Library Commons @ Georgia Tech

News Item!

2009-11-18T13:55:00.001-05:00

English 1101 Posters in Library East Commons
(Published: Nov 12, 2009) @ http://www.lcc.gatech.edu/school/news.php

Dr. Emma Crandall has curated an exhibit of English 1101 poster projects in the library's East Commons. Her students explored gender issues on campus inspired by readings and discussions in her course, "Girls (and Boys) Gone Wild! Interpreting Masculinity and Femininity in Contemporary US Culture." Students wrote and administered student surveys on their topics and created argumentative posters based on their findings. Students employed the design principles they studied in the 1101 online ebook and engaged in in-class critiques of each others' work. The display features a rotation of the best projects, but the winners of each section are currently on exhibit. Eventually, the student work, and the reflections they wrote about their collaborative process and final product, will be on permanent online display in Georgia Tech's SMARTech.

2 West: All Markers, All The Time

2009-11-11T22:43:00.002-05:00

Possible small improvements: better marker distribution and storage; clearly marked areas to toss dead markers; better eraser management (keep them attached to the boards. Magnets? String?), consistent cleaning policy.

Notes on 2 West

2009-10-30T11:19:00.003-04:00

There are 26 whiteboards in the 2 West Study Commons and each whiteboard has a marker/eraser holder nearby that can hold 6 markers. Today, a student assistant counted markers for a rough count of 85 (out of 156). Are they being thrown away? Stolen?

Also, we're trying different lounge chair configurations in the east balcony and the Neely overlook. Pictures later.

Summer Vacation

2008-06-25T15:15:00.006-04:00

While there are no events during the summer, there's some action behind the scenes in the Library East Commons. We received some new French Curves that need to be assembled; we're planning Pecha Kucha Georgia Tech (an accessible, entertaining showcase of student research); furniture is being repaired (those tables take a lot of abuse!); and we've got a new Dean of Libraries, so who knows what else'll happen!

Plotter Printer Sign Up

2007-12-06T17:48:00.001-05:00

Click Here to take survey

Things To Do In The LEC

2007-04-15T16:52:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, April 17th, 11am in the Performance Space
DramaTech will perform a short excerpt of their production of Arthur Miller's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's "An Enemy Of The People".
http://git.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2578170532

Wednesday, April 18th, 6pm in the Performance Space
The Pacific Down Under Program's "Aussie Posse" will host a showing of their documentary representing work they've done while interacting with Australian respondents.
http://git.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2313647662

Things To Do In The LEC

2007-02-27T10:01:00.000-05:00

Rescheduled...
"HAUNTING HISTORIES OF THE FEMALE BODY"
PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSION
11am, March 1st

In November of 2006, Cynthia Klestinec and Narin Hassan (both Assistant Professors in the School of Literature, Communication, and Culture) organized The Haunting Histories of the Female Body: Gynecology, Obstetrics and Women's Health. With a one-day symposium, film series and exhibition, the program explored the visual, historical and political nature of the reproductive female body. On Thursday, March 1st, in the Performance Space, three LCC students who took part in various conference activities will conduct a panel discussion on the conference themes, and on organizing the conference itself.

Upcoming:

"Did you know one of the Chemical Engineering professors is a stand-up comedian?"
DROP DAY COMEDY
March 15th, 8pm

If you have to drop a class, leave them laughing; we're having an open-mic stand-up comedy show in the LEC, hosted by Professor Ludovice. Details here.

And in the future:

Georgia Tech writers showcase
Undergraduate Research spotlight

Postponed Event

2007-02-13T10:36:00.000-05:00

The HHFB panel discussion has been postponed indefinitely; as soon as we have a new date, we'll post it here!

Events in the LEC

2007-02-04T18:50:00.000-05:00

Thursday, February 8th, The Spanish Speaking Organization will hold another tertulia (coffee hour) movie-showing: The Lost City, in the Performace Space.

*

In November of 2006, Cynthia Klestinec and Narin Hassan (both Assistant Professors in the School of Literature, Communication, and Culture) organized “The Haunting Histories of the Female Body: Gynecology, Obstetrics and Women's Health.” With a one-day symposium, film series and exhibition, the program explored the visual, historical and political nature of the reproductive female body.

