Monthly Archives: September 2012

Study Space: On the surface

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Reading and writing – and ‘idea work’ in general – require at minimum 4 square feet of horizontal surface.  Whether in a business office, library, classroom or coffee shop some form of the humble table is what makes high-tech highly functional.

Think of those places you “work” most often.  If your experience is like those my students and I have been observing for the last few years, a “writing” surface winds up being important to the effective use of your time, with or without digital technology.  The comfy chair is not out of style.  They still get used, as do miscellaneous window seats and floor cushions.  Such spots are used briefly for limited tasks.  But for the big stuff – engaging with the material – some form of writing is involved.  Whether by hand, keyboard or touch screen, a horizontal surface is an essential part of the technology. Continue reading →

Students as Investment Analysts

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Students know the score.

At higher education conferences, you see educators, administrators, and increasingly, vendors.  You seldom see students.  You might think that they are silent, but they are speaking.

Students can tell you how much they owe and about their concerns about repayment.  They make investment decisions every semester.  By the time they reach college, they’ve been engaged in the digital economy for years. Continue reading →

Space or Place

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Conflicting perspectives are at the core of every decision about the campus.  Is it a space or place?

Space is the domain of the facilities officers, the real estate managers.  Place is the domain of the participants, the users.  As the waves of fiscal and technological disruption wash over every corner of higher education cognitive dissonance will increase.

The Right Campus – For the facilities manager having the right campus is a question of resources and efficiencies:  minimizing operating costs per square foot, maximizing occupancy of classroom seats and eliminating under-utilized building area.  For the participants it is a question of preferences and performance:  reading in one’s own office or favorite study spot, effective learning and research environments, and convenient parking and transportation. Continue reading →

Libraries as Goog-Azon-Bucks

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NCSU.Library Concierge.for blogPeople before paper, that’s what the academic library is about.

The most effective academic libraries are informed by the idea of student and faculty members as customers.  All are served by learning commons with scores of group workspaces and reference advisors in locations modeled after the concierge desks of hip hotels.

Until recently, the quality of a library was measured by the number of volumes it held.  Now librarians strive to measure the standing of their libraries by the quality of service even as their physical print holdings are shrinking.  Their success is critical to the survival of their institutions. Continue reading →