Tuesday, May 25, 2004

Towards A Fully-Integrated Info Commons 

Nifty idea over at The Blackboard Jungle in the midst of a rant about an ill-designed library: why aren't there book display racks by the computers? It gives readers something close at hand for web hang-times, showcases the collection, and re-establishes the library as a place for books -- and books and computers together as vital, mutually respectful parts of a growing infomedia spectrum, rich and diverse. Here's what I'd include:

• Short featured poetry collections for those in need of a quick brain break or a creative prompt.


• Quick-reference texts for station-specific software and common design and rhetoric questions.


• Quirky "best of the web" collections.


• The Little, Brown style and citation handbook

I can almost see pairing a small set or single book with each station, thereby turning a bank of computers into a series of tiny but open-ended almost-kiosks. And while we're at it, let's add a display of books, just when you walk into the Commons itself, covering a wide but relevant spectrum of technology, culture, learning, information literacy, and anything else directly related to the Information Commons and its raison d'etre, shall we?

I'd been thinking about a laminated page on each of the higher-end workstations listing available software and support possibilities. Thanks to Lectrice for helping me think bigger.

posted by boyhowdy | 8:17 PM |

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