On Tuesday, February 13th, in the Performance Space, Klestinec and Hassan, along with three LCC students who took part in various conference activities, will conduct a panel discussion on the conference’s themes, and on organizing the conference itself.

The conference: http://www.library.gatech.edu/ocs/hhfb

Events in the LEC

2007-01-18T17:24:00.000-05:00

Tonight, Book Jackets is having their first meeting:

In February, we have a panel discussion by the Haunting Histories of the Female Body organizers, and in March we'll have Drop Day Comedy with Pete Ludovice.

Keep checking back for updates and new events!

Campus MovieFest Launch In Zone 1

2007-01-16T16:03:00.000-05:00

Videocast Study Session

2007-01-14T16:08:00.000-05:00

How cool is this?

That's a study session for Fluid Mechanics--webcam, laptop, cell phone (there's a bud in the guy's right ear), flipchart easel, and Zone 1 of the Library East Commons.

Exhibits, Up & Down

2006-12-11T18:18:00.000-05:00

The Haunting Histories of The Female Body displays are gone; a new set of images are displayed on the walls. We're headed toward the end of the semester!

Another Chunk Of Survey Falls From The Sky

2006-12-07T11:35:00.000-05:00

A new survey, on green cards, is out in the LEC:

How do you use the LEC (Library East Commons) to study? What's your favorite spot in the LEC?

How often are you in the LEC? What time of day are you here?

What would you change about the LEC if you could?

A Couple Of Things

2006-12-04T16:15:00.000-05:00

New stuff in the LEC: whiteboards (little & big), computer peripherals, & more cord reels hanging from the lighting frame (look for them in Zone 1 now).

Also, you might see color card-stock surveys lying around (blue and goldenrod). They each have three questions on them.

BLUE QUESTIONS

Have you attended any events in the LEC? What did you think of them?
What types of events and presentations would you like to see in the LEC?
When are you most likely to take a study break in the LEC? When are you most likely to be busy?

GOLDENROD QUESTIONS

How do you use the computers in the LEC?
Should there be rules for computer use in the LEC? What kind? (e.g. time limits or dedicated terminals?
What kind of computer accessories would you like to see in the LEC?

You can leave answers in the comments, if you like.

2006-11-19T14:49:00.000-05:00

Our first floor displays are up!

Look in Zones 3 and 5 for the exhibits; they're part of the Haunting Histories of the Female Body.

2006-11-10T17:24:00.000-05:00

So there are obviously some issues we still need to work out in the space. No, I'm not talking about seating, lighting, or any of that. I'm actually talking about the collective attitude and consciousness of the Library and it's employees.

My point you ask...

We [myself and the video production class] were shushed this morning by a Library staff member. It wasn't rude or anything (it was actually fairly polite), but it still happened. Admittedly, the videos they were showing had wild variance in the noise levels, and that particular one was like a Quiet Riot concert. But c'mon, shushing?

Aside from that, the videos were great and it was a smash success. Not in the sense that Tony Scott is buying rights to the films or anything, but we did manage to attract 4 or 5 people with no affiliation to the class to come in, sit down and watch.

That, my friends, is what the space is all about.

2006-11-09T14:19:00.000-05:00

You know what's nerve-wracking? Getting interviewed on camera is nerve-wracking .

2006-11-08T13:49:00.000-05:00

There are six terminals in the LEC which we designated as "stand-up" or "quick drink," meant for fast, nonintensive use like printing or catalog searches, to balance out the long-term use of the group-computing terminals.

The stand-up terminals are spaced around the elevator core, separate from the group computing tables and pods; they have smaller screens; their "desks" are shelves set higher than any of the other computer resources; we have signs with the text "These are quick-use stations for speedy prints and quick searches" and other nudges for students, but none of this seems to matter: the students need productivity terminals, and they will use whatever computer they can, for as long as they need it.

2006-11-08T10:37:00.000-05:00

The first (of what might be many) video production class presentations took place in Zone 1 this morning. We had some minor technical difficulties (Quicktime had bugs, and the contrast and brightness of the screen need to be improved), but everything settled down and worked fine when we needed it to.

We saw 3 student films, all under 7 minutes in length. They were all very good in their own right; some were great conceptually but needed polish, others looked very slick.

