The Learning Commons: Seven Simple Steps to Transform Your Library

By Pamela Colburn Harland

This simple guide provides valuable insights for transforming an out-of-date public, school, or academic library into a thriving, user-centric learning commons.

The goal of the learning-commons strategy is to provide a centralized, "go-to" location for all users seeking help on the complex issues of teaching, researching, and being a global citizen in our changing world. A library organized around the learning-commons construct fosters collaborative work and social interaction between users during research and learning. This paradigm also encourages use of innovative technologies and information resources. Transforming a traditional library into a thriving learning commons does take some planning and effort, however.

Each of the seven chapters in this book explains a simple step that a librarian can take to improve their facility. Photographs and concrete examples of the suggested strategies are included; checklists at the end of each chapter serve as indicators for measuring progress. This text is useful for library administrators in school settings (both public and private, K-12) as well as academic, public, and special libraries.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1598845179
• ISBN13: 9781598845174
• Release Date: January 2011
• Publisher: Libraries Unlimited
• Length: 132 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.4" x 10.9"
• Age Range: 7 to 17 years