University of Sheffield, Information Commons

Background & Context

The vision for the Information Commons (IC) was conceived and jointly developed by the University Library and Corporate Information and Computing Services (CiCS) at Sheffield. The IC represents a customer-oriented, joined-up approach to services.

The IC is designed with an eye to the future. The intention has always been that it should be an iconic flagship building for the 21st Century, the Student Library/IT/Learning Space of the future.

Its open-plan, flexible learning space is open 24/7 with self-service technology that enables students and staff to access resources at any time of day or night.

The main driver behind the development was the shortage and poor quality of study spaces in the library and IT centres - Sheffield was at the bottom of the Russell Group in terms of seats per user. The 1959 Western Bank Library was not easily extendable. There was a spatial separation of library and IT provision - so students got books and wrote notes in the library and then took them to PCs situated elsewhere. Temperature control was an issue in these rooms and the environment generally was not very satisfactory.

The Information Commons was always going to be a facility in addition to current provision rather than in place of it. It was vital that students should be provided with spaces to work together and this was not always possible with the existing accommodation. Anecdotal evidence suggests that group work was regularly undertaken away from the University due to lack of meeting facilities - students would work at home or in other locations.

The idea behind the new development was that it would provide an integrated learning environment - bringing print and electronic resources together, accommodating a range of learning styles - within a research-led university.

The brief was that it should meet the study and learning needs of today's students and as far as possible those of the future - without being constrained by the vocabularies of existing academic buildings.

Staff involved in the planning stages of the IC visited a lot of buildings of different types to get a feeling for space and how it could be used innovatively and successfully. They visited examples from within and outside of the education sector and were influenced by designs for quite different environments, including one for a department store's food hall.

The key design values involved in the development included high quality architecture that is modern, striking and functional and reflects the values of the University of Sheffield. The building needed to offer a wide variety of study environments whilst avoiding regimented spaces.

The major raison d'être of the IC was the provision of an additional facility for users that provided access to book stock, electronic resources and technology, as well as opportunities for group working, all under one roof. The key phrase used in the briefing process was 'the integrated learning environment'.

From the outset of the recognition of the need for the building it was the consensus that the building should be as sustainable as practically possible. As a result the building design includes a number of features to reduce its environmental impact, such as:

A rainwater recycling system (grey water) below the entrance plaza to flush toilets.

Construction that uses a number of recyclable materials.

North lights that reduce glare, solar heat gain and the need for artificial light.

Motion sensors that activate shelf-edge lighting only when an area is in use.

Recycling bins for paper, cans and plastic bottles.

The IC works very much in partnership with users and with other stakeholders within the institution - features of this type of working include;

• Pro-active working with academic departments on all issues of information resource provision
• Strategic involvement with Learning and Teaching policy
• Holistic view of resource provision

'Since the Middle Ages, the word 'commons' has described a shared resource and expressed the idea of community. So the Information Commons is a shared environment where the University's academic community can come together to access a wide variety of information and learning resources' (taken from University of Sheffield booklet 'Introducing the Information Commons').

As the result of active collaboration between two discrete departments the Information Commons is much more than just an IT centre or a library. It combines the best of both worlds and brings with it a new and fresh approach to the learning experience at Sheffield.

Users are offered a wide range of learning environments within the same building.

• Soft seating areas create an informal, comfortable environment to read or relax in.
• Study rooms of different sizes can be booked in advance for group work.
• Quiet areas are provided 'for study uninterrupted by mobile phones, tapping keyboards or conversation'.
• There is a 'flexispace' area on Level 4 where students can choose to work in a number of different ways.
• The café area on the ground floor has kiosk computers for checking of emails.

The building has been optimised for 24/7 operation - including motion sensors for lights, self-service return and issue machines and self-service photocopying and printing facilities.

An innovative approach to the construction of the building was used. It has a concrete frame with cobiax/bubbledeck slab - this process involved pouring concrete around recycled plastic spheres. This approach was lighter than standard concreting and provided a better finish. The building has been clad in prepatinated copper sheet (this was chosen deliberately as if ordinary copper had been used and left to patinate naturally it would have ended up with a patchy finish) and grey terracotta tile.

The building is separated into three zones: Zone 1 is North Lights, Zone 2 The Void and Zone 3 The Pavilion. The floor levels cut across these Zones. Each level has its own identity and identifying colour. Level 0 has the Information desk and Café. Level 1 is blue and has the CILASS collaboratories and group spaces in Zones 1 and 3 as well as books in Zone 1, the Level 1 Information Desk is in Zone 2. Level 2 is orange and has a study balcony and books in Zone 1 and Zones 2 and 3 are given over to silent study. Level 3 is green Zone 1 has a 32 seat classroom and Group Study spaces and books, Zone 2 has a silent study area. Level 4 is yellow and Zone 1 has a 24 seat classroom plus study areas and books, Zone 2 is the Flexispace and Zone 3 has further study rooms. Levels 5 and 6 are purple and appear in Zone 3 only - they house over 100+ PCs over the 2 floors. Level 5 is now designated as a silent study area, and all the PCs on that level are bookable in advance.

The IC has become a space for use mainly by undergraduates. For level 1 and 2 undergraduates the IC is their main resource; final year undergraduates and postgraduate students make greater use of the Western Bank Library and other libraries on campus where the research collections are held.

Some facts and figures about the Information Commons: The building has 8000 m2 of usable space over 7 floors - with room for expansion. There are 1350 study spaces (including 120 in CILASS (Centre for Inquiry Based Learning In the Arts and Social Sciences, a HEFCE funded CETL)) and 70 in the Café). Generous study space was allocated - up to 4.2 square metres per place. Desks have PCs but are not IT workstations. The study spaces come in a variety of shapes and forms, so students can come together in groups or work independently depending on the nature of their work. Group study tables are available on all floors and some have widescreen PCs on them - ideal for group working. There are 22,000 students at Sheffield.

• 10 bookable group study rooms seating between 3 and 10 people and 2 classrooms are available to users.
• 520 desktop PCs, 50 internet kiosks, wireless throughout.
• 100,000 textbooks including reference only (copies of most titles) - out of a total university stock of 1.5 million.
• RFID (radio-frequency identification) is used on stock and a robotic return and sorting facility is available in the building.
• Acoustically isolated silent study space is available to users.
• 24/7 opening of the IC supported by security staff in a concierge role There is a flexispace area that is ideal for larger group work - tables, chairs and screens are all on wheels and users are encouraged to set the space out to their own requirements.

Study spaces have space enough for books and PCs. Some are more comfortable for left-handed people and other desks have adjustable height work tops.

Some of the silent study spaces are laptop friendly, others have PCs. All silent study spaces are mobile phone free zones. Level 2 is laptop free silent study and Level 3 is a laptop friendly silent study balcony and Level 5 is a silent PC room.

Toilets and water fountains are available on all levels - a mix of male, female and unisex accessible facilities.

Shower facilities are available on Level 1, these have been provided as part of a move towards encouraging people to cycle or walk to the University.