It looks like this may be a common occurence, so I'm looking forward to seeing the next round.

2006-11-02T14:40:00.000-05:00

Last night I placed three large plastic easels in the LEC (one in Zone 3, and two in Zone 1) and wrote, in big, messy letters, "FOR STUDENT USE":

Nobody used them. In Zone 3, somebody wrote "ONLY" below my message, and then someone else wrote "ok" below that. Not very encouraging. How explicit do we need to be with the stuff that gets put in the LEC? When I hooked four power cord reels to the rail system (two in Zone 5, two in Zone 3), I didn't place any signs. I just watched, and within a couple days, patrons were using them all the time. Maybe the easels just need to stick around for a little while...

2006-10-29T12:39:00.000-05:00

This morning I adjusted some halogen lamps, and as I headed back to my office, I saw a student adjusting one on his own. He stopped real quick when he saw me, so I just walked right by him, to make it as clear as possible that I didn't care at all if he reached up and turned a halogen lamp a few inches. He was getting it just right when I walked into my office.

2006-10-26T14:56:00.000-04:00

Someone keeps trying to change the lighting today. I don't know what they are trying to do, other than possibly to mess with me (but it doesn't appear that they've been succesfull in either capacity so far). I hope that they either get it right soon, or come ask for help.

All this goes to show that the lighting and furniture in here can change, and we even encourage it do so. If somethings not working, let us know and we'll fix it.

2006-10-19T16:33:00.000-04:00

To further Karen's earlier post, it is quite a departure from all the other signage in the place, though I don't think it's such a bad thing.

In an entirely different direction, we are getting slammed with multimedia technology requests, and we still have no word regarding the Tech Fee proposals. We have long lists for both the cameras and camcorders, and these will only keep growing more outrageous because many of the previously available items will be on lockdown for class usage through the end of the semester. Sorry for the delays; we'll get to you as soon as we can.

2006-10-19T16:05:00.000-04:00

Oh My!

Joey just showed me the posters for the next installment of the Film Series presented by LCC. I have to say it is a little scandalous. The picture is not immediately offensive but a second glance really catches your eye. This is the first time we will have to decide what is appropriate. Not just for the space, but for the library as a whole. I don't know what the decision will be for the poster but I know it will set a precedence and a standard. We will ask ourselves "is it better or worse than the LCC picture?".

2006-10-15T12:41:00.000-04:00

In Zone 3 (the square between the two computer clusters), we have two French Curves: metal frames with fabric stretched across them, which hang from the lighting rails. If you haven't seen them, here's a picture:

They move around easily, so they won't be in those positions when you walk into Zone 3. The reason I mention them today is I had to change out the bases of the curves today, which was a good feeling--it's always nice to use a power tool and have it work out well...

2006-10-11T16:42:00.000-04:00

The film series starts tonight!

2006-10-08T14:05:00.000-04:00

Celebration Week really took it out of us: fourteen events in four days, and not all of them went exactly as planned!

Since the big week, we've hosted a panel discussion on the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot, an interview with President Clough, and a "webinar."

Next is a film viewing on Wednesday, October 11th, part of the upcoming LCC event "The Haunting Histories of the Female Body: Gynecology, Obstetrics and Women's Health." From the LCC website: [The event] explores the visual, historical and political nature of the reproductive female body. Both resilient and haunting, the female body remains a site of exploration as much as fantasy. Built around a film series, which will begin in late October, and a symposium, which will take place on November 17, this interdisciplinary project proves to be as entrancing as it is illuminating.

The film on the 11th is "Vital Statistics of a Citizen, Simply Obtained" (1977) by American artist Martha Rosler, which concerns the historical and present-day subjugation of women to a scientific-medical establishment principally guided by normalcy and deviation. It will be introduced by Andrew Uroskie from the LCC department.

2006-09-18T20:26:00.000-04:00

Events in the Library East Commons continue!

