National Library Week

April 6th, 2012

It’s National Library Week, April 8 – 14, 2012, and that feels a bit strange here at DU.  One may look at the Academic Commons construction zone and assume that the University of Denver doesn’t even have a library.   How can a worthy academic institution exist without a library?!  Chester Alter, DU’s Chancellor from 1953 until 1967, was known to say, “A great university must have at its heart a great library.”  So where does that leave DU, given that our library looks like this?

At DU, we’re excited and delighted about the Academic Commons, and looking forward to the transformational impact we expect it to have on the DU student experience.  Research suggests that patron visits will nearly double, so the bricks and mortar are important to all who use the new building.  The facility itself will have people flocking to enjoy the state of the art, shiny, new space.  There will be so many structural enticements in the new building including huge windows, a café and porch, an atrium, group study spaces, absolute deep quiet study spaces, fireplaces, an event center, the latest technology, and abundant exhibit space to show off the treasures from our collections.  But in the meantime, Penrose remains proud and functional as a library, even without a central home.

The faculty and staff of Penrose created a miracle of sorts last spring, when they removed every single thing from the 1972 Penrose Library building, yet continued to offer uninterrupted service.  Currently, the 17 faculty, 60 staff and 101 student employees of Penrose Library provide all of the services, resources and materials that were offered at the original Penrose Library building, and now we do it from four separate buildings.   Penrose is the largest campus employer of students, and in our temporary quarters in the Driscoll Student Center, Penrose is open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, and slightly fewer hours on weekends.  Technology allows patrons to use all of Penrose Library’s digital resources including over 600 databases, at any time of day or night from any remote location via internet access to library.du.edu.

All of this leads to the point that even without a library building, the University of Denver’s Penrose Library is at its heart the people who provide important programs and services, and who facilitate use of the vast resources of a fine academic library one expects of a great university.  In the Academic Commons, staff and services will increase to include more of the important and heavily-used academic support services that are integral to student success.  We have much to celebrate during National Library Week, and so much to look forward to in the Academic Commons, when the people, programs and resources at the heart of Penrose Library are all together in an amazing new building.

Click here to see a video of how Penrose currently retrieves books for patrons during the Academic Commons building project.

Click here to read Jeff Rundles’s recent column about librarians and customer care where he says, “…libraries and librarians ….  must be the most helpful, the most informed, and the most knowledgeable resources on the planet.”

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Perched for a Lifetime of Learning

March 30th, 2012

If you were to walk inside the construction zone in the Academic Commons building project, you would see the “perched classroom” taking shape.   When completed, this research instruction and meeting space will appear to float in the atrium, and DU students and faculty will conduct important work here.  Visible from the main and upper floors of the Academic Commons, this dramatic room with a curved wall of windows invites observation of the research instruction taking place inside, while facing out to the vast resources of Penrose Library.

Perched classroom in the Academic Commons

Thanks to the internet, those of us with access are blessed with information.  But sometimes the amount of information can be overwhelming, a burden.  To those who think someday librarians won’t be necessary because of the internet, we’d like to point out it is precisely because of the surfeit of information that librarians are vital.  No one manages to digest all of the information available, so we need librarians to help us make sense of it all.

At Penrose, our reference librarians work closely with DU faculty and students.  Each major academic division has its own Penrose faculty librarian specializing in that discipline, responsible for teaching research skills relevant to that field of study.  Faculty may request for their students a library workshop that emphasizes the integration of research skills into course topics.  Librarians tailor sessions to the group (for example, first year writing students or graduate students in art history) by drawing on appropriate databases from the more than 600 available through Penrose.

Whether we say this is all about critical thinking, research skills, or the contemporary term “information literacy,” Penrose librarians teach every student how to be an expert information manager.   As the American Library Association says, “Information literate people are those who have learned how to learn. They know how to learn because they know how knowledge is organized, how to find information, and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them. They are people prepared for lifelong learning, because they can always find the information needed for any task or decision at hand.”

In the perched classroom of the Academic Commons at Penrose Library, equipped with projectors, and state of the art teaching technology such as video walls, this library teaching and learning space is appropriately positioned high in the center of the building, since student success starts with the ability to find, use, manage, and apply documentation of current and past generations of scholars and writers.  Librarians will bring thousands of DU students into this space every year, exposing them to the light streaming from the surrounding windows, and to the brilliance of knowledge discovery.  In 2010-2011 in the original Penrose Library facility, 5,080 DU students participated in research workshops. We expect many more to engage in such programs at the Academic Commons.

The reference librarians at Penrose Library also offer many different instructional workshops, guides, and tutorials to help the DU community learn about library research.   Click here for the current Penrose Library instruction schedule.

