Place of Need: in-library, dorm, across town, the country, the world:  anywhere
• Format of Need: although we often guide patrons to the entire collected series, the book, chapter, or journal article, our patrons prefer, and are accustomed to, using key-word searches (Google, etc.) to find only the page, the chart, graph, sentence or phrase
• Speed of Need: although we often prefer that patrons spend 10-45 minutes with us to find the best collection of information for their research needs, they often prefer to do quicker searching and fill their need in less than 5 minutes, often in 30 seconds or less

The Library + Commons offers the patron the continuum of services and resources:

• Comfortable, aesthetically-pleasing surroundings: chairs, sofas, lounges, collaborative spaces, art, cared-for areas: the library as place
• Friendly, helpful, capable staff: desired affect of service at desks, pleasant, helpful, “roving” staff, staff who are there when the patrons needs assistance
  • Information Station: main floor, staffed 8 am-11:00 pm/midnight most days by research support staff, with two collaborative PC stations and one collaborative Macintosh station with double monitors, shareable wireless keyboards and mice, a scanner, variable furniture for use in flexible ways for collaboration
  • Support Station: second floor, staffed many hours each day by research support staff with access to scanners
  • Creation Station/Macintosh Lab: main floor, accessible during all library hours, supported by Library + Commons staff at all times with computers and scanners
  • Digital Services Lab: main floor, staffed 10 am–10 pm most days by expert digitization support staff with access to PC and Macintosh computers and scanners
• Easily accessible information resources in all formats -- paper (in-house, HELIN loan, interlibrary loan), electronic, microform -- all in or from within the library or from wherever the patron is -- informational control
• Richesse of technology in the Library + Commons
  • 50 high-end desktop PCs with DVD/RW capabilities,  and MSOffice+; 4 PCs also have scanners
  • 18 high-end desktop PCs with DVD/RW capabilities and MSOffice+ in the electronic classroom
  • 29 laptops for student check-out with MSOffice+
  • 5 high-end iMac Macintosh computers and scanners with Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, and Apple iLife software
  • Digital Services Lab with 2 high-end PCs and 2 Macintosh computers, scanners for various formats, and full range of productivity & digitization software
  • Wireless 802.11 a, b, and g access for College and patron computers
  • 10 high-end scanners (8½"x11" and 11"x17") with Photoshop image manipulation and OCR/Optical Character Recognition software
  • 6 public printers (color printing options in the future)
  • 5 public scanners on the main floor, 2 public scanners on the second floor, and additional format scanners in the Digital Services Lab
• Spaces for collaboration
  • 3 open group study rooms with high-end PCs for 8 to 9 persons
  • 1 open group study/presentation rehearsal room for up to 25 persons with data projector and screen, available laptop computer and video recorder
  • Macintosh Creation Station with high-end iMacs and scanner
  • Wireless laptops available for checkout to enhance technology tools
  • Information Station desk with 3 collaboration stations each with computer, double-monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse, and ample comfortable &
    versatile furniture
• Access to tools: high-technology, electric/manual small & large staplers, small & large hole-punches, pencils/pens, paper-clips, etc.
• Access to refreshments: gourmet hot drinks on ground floor, drinks in covered containers allowed in the building

Into the Future

The Library + Commons will perhaps:

• Add more Macintosh computers, scanners and laptops for checkout, and more collaborative group study spaces over time, as patron use and preferences suggest;
• Provide more refreshments over time, as patron use and preferences suggest; and
• Provide extended hours over time, as patron use and preferences suggest.

Still the central components of the Library + Commons will remain the same:

• Explicitly focused on patron needs
• Seamless integration of the traditional high-touch Library with high-tech Commons
• The full range of resources enabling and facilitating all academic research activities from:

reflection → research → analysis → synthesis → processing-to-product → evaluation