Faculty, TAs, and instructors are invited to stop by for a Study Hall session Wednesday, March 22 from 11am-3pm in 1140 LIB (Main Library). Staff from the University Libraries, Center for Teaching and Learning Commons will be on hand to answer any teaching technology and research questions as you continue to improve your courses! See you there!
Hit your study stride for finals in the UI LibrariesThe UI Libraries offers great places to concentrate on final exam prep, with extended hours, free coffee, and activities for short study breaks.
Studies indicate that students who take short, fairly frequent breaks during their study time are more productive. Give your brain a break by taking a walk or doing a mind-clearing activity to make your study time more productive.
In the Main Library Learning Commons, students can take advantage of activity stations featuring puzzles, colored pencils, and postcard making.
Get the complete list of all UI Libraries’ hours during finals.
The Main Library Learning Commons invites you to attend the faculty workshop Talk About Just Living: Classroom Strategies for Social Justice Learning in the Public Sphere on Friday, September 18th from 1:30-4:30pm.
Take advantage of the second annual Theme Semester Just Living in Spring 2016 to infuse your assignments with social justice issues that will resonate with your students. Give students the opportunity to engage in dialogue about social justice in public using your curriculum as their voice. Faculty can use assignments and projects to encourage students to engage with social justice issues and to learn what it means to participate in a public conversation.
This workshop will provide instructors the opportunity to reimagine how they can incorporate social justice into their curriculum and learn about opportunities for their students to showcase their work in public spaces. Participants will:
Experienced guest instructors will share their insights and experiences in using the Learning Commons to promote their students’ work and will demonstrate future opportunities on campus to showcase student work publicly. Participants will leave with a variety of project ideas for classroom use and will have the opportunity to return for an optional, drop in working session the following week where colleagues from the University Libraries, Learning Commons, and Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology will be available for one-on-one consultation.
The workshop will be held in Group Rooms 1103/1105 in the Main Library Learning Commons on Friday, September 18th from 1:30-4:30pm with an optional, drop-in work session on Friday, September 25 from 1:30-4:30pm. The institute is open to all faculty and instructors. There is no cost to attend, although pre-registration to the institute is required. Please register here.
The University of Iowa Libraries invites faculty, staff, students, and the Iowa City community to celebrate the annual International Edible Book Festival April 1 by crafting a delicious book to share and, of course, eat.
To participate, follow two simple rules: entries must be edible, and they must have something to do with books as shapes and/or content. Edible books will be displayed on April 1 in the Main Library Learning Commons, Group Study Rooms 1103 and 1105 in the South Lobby from 3:00-3:45 p.m., followed by a book tasting.
Prizes will be awarded in multiple categories including Best Book Structure, Best Literary Allusion, Judge’s Favorite, Audience Favorite, and Best Tasting. Judges will include Executive Chef of the Iowa Memorial Union Barry Greenberg, and University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections Librarian Colleen Theisen.
Photos and updates will be added to the Twitter hashtag #ediblebookiowa.
The International Edible Book Festival is an annual event held on April 1 around the world. The event unites bibliophiles, book artists, and food lovers to celebrate the ingestion of culture and its fulfilling nourishment. Participants create edible books that are exhibited, photographed, and then consumed. Information and inspiration can be found at www.Books2Eat.com.
For more information or to submit an entry, please contact Brett Cloyd via email at brett-cloyd@uiowa.edu or by telephone at (319) 335-5743, and bring your entry to Room 1103 between 2:00-2:45 p.m. on April 1.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Brett Cloyd in advance.
Looking for a spooky way to start off your Halloween weekend? Craving some free, freshly popped popcorn? Stop by the Main Library Learning Commons for a look at some of the scariest items housed in the Special Collections and University Archives department.
With items ranging from truly disturbing illustrations, to stories of local hauntings, there’s something to startle everyone. Special Collections and University Archives will have a selection of items available for browsing to help you get your Halloween weekend off to a historic start.
Thursday, October 30, 12pm-4pm
Main Library Learning Commons, Group Area D (across from Food for Thought)
For a preview of some of our spooky items, check out our tumblr page!
UI Libraries opens new 24-hour, tech-filled study space as academic year begins
By Mary Geraghty Kenyon for Iowa Now
http://now.uiowa.edu/2013/08/learning-commons-completed
When the new academic year begins Monday, Aug. 26, the University of Iowa will open the new Learning Commons in the Main Library, a tech-infused, 24-hour, comfortable study space and one-stop academic help center…with good coffee.
