A campus anthropologist?
Posted by: Ron in libraries, learning spaces, Educause, Emerging Technologies and Practices, NetGenSusan Gibbons from the University of Rochester challenges us to get to know our NetGen students. At Rochester, the libraries hired an anthropologist (Nancy Foster) to do ethnographic research to help guide decisions about how to improve its institutional repository. Foster stayed busy by doing similar work with the many different “tribes” (Gibbons’ word) of the campus — faculty, graduate students and, most notably, undergrads.
Through various methodolgies including photo elicitation exercises, mapping diaries, and design workshops, Gibbons and Foster gathered a ton of student input for the development of an ideal learning space.
They outline their work in creating a student-centered academic library on the campus. The report can be found at http://www.tiny.cc/GzthX. (Note: I LOVE a good tiny url!)
It was a really inspiring presentation and I hope I get a chance to see this space. Anybody want to take a ride to Rochester?
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November 5th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Sign me up for the ride out to Rochester! Are there any pictures online of their design in progress?
November 5th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Surprisingly, no. The grand opening was supposed to be last Monday, but I didn’t see anything about in the Rochester website/news. I’m going to follow-up with Susan directly.
November 8th, 2007 at 8:02 am
We have been posting pictures of the Gleason Library on my facebook page. Within a day of the opening, the students created a facebook group. If you don’t use facebook, just let me know and I’ll forward the pictures to you.
November 13th, 2007 at 12:06 am
[…] didn’t get any takers on the suggestion of a road trip, but Susan Gibbons has given me permission to share the photos she took of the new Gleason Library […]