Georgia Tech's Learning Commons: An Epicenter for Student Success

Since 2002, the Georgia Tech library has collaborated with the Office of Information Technology (OIT) on a series of renovations that have doubled attendance and resulted in distinctions such as the "best place to study on campus" and the "most important change at GT this year." Student support units including advisement, tutoring, and the counseling center have petitioned for "storefronts" in this exciting landscape where ongoing enhancements are driven by student suggestions. All of these improvements are treated as experiments that require ongoing observation, commentary, and, if necessary, adjustment. The library and OIT find that learning commons, if thoughtfully conceived and nurtured, can be epicenters of student learning, productivity, and creativity that suggest next steps in library transformations and the logical campus partnerships that enhance them.