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“Academic Commons” defined

February 23rd, 2012

What does “Academic Commons” mean, anyway?!  “Academic” of course, relates to learning, and  “commons” refers to a central location, a meeting place.  Still, the two words don’t quite sum up the significant ways the Academic Commons at Penrose Library will transform the DU student experience.

DU is not building “just a library,” and, calling this a “renovation” is an understatement.  Indeed, it will be a sparkling new library, continuing to serve its patrons around the clock and remotely from the Penrose website (www.library.du.edu), allowing access to databases, journals, and materials online, at the library itself or from the comfort of a residence hall, for example.  As expected, the library will have stacks and stacks of books, a section for browsing magazines and newspapers, archives and special collections, and librarians providing assistance.  Study rooms will accommodate individuals, small groups and large groups, whether they seek deep quiet or the opportunity for dialog and team work.  Treasures from the Penrose collections will be displayed in vast exhibit space, and the DU community will engage around enlightening performances at the library’s event venue.

Think of the Academic Commons as more than a building.  Remember the instructors, the expertise, and the programs available there.  Anchored by Penrose Library’s traditional collections and services, the Academic Commons also will be the central campus location for key high-volume educational support services.  On the main floor, beyond the patio and café, collaborative programming will benefit students who take advantage of guidance in research, writing, math, and technology.   Faculty, too, will have a place to hone their skills, learning methods to improve their teaching and ways to incorporate technology into their courses.  Over time, the business of educating, and the process of learning have changed, requiring interaction and collaboration among and between students, staff and faculty.  The Academic Commons is a physical space designed to promote creative adventure and intellectual synergy.

Construction of the Academic Commons continues.

Conveniently located under one roof, the deep and complex intertwining of the library with essential academic support is what will make the DU student experience transformational.  Penrose librarians will continue the important work of helping students find and apply useful, relevant information.  Meanwhile a variety of stakeholders in the Academic Commons will help students manage information, move through the continuum of inquiry to expression, be stronger quantitative thinkers, navigate the use of technology for the expression of ideas, and satisfy their curiosity for a lifetime of learning.  At the University of Denver, that’s what Academic Commons means.

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You’re Invited to a Furniture Fair!

February 2nd, 2012

Coconut

Neighbor, Solo, Hush, Fly, Coconut, Julie, Womb, Stones, Campfire, Happy.  QUESTION: What do those words all have in common?  ANSWER: They are all names of individual pieces of furniture being considered for the Academic Commons, DU’s new library, scheduled to open in Winter 2013.  Everyone in the DU community is welcome and encouraged to attend the Academic Commons Furniture Fair on February 7 and 8, to help determine which pieces will be purchased for the new facility.

As you probably know, DU is building what promises to be a wonderful new Penrose Library.  Not only have librarians and architects been involved in designing the perfect place to provide traditional library services along with a variety of academic support programs, the newest technology, and a lively café with a porch overlooking Carnegie Green, but a decade worth of user experience surveys were considered in plans for the building.  Sure, we have expert architects working with the University’s own architect, and we have furniture consultants, and a Chancellor who chimes in, but we also need input from the people who matter most: you, the students, faculty and staff for whom the Academic Commons is being built.

Womb

We invite you to take a seat and let us know how it feels.  We ask that you cast your vote about lounge chairs and sofas, booths, ottomans, task chairs, side tables and computer tables.  The Academic Commons Furniture Fair will take place on Tuesday, February 7 and Wednesday, February 8 from 11am-7pm in the lowest level of the Ritchie Center.  Over 150 pieces under consideration for the new building will be on display.  We ask everyone to share their opinion.  Feedback will be collected and analyzed, and will help determine the final furniture choices for our new library.

The furniture fair location is the old varsity weight room, on the lower level of the north end of Ritchie Center, accessible by going down the ramp on the north side of the building.  Signs will show the way from the south and west sides of the building.  For more information, contact Andrea Howland, External Relations Coordinator for Penrose Library, Andrea.Howland@du.edu, 303-871-3958.

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Penrose: the people behind our library’s name

January 25th, 2012

Spencer Penrose

Everyone at DU is touched by the generosity of Julie and Spencer Penrose, and yet Penrose, to many, is just the library’s name.  Looking at the photos of Julie and Spencer Penrose, we can be sure that they would be amazed by the new-fangled facility under construction and bearing their name, the Academic Commons at Penrose Library.

Spencer seems to have been adventurous, fleeing a comfortable life back East as the son of a prominent Philadelphia banker, and with a Harvard education, choosing an unusual career by making his way to the Wild West where he eventually became a successful entrepreneur with gold and copper mines around Cripple Creek, Colorado.   Julie was born in Detroit where her father was a prominent businessman and Mayor.  She married Jim MacMillan, the son of a U.S. Senator and owner of the Michigan Car Company.  Jim and Julie were motivated more by health concerns than adventure when they moved West, settling in Colorado hopeful that the climate would cure Jim’s tuberculosis.  Several years later, however, he succumbed to his illness, leaving Julie a widow and free to marry Spencer.

