Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons (Grand Valley State University, August 10-12, 2015)
At Grand Valley State University (Allendale, Michigan) for the excellent Re-think It 2015 Conference. Here are my pictures of the beautiful Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons that opened in 2013. This is a LEED Platinum building (the first I ever visited). From their site: "The Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons is designed to be the intellectual heart of the Allendale Campus. It will exceed the expectations of anyone who thinks of a library solely as a home for printed books and whispered words. In this new library, students will find a range of environments, from noisy to quiet, in which they can work on an assignment alone or in a group; receive coaching from a peer consultant in research, writing, or presenting; practice a new skill or play with a new idea; learn something unexpectedly; engage easily with each other in spaces engineered to accommodate the sounds of natural conversation; or curl up by the fireplace in a contemplative space with the best views on campus. Students will do all of these things in a building that was crafted with their needs in mind—the right lighting, the right furniture, the right resources, the right services, the right spaces, and the right amount of flexibility. "Going to the library" will take on a whole new meaning as the Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons becomes and integral part of every student's experience at Grand Valley."
Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons (Grand Valley State University, August 10-12, 2015)
At Grand Valley State University (Allendale, Michigan) for the excellent Re-think It 2015 Conference. Here are my pictures of the beautiful Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons that opened in 2013. This is a LEED Platinum building (the first I ever visited). From their site: "The Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons is designed to be the intellectual heart of the Allendale Campus. It will exceed the expectations of anyone who thinks of a library solely as a home for printed books and whispered words. In this new library, students will find a range of environments, from noisy to quiet, in which they can work on an assignment alone or in a group; receive coaching from a peer consultant in research, writing, or presenting; practice a new skill or play with a new idea; learn something unexpectedly; engage easily with each other in spaces engineered to accommodate the sounds of natural conversation; or curl up by the fireplace in a contemplative space with the best views on campus. Students will do all of these things in a building that was crafted with their needs in mind—the right lighting, the right furniture, the right resources, the right services, the right spaces, and the right amount of flexibility. "Going to the library" will take on a whole new meaning as the Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons becomes and integral part of every student's experience at Grand Valley."