If you build partnerships, they will come and share: Collaborative learning commons planning and use

Abstract

The Learning Commons at Auburn University Libraries is a one-stop center, offering the learning resources students use most, all located in a flexible physical configuration that can be repurposed for many activities and functions. Planning for Auburn’s learning commons incorporated substantial input from students, including a variety of ethnographic exercises. Creating this multi-use facility has resulted in close collaboration and cooperation between four campus units with similar student-focused missions. The Commons has the enthusiastic support of three library partners: the Office of Information Technology (OIT), the University Writing Center, and Study Partners, the campus’s peer tutoring service.