Information Commons Category

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Graduate Assistant position available

By
Chris Shaffer
– August 21, 2007Posted in: Hardin Library Staff, Information Commons

GRADUATE ASSISTANT
Information Commons Training and Systems Assistant
Hardin Library for the Health Sciences

Background: The Hardin Library Information Commons is a state of the art educational technology facility, featuring multimedia development workstations, hands-on computer classrooms, a group study, audiovisual materials and computer labs. The Information Commons also supports web development projects in the health sciences such as Iowa Public Health Information and Go Local Iowa. For more information, please visit http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/ and http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/commons/.

Position description: Reporting to the Assistant Director, Technology and Outreach, the Training and Systems Assistant supports the activities and services of the Information Commons. The Assistant provides on-demand technology support for instructors, students and other users of computer labs, classrooms and multimedia workstations; designs and teaches staff development sessions for Information Commons desk workers; creates and maintains equipment and software documentation; and assists the Technology Support Specialist with systems administration tasks.

The Training and Systems Assistant is required to work between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, two days per week and four additional hours as assigned. Some weekend and evening hours occasionally required.

See http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/jobs/commonsga.pdf for details.

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Your opinion means a lot to Hardin Library!

By
The University of Iowa Libraries
– March 21, 2006Posted in: Information Commons

March 28, 2006: The suvery has ended.  Thank you. 
We are evaluating and assessing the daily operations and services of the Information Commons East and West. The goals of this review process are

  • to gain a better understanding of our users needs and expectations
  • to improve services for our users
  • to plan for the future

Please take 5 minutes to fill out the Information Commons Survey

http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/commons/survey/

To learn more about the review process, please visit the following web page: http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/commons/taskforce

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Technology Enhancements Offer Improved Vision and Mobility

By
The University of Iowa Libraries
– September 16, 2005Posted in: Information Commons

Individuals who have attended a course or workshop in the Information Commons’ two classrooms will appreciate some recent upgrades. More than 50 big, bulky computer monitors have been exchanged for sleek, energy-efficient 17” flat panel displays. Crystal-sharp images practically fly off the screen! We say, "How can the learning experience be anything BUT improved when you have new jazzy monitors?" Our supportive partners at ITS Campus Services facilitated this much-needed infusion of equipment, paid for by Student Computing Fees.

In the Commons West flexible classroom, the two ceiling-mounted LCD projectors have been replaced with even smaller, brighter projectors. Think you’ve had Lazik surgery? No, its actually Sharp Notevision DLP technology.

Seven new Dell laptops are available for checkout at the Hardin Circulation Desk on the 3rd floor. These new laptops, with their customary wireless networking capability, are styled after campus ITC computers, which essentially means that they offer more software titles than ever before! Users will still need to have a Hawk-ID and password in order to access the wireless network within the building or elsewhere on campus.

Students, faculty members and staff are always welcome and encouraged to stop by the Information Commons service desks with any technical/technology questions. Our commitment to you: if we don’t know the answer, we’ll find someone who does.

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iLecture

By
The University of Iowa Libraries
– February 18, 2004Posted in: Information Commons

The Information Commons Productions Services in Hardin Library has released a beta edition of iLecture, the simple online lecture tool.

http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/commons/ilecture/

iLecture makes preparing an online lecture an easy process. Simply import your PowerPoint slides, plug in a microphone and record your narration. iLecture does the rest. It packages the images and audio, along with the individual timings for each slide, in a directory that’s ready for upload to any web server. Not only does iLecture offer convenient features to any instructor narrating an online lecture, it also makes viewing and listening to that lecture simple for students. Students aren’t locked in to a particular piece of software, particular file formats, or any specific computer platform (operating system). The online lectures created by iLecture can be viewed on any Internet connection in any web browser. iLecture is open ended, accessible and easy to use, unlike many products on the commercial market. iLecture makes the task of creating and viewing online lectures simple. Best of all–iLecture is free.

We invite you to download the beta edition of iLecture from the URL above and let us know what you think.

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Improving Narrated PowerPoint Lectures

By
The University of Iowa Libraries
– May 19, 2003Posted in: Information Commons

Scott Fiddelke, Digital Media Projects Manager at Hardin Library’s Information Commons, has received a $4,865 grant from the Innovations in Instructional Computing Award. His project, titled "A Simple Online Lecture Delivery Solution" was selected from among 24 entries submitted to the Academic Technologies Advisory Council.

The project involves creation of a tool that will simplify and make more flexible the process of creating narrated lectures for web delivery. In addition, the "student experience" promises to improve when viewing an online lecture created under this tool.

During Fall 2003 semester, Scott will be asked to participate in a campus-wide meeting to share his project results alongside other award recipients. For more information about the project, please contact him at 335-6955 or scott-fiddelke@uiowa.edu.

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New Computers in the Information Commons

By
The University of Iowa Libraries
– December 21, 2002Posted in: Information Commons

Faster processors, new displays, additional RAM and CD burners–these are some of the improvements brought by new computers installed at the Information Commons in recent weeks. More than $140,000 in student computer fees were allocated for the replacement of more than 100 computers at the Commons. The last comprehensive replacement of computers was in 1999.

The new computers arrived just in time to take advantage of a recent network rewiring project at Hardin. Connection speeds are potentially 10 times faster than they were six months ago as a result of an upgrade to fast Ethernet to each desktop (100 MB/sec. data transfer speed).

Each computer features a 1.7 MHz Intel Pentium 4 processor. Every computer in the facility now sports a CD-RW drive, and blank media is available for purchase at either of the Commons service desks. A majority of the new computers feature 500 MB of RAM and 20 GB harddrives. The exception is the Commons West classroom, which features 1 GB of RAM in each computer and 80 GB harddrives.

The West classroom also offers a choice of operating system at startup: Windows 2000 or Linux.

New 15" flat panel displays are available in all open areas of the facility, while 19" CRT monitors are located in the two classrooms.

For more information about the functions and features of the new computers, please send your questions by e-mail to info-commons@uiowa.edu.

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