“The Knowledge Center will encompass all facets of the digital age in a single, synergistic complex.” This sounds like a pretty tall order for any one library or information center to take on, but the Knowledge Center seems to have a solid grasp on the information and usage needs of university students and faculty, and offers many new features that the old library did not. The planners and designers of the library clearly had the needs and desires of the future library/knowledge center patrons in mind as they created the plan for the new Knowledge Center. First, the building itself is considerably larger (more than twice the size) than the old library, and includes a 163-seat auditorium (for lectures, readings, programs, film festivals, etc.), faculty and graduate student reading rooms, a “Dynamic Media Lab” for filmmakers, expanded and modernized computer labs, and aesthetic features such as an art gallery and sculpture garden. All of these features combine to make the Knowledge Center more than “just a library” – it makes the Knowledge Center a comfortable and welcoming home for learning.
I found the informational website about the Knowledge Center to be quite helpful, and full of great features, such as a virtual fly-though of the library, an audio tour with floor plans, as well as a blog published by staff of the Knowledge Center. http://www.knowledgecenter.unr.edu/about/features.html
While I have not visited the Knowledge Center in person, I think it is safe to say that it meets the needs of a wide variety of users, and qualifies as having a user-centered design. The Knowledge Center was designed to be both professional and welcoming, and offers access to the latest computer technologies (including many software programs and different types of hardware for filmmaking and geospatial mapping, as examples). In addition, it just looks like a beautiful building. I think the Knowledge Center probably serves as a great recruitment tool for students – everything looks modern, and all the technology is pretty impressive. I do think that the Knowledge Center is quite the amazing campus resource, and is very much a user-centered library, information and technology center.
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I just recently read about the Knowledge Center from this University as an example of success in creating a user-centered libraries. The design of the center recognizes the synergy between information and technology, and has the library research and computing help put together in one spot which is a great help for the users. While reading some research about user-centered libraries I realized that the most important thing in creating a user-centered library is that library and information technology professionals are out there available for the users. As they note on their web page the fact that the Center is user-centered: It helps library users in eliminating obstacles to access, empowering them with the tools and skills they will require to navigate the complex web of knowledge to which the Knowledge Center hopes to function as a gateway.
ReplyDeleteI also liked that IT professionals and reference staff are together in one place for users. It is amazing how many tech questions are asked and it is nice to be able to have someone immdiately available for those questions. Reference staff and students can get easily frustrated (unless they have a IT background) when they have questions that are out of their expertise. University of Nevada went beyond an Information Commons and turned the entire library into a complety user-centered building. I couldn't gather from the website whether reference services are offered late into the evening.
ReplyDeleteI wish all libraries provided a virtual tour. As a grad student the library or libraries can be one of the determining factors between universities. I like that the library stays open until midnight on Sundays.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun place this would be to visit! The Knowledge Center is aptly named and seems like a good example of a library of the future, or a forward-thinking library of the present. I like the idea of having film-editing suites and the auditorium. They probably stay fully booked!
ReplyDeleteThe Knowledge Center has definitely been updated to provide the students with all that they need to be successful. These are beautiful libraries.I hate to be a "library dork", but I think I'm going to start visiting these libraries when I travel!
ReplyDeleteThe Knowledge Center sounds like an amazing place. What a model for the libraries of the 21st century. Thanks for the email link and the description, the auditorium, art gallery and sculpture garden do make it sound like you described “a welcoming home for learning.” It was interesting to me that the promotion of the new Center focused on technology and the future but as you described they are including some old but not necessarily traditional library features like an art gallery and a sculpture garden. To me these are features that recognize the place of art in the pursuit of knowledge and add to the concept of a “knowledge center.”
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