The 37,000-square-foot space is the product of a partnership involving Information Technology Services (ITS), University Libraries, and the Office of the Provost.
Incoming students participating in On Iowa! will have a preview of the new space on Sunday, Aug. 25, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., including the opportunity to meet tech and research geniuses, test their UI and library trivia knowledge, and take on new University Librarian John Culshaw in a Wii challenge.
Features of the project include 18 group study spaces, 100 desktop and laptop computers, a 45-seat TILE (Transform, Interact, Learn, Engage) classroom with glass walls and sliding doors, printers and scanners, TVs and projectors, and multimedia resources.
In addition:
The space will be open all day and night with the exception of Friday and Saturday nights, in direct response to students’ ongoing requests for 24-hour study space on campus.
Construction on the new space included the addition of a new library entrance on Madison Street starting Aug. 26. This and the south entrance, which had been closed during construction, will both be open while the library’s north entrance will close to facilitate the next phase of library renovations. During phase 2 of the renovation, the north entrance will be transformed into a lobby space that leads directly into the Learning Commons.
Within the next week work will begin constructing the new entrance to the library and learning commons on Madison Street.
Because of this, Madison Street will be reduced to two lanes. At this time we are not sure how long Madison St. will be affected by this project.
When the Learning Commons opens there will be three entrances to the building: North and South as well as the new entrance on Madison St.
These days anyone who comes to the library will be greeted with signs of construction…noise, hard hats and plywood. What!?!?!!, might you ask, is going on in the library? We are in the middle of constructing a new space for student success, interaction and learning! This fall the Main Library will be the home to the University of Iowa Learning Commons. Brought to you through the collaboration and support of ITS, the University of Iowa Libraries and the Provost’s office, the Learning Commons will support student success by providing collaborative study and work spaces, cutting edge technology, good coffee, even better social interaction and great service! To be kept in the know visit the Learning Commons website and don’t forget to LIKE the Learning Commons facebook page! Our Facebook page is up and running and we’ll not only provide you with updates on the construction of the Learning Commons but we’ll post fun and interesting articles, reviews, and websites that support your educational, personal and professional interests! See you there!
In the fall of 2013, University of Iowa students will discover a tech-infused, 24-hour, comfy study space and one-stop academic help center…with good coffee.
Designed with significant student input, the new Learning Commons will provide an “intellectual hub” with room for 500-plus students. The 37,000-square-foot facility in the Main Library is the product of a unique partnership among Information Technology Services (ITS), University Libraries, and the Office of the Provost.
“The Learning Commons is focused, first and foremost, on furthering the academic success of students,” says Nancy Baker, university librarian. “The staff will provide students with a ‘concierge’ experience. They’ll answer common academic, library, and technology questions and point students to the resources they need to succeed, like help with their research, writing, or tutoring.”
VIDEO: Learning Commons Walkthrough
“Our design team spent a lot of time watching how students study, and particularly noticed how much they leveraged technology in their daily work habits,” says Chris Clark, ITS learning spaces director. “This space, with its multimedia resources, collaboration technologies, and wall-to-wall wireless, reflects the way today’s students integrate technology into their lives.”
Features of the project include 18 group study spaces, 100 desktop and laptop computers, a 45-seat TILE (Transform, Interact, Learn, Engage) classroom with glass walls and sliding doors, printers and scanners, TVs and projectors, and multimedia resources.
The design team also considered students’ stomachs, because students can’t concentrate on their studies when they’re hungry. The Food for Thought café will offer an expanded menu that includes hot panini sandwiches, fruit smoothies, and other snacks, as well as espresso and gourmet coffees.
“We want to create an ambience that welcomes students,” Clark says.
According to Beth Ingram, associate provost for undergraduate education, the most important feature of the space is its flexibility.
“The Learning Commons is many different kinds of study spaces and services rolled into one,” she says. “With technology, information, and expertise combined in one location, it’s a space where students can study with a group or by themselves; where they can have a coffee with friends and then go to a workshop on stress management; where they know they can get answers to questions about information resources, technology, or tutoring services.”
Of course, part of the challenge in creating such a massive space for students is minimizing the impact the construction process will have on daily student life. Hope Barton, associate university librarian, says the impact on current study spaces will be minimal, since the area being remodeled was office space.
“This will really be a fantastic resource for University of Iowa students,” Ingram says. “We’re excited to see the project come to completion so students can start making the most of the new space.”
