Rowan Digital Works

Creating a Collaborative Space: Going from Drab to Fab

Chateau Sugarloaf Hill, Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia PA

Over the past year the PCOM Library transformed a group study room into a collaborative work space, highlighted by the installation of a fifty-five inch touchscreen monitor, computer and webcam. Patrons are welcome to interact with the equipment in multiple ways: they can login to the computer attached to the monitor, connect their laptop to the screen with a cable, or connect wirelessly by using the Solstice app. Multiple programs have been installed on the computer to encourage collaboration, including data visualization programs, conference applications (used in conjunction with the webcam), and programs that take advantage of the touchscreen monitor. To further compliment the new equipment lightweight furniture with casters were purchased to encourage patrons to customize the space to fit their group’s needs. The room was also painted to give it a different feeling than the rest of the library. Thanks to the new collaborative space, students are able to complete group work and study together in a more efficient manner, staff and faculty can hold meetings between campuses quicker and easier, and the librarians are now able to conduct small-scale teaching sessions in the library instead of having to reserve rooms elsewhere on campus.