TUESDAY 9/19

12:00pm - 1:00pm "Process and Product: New Media and the First-Year Writing
Classroom" by Scott Banville
2:00pm - 3:30pm "Thinking Outside The Black Box" by Pete Ludovice
7:00pm - 8:00pm Poetry Recital by Kathy Nagel
8:00pm - 9:00pm Sympathetic Vibrations

WEDNESDAY 9/20

2:00pm - 3:00pm "Modernism & Classicism at Tech" by Elizabeth Dowling
7:00pm - 8:00pm Musical Recital by Caroline Stratton
8:00pm - 9:30pm Gorizia documentary films curated by Angela Dalle Vacche

THURSDAY 9/21

11:00am - 12:00pm Summer Reading Program Discussion featuring "Guns, Germs, and Steel"
2:00pm - 3:30pm GT Honors Program by Greg Nobles & students
8:00pm - 10:00pm Let's Try This Players

2006-09-11T19:55:00.000-04:00

The Grand Opening Is Coming!

MONDAY 9/18

11:00am - 12:00pm Opening Ceremony
1:00pm - 2:00pm GT traditions by Marilyn Somers (Living History project)
7:00pm - 8:00pm Musical Recital by Trung Vo
8:00pm - 9:00pm Campus MovieFest@GT Best Films

TUESDAY 9/19

12:00pm - 1:00pm "Process and Product: New Media and the First-Year Writing
Classroom" by Scott Banville
2:00pm - 3:30pm "Thinking Outside The Black Box" by Pete Ludovice
7:00pm - 8:00pm Poetry Recital by Kathy Nagel
8:00pm - 9:00pm Sympathetic Vibrations

WEDNESDAY 9/20

2:00pm - 3:00pm "Modernism & Classicism at Tech" by Elizabeth Dowling
7:00pm - 8:00pm Musical Recital by Caroline Stratton
8:00pm - 9:30pm Gorizia documentary films curated by Angela Dalle Vacche

THURSDAY 9/21

11:00am - 12:00pm Summer Reading Program Discussion featuring "Guns, Germs, and Steel"
2:00pm - 3:30pm GT Honors Program by Greg Nobles & students
8:00pm - 10:00pm Let's Try This Players

More stuff than you can shake a stick at!

2006-09-07T10:49:00.000-04:00

So we've entered the fun phase of furniture moving--what can we do for the kids? What makes them happy, what do they change after we move it? Will they start moving things on their own?

Zone 1: We added comfortable chairs yesterday, stealing them from Zones 5 & 3, and arranged them in a "preliminary" set up: a couple face-to-face by the glass wall, one by the window with an ottoman, and two stashed in the corner, waiting to be arranged tomorrow. We scattered the Werndl tables through the other zones (Zone 1 was overwhelmed by all its tables). When we came in to work today, half of the set-ups we'd placed had been moved, adapted, and used.

Zone 3: French curves, NextWalls, Werndl tables--a playground of furtniture.

Zone 5: Still a puzzle. Tonight, Joey and I will switch out NextWalls and move the furniture around, to see what happens.

2006-08-31T11:32:00.000-04:00

Monday was full of furniture deliveries. Abak tables, Werndl tables, and a whole bunch of comfortable chairs and couches. We spread that stuff all over, and the students were sitting in them before we were done with the whole floor. Today, walking through the LEC, I saw two students sleeping. They've definitely become comfortable with the space, quickly. There are groups meeting in zone 1:

I can't say that everything is going as planned, but the use of the space mostly reflects what we expected the students to want. The big question coming up is how much regulation on the group computing stations:

because individual users love those stations. The point of the stations, however, is for group computing, because that's what the students asked for. So how forceful do we want to be about group work?

2006-08-27T12:38:00.000-04:00

The first thing I did this morning at work was gather all the chairs I could around the various Resolve System workstations (which come in stars/pods/clusters of three terminals, and I think we need to settle on some terminology soon; did you know that Zone One, the Instant Theater, the Presentation Space, and the Performance Space are all the same thing?) I gathered the chairs around each station because since the clusters opened in the LEC, the use has been maybe 10% group, 90% individual. Short of kicking people off terminals, I don't see any way to enforce group use, but I do think we can encourage (perhaps even program) the students to think of these terminals as collaboration stations. "Guide without requiring" is my first hope for the use of the LEC.

The second thing I did was bend the mylar NextWall away from the cluster in Zone 4. It had simply loomed over the first stations (we hadn't really known where to put it), but now it swoops away. I'll have to change it tomorrow, I think, what with more furniture coming in, but for now the NextWalls are operating mostly as sculpture; people in the LEC gather around them but don't yet interact with them--certainly no one has asked me to move them around yet. I hope some students noticed me moving the wall today and will think to ask in the upcoming weeks...

