PDA Event: Shared Spaces Series: Getting to a Commons Goal: Designing the New Library Commons at the University of Illinois Springfield

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In this second webinar of the CARLI Shared Spaces Series, Pattie Piotrowski and Sarah Sagmoen, University of Illinois Springfield, will talk about their experiences with shared spaces, concentrating on the planning for the new Library Commons, which is to open in Spring of 2025.  In June of 2019 the university sought state funds, and was allocated $35 million, to design and construct a new student-focused building on campus that would house library collections and services, and would also include the Career Development Center, the Center for Academic Success and Advising, and Information Technology Services.  Hear how our experience with shared spaces informed the work with campus partners and architects to design the new building, and how the library managed politics and expectations for the new shared space.  In order to create a seamless experience for students, we created a joint mission statement, conducted an analysis of services and resources offered by each unit, and identified spaces that were essential to units or spaces that could be shared. This process allowed us to identify opportunities to elevate each unit’s services, create spaces to facilitate the learning process, and develop operations in a mindful manner for staff and patrons. While our work on this project is for a new building, our process could be applied to any situation where units are sharing spaces.

Pattie Piotrowski is University Librarian and Dean of Library Instructional Services for Brookens Library at University of Illinois Springfield, and currently sits on the Board for the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI).  She joined Brookens Library in 2016.

Sarah Sagmoen is the Director of Learning Commons and User Services at University of Illinois Springfield. She has been at UIS since 2009.