Julie Penrose

Julie Penrose, a fan of visual and performing arts, founded the Colorado Springs Performing Arts Center, and the Central City Opera, two institutions still of great importance to Colorado.  Spencer and Julie built many landmarks in Colorado Springs including the Broadmoor Hotel, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and Pikes Peak Highway.  Together they arranged for the creation of a foundation, El Pomar Foundation, named fondly for the apple orchard where they resided.  The Penrose assets were pooled to be used by the Foundation for the well being of the people of Colorado.  Today the Foundation’s assets are worth about $500 million, generating more than $20 million for annual distribution to Colorado non-profit organizations.

Spencer and Julie Penrose knew nothing of the $4.5 million gift in 1970 from the El Pomar Foundation to the University of Denver, but surely they would have supported the important mission of building a new main library at DU.  That gift paid not only for the building of DU’s Penrose Library, but for furniture and equipment as well.  That original Penrose Library building serves as the base upon which the Academic Commons is being constructed.  How can we repay Spencer and Julie for their foresight, generosity and benevolence, for providing the funds to create the heart of this great University?   We honor their legacy by making the most of our opportunities, including at the Academic Commons at Penrose Library, and by appreciating those that came before us, and by helping those who follow.

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See the Light

January 14th, 2012

A good librarian cautions against relying on Google as a primary research tool, but I did it anyway for the term: NATURAL LIGHT. In both text and images, Google’s top responses are not about the glorious light radiating from the sun, as I intended, but about beer! Occasionally beer may be found on a college campus, but the natural light I refer to are the endorphin-building solar rays that will be plentiful in the new Academic Commons at Penrose Library, now under construction at the University of Denver.

Much has already been said of the whiz-bang technology that will be found in the Academic Commons, along with raves about other planned state-of-the-art features, but lighting matters. Not only does light allow us to see where we are going, but light compels us and leads the way. As light illumines, so are we enlightened by what occurs in a library. The Academic Commons will be lit at night, like a beacon, attracting students and faculty to this most important resource at the heart of the DU campus. Like a beacon, the Academic Commons will help members of the DU community navigate their academic and intellectual journeys.

The architecture of the Academic Commons features brilliance, including a large skylight in the roof and clerestory windows. Internally, an atrium and glass walls promote the flow of light from the roof across the main and upper levels. As you can see in the photo, work has begun to allow abundant natural light into what had previously been a perceptibly darker level of Penrose.  Increased lower-level natural light will be a vast improvement for our library, and will brighten this previously foreboding space.

So much vocabulary about light also is about knowledge and vision and inspiration. We expect them all to intertwine in the Academic Commons. Let me be clear: we anticipate a bright future for all of DU at the Academic Commons at Penrose Library.

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Good Things Come

December 22nd, 2011

As 2011 draws to a close, and fresh snow blankets the DU campus, it’s exciting to anticipate a year from now opening the doors for the very first time to the new Academic Commons at Penrose Library.

Since its inception, the Penrose renovation has been imagined as something much more than freshening up the old library. With a great deal of consideration, and years’ worth of feedback from DU community members, the idea of an “Academic Commons” emerged. The Academic Commons starts with the vision of preserving the library’s traditional print resources at Penrose’s central campus location, and, by creatively repurposing the Penrose interior, becomes the hub of curiosity, creativity and learning for all DU students, across the entire curriculum.

We expect the Academic Commons to transform how DU faculty teach and how DU students learn by enhancing the library experience:

• State of the art technology supporting students, including 24/7, anytime, anywhere digital materials and reference assistance, and plenty of power outlets.

• Flexible physical spaces for studying, researching, collaborating, and even relaxing, made warm and inviting by abundant natural light. Study spaces include small and large group study rooms, open reading rooms with views of downtown Denver and campus greens, a family study room with facilities accommodating children, and a room for authorized users only, providing individual carrels secured for a whole term. Relaxing spaces feature a café and patio overlooking the Carnegie Green, a library and magazine browsing area, and a light-filled atrium. Special events of an academic nature will be featured in a glass-walled events space within the Academic Commons.

• Learning-centered academic support services in research, writing, math, and multi-media technology, with the equipment and staff expertise to help students employ media in academic pursuits. Of course Penrose librarians will reach out, as always, to teach students the necessary research and technology skills, and guide students from a first notion to successful completion of academic projects.

There’s more, so much more to look forward to in the Academic Commons at Penrose Library. In frequent posts in 2012 we’ll feature specific areas and services, and highlight construction developments to keep you informed and up to date. We hope you share our excitement for this new heart of DU.