2006-08-22T18:31:00.000-04:00

Ah, more meetings. Sabir Kahn (another Architecture prof!) gave me a lot to think about in terms of how the zones interact and how we might guide the students to use the space without using restrictions--more like calculated environments.

The very first thing I did was bend the NeXt Walls in Zone 3 so that there was more noise and light bleed-over from Zone 2 and 4... Students will use the LEC for individual study unless we make some noise!

2006-08-22T14:30:00.000-04:00

Along with the student activity, I had a meeting with an Architecture professor, Tina Simonton, who hung all the paintings in the RC downstairs. We had a long discussion of the art/research/model exhibition plans for the LEC, one of those meetings in which I discover that there's much I don't know and haven't thought of.

Important points:

* A mission statement for the LEC art/research exhibitions is important, as a first defense against folks wanting to "have" a section of the displays or to turn the space into a personal showcase.

* A mission statement should include what we have to offer (the rail system, hooks, space, time) with what the artist/exhibitor would need to provide.

* There may be small grants floating around for displays at the amateur level.

* Have a "wishlist" of displays separate from the mission statement

* We can get departments working together by getting ID kids helping to develop displays, getting TFE to design backdrops, MATE to build stuff, etc. Perhaps an ID internship or senior project?

2006-08-22T13:35:00.000-04:00

The computers went online about 11:20am today, and by noon they were full of people. And, as I suspected, now that the computers are on, students are using the floor--studying, laptops, relaxing. While all those "out of order" signs were on the terminals, students walked through the space and oohed & aahed, but they didn't stick around after they were impressed. Now that the cluster is active, the students linger.

We've spread the furniture around--the students were using the chairs where the chairs had been stored, even though that was all jammed up in Zone 3. Also, as soon as the coffee tables were moved near the chairs, the kids jumped on those, too.

2006-08-22T10:59:00.000-04:00

Had a nice moment just now--sitting in my office, waiting for a meeting with Tina Simonton about the art and exhibits that will go up on the wall (more about that later, I bet), and a couple of energetic, cute girls came around the corner, grooving on the LEC. When I write "grooving," I mean it literally--dancing in place, elbows and shoulders popping. One of them saw me watching (I was smiling, because, hey, pretty girls dancing about architecture, why wouldn't you smile?) and mouthed "Yes!" with a clenched-fist endorsement. Turns out the kids are into it--I couldn't be happier.

2006-08-16T17:01:00.000-04:00

Today we had a few furniture deliveries, including ottomans, tables, and chairs. We also had our first presentation in Zone 1: the new faculty orientation. We had a few issues with the presentation space, several of which we had expected, and a couple that I never would have thought of until we saw it...

Noise will be a problem; we need a quiet cooler for the cafe (Zone 0), and people talking in Zone 5 and phones ringing in Circulation can be heard in Zone 1. Miking our speakers and using the Next Walls as sound baffles will help, I'm sure.

People don't like the front row, perhaps because there isn't a clearly defined stage, so they want some kind of buffer.

If you arrange chairs with wheels into rows, people won't stay in those rows.

People didn't sit in the corner with the glass wall--too exposed, maybe?

It wasn't a bad experience, though--everyone seemed to like the space, noise was the only significant problem, and putting all the chairs away took less than fifteen minutes.

2006-08-16T15:38:00.000-04:00

The Library East Commons

So....I don't actually know where to start with this, as I have:
a) never published a blog post, and
b) no idea how to tell a narrative like this with no context or backstory.
The simple explanation is that we used to have a depressing run down space in the library, which became a depressive bombed out space of the library, and is now an exceptionally dynamic space, one where things actually happen.

Rather than try to spell all this out, hopefully a couple of pictures will do.

So there you go, long story made short through images. We learned a few things today about how we can make the space better, but we are well on our way to making it a place you actually want to be in...

2006-08-14T12:10:00.000-04:00

The Library East Commons opened to the public today: we've moved the Circulation Department back into the space (pictures to come) and students & faculty have begun to nose around the LEC. This week is going to be full of surprises...