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Important Logistical Information about Penrose Library

June 13th, 2011

Due to the imminent reconstruction of Penrose Library, we wanted to keep you up to date on changes happening at the library:

  • The Penrose Library building is now closed.
  • All library services have moved to interim locations across campus (see specific addresses and locations listed under “Frequently Asked Questions”);
  • The temporary library, “Penrose@Driscoll,” is now operating in the Driscoll Student Center and will remain open for the duration of the library building project (approximately 18 months to two years).  The north part of the Driscoll Student Center is located just west of the Penrose library building;
  • Penrose Library services, including Circulation, Interlibrary Loan, Reserves, and the Research Center are located in the Driscoll Ballroom and Gallery;
  • As always, it is possible to request books and other items using the Request It button in the on-line Library catalog record: http://library.du.edu.
  • Special Collections and Archives have moved to Aspen Hall. Please use our request form to schedule a research appointment and to request materials during this transitional time.
  • The UTS computer lab is now located in the Driscoll Ballroom Gallery.
  • For help with personal computers and equipment, visit the UTS Help Desk at 2100 South High St., located on the southeast corner of High and Evans Streets.
  • The Prayer Space has moved to Driscoll South, Suite 29, which also houses the office of the University Chaplain. The space is on the ground floor of Driscoll South, near the west entrance to the building. The Prayer Room will be open, and available for use, whenever the Driscoll Student Center is open.

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Bittersweet

June 6th, 2011

“Become a student of change. It is the only thing that will remain constant,” said one very wise Anthony J. D’Angelo, a man who sparked a revolution in higher education.

Yes, change is stirring in our beloved Penrose Library. The Access Desk—the very port of Welcome to our fair building of wisdom! —is moving this week.

Beginning June 20, the Access Desk will be open for business in DU’s temporary library, Penrose@Driscoll. Penrose@Driscoll will be found just across the green from Penrose Library in the Driscoll Student Center Ballroom. Between now and then, Access Services will remain open in its current location in Penrose Library, albeit with a temporary desk.

The super heroes that work the desk have the temporary routine worked out, so they can and will continue to serve in fine style. Driscoll will be the new home of the Access Services desk, along with the most other library services until the new Academic Commons at Penrose Library re-opens in late 2012.

We’ve been expecting this. We’ve been planning for it. For months, maybe even years. Yet seeing it is bittersweet. But we know we’ll be back with a bigger, better, more comfortable, more energy efficient Academic Commons at Penrose Library. A Library truly ready for future 21st century scholars and the next forty years of serving the DU community!

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Uninterrupted Service During Renovation

May 18th, 2011

The Collections

Penrose plans for moving out collections in anticipation of the renovation continue to progress as planned.  The first wave of materials moving in April went smoothly and movers will return in early June to begin the second and final phase of moving of books and other library collections.  Everything and everyone must be out of the Penrose Library building by July 12th for construction to begin.

What’s notable about this process, and what is unprecedented as far as we know, is that Penrose is moving our collections without an interruption in access to materials!  Over the past few months, staff completed a full inventory, ensuring that each and every item in the collection has a barcode.  Now, as materials move, they can still be located and retrieved at any point in the moving process.

As our stacks maintenance manager, Andrew Miller, said recently, “This is unheard of, moving an entire library without ever limiting access to the materials.  Why are we doing it?  Because it’s the right thing to do.”

We feel strongly that maintaining access to important research and teaching materials for all campus members – many of whom will be taking classes, teaching, or doing research this summer during the peak of the moving period – is simply the right thing to do.  We are dedicated to providing top-quality service during this time and are literally working round-the-clock to do so.

To request items that have already moved to the Hampden Center, simply locate the item in the online catalog, click the Request It button in the item’s record and follow the steps.  The item will be retrieved for you, brought to Penrose within twenty-four hours, and you will receive an email letting you know that the item is ready for pick up.  More detailed instructions on using the Request it feature can be found here.

Requesting items online will be the only way to access physical library materials after around June 20th, but by that point we will have ramped up to full capacity for deliveries so you can expect your items to be delivered to the Driscoll Ballroom, our temporary location, in two to four hours.

The Services

Just as we are dedicated to providing uninterrupted access to library materials during the renovation process, we are planning to continue library services without interruption as well.  There are many services located in the library and our plans include moving them to their temporary locations so that users can still access them throughout the process.

Timeline

As of this writing (5/17/11) we plan to move library services to their new locations beginning immediately after commencement June 4th and to conclude by July 12th.  We will post a timeline of these moves soon to the Academic Commons website FAQs and update campus through WebCentral emails.

We think you’ll agree that keeping library collections and services accessible throughout the renovation is “the right thing to do.”

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