Penn State University Upgrades Library's Technological Tools, Knowledge Commons Opens Next Week

From the Centre Daily Times:

After a seven-month, almost $12 million renovation to the west wing of Pattee Library, the Knowledge Commons is scheduled to open Jan. 9 with 24-hour, five-day-a- week service.
“This is the most drastic change the library has ever had,” said Joe Fennewald, head of the Knowledge Commons.
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There are nine group-sized collaborative workrooms created by Steelcase. Each costs about $12,000 and can fit up to seven people.
Workstations in those rooms have a large flat-screen monitor on the wall above a table surrounded by seating. In the middle of the table is a device to which students can connect their laptops. Students then can share what is on their laptops by pressing the device, called a puck, to display the information on the monitor for the whole group to see.
Forty Mac computers will be in an interactive classroom that also has five flat-screen monitors on the walls. The instructor will be able to walk around with a laptop or tablet computer and display the content on the monitors wirelessly. There is no front of the room, as traditional lecture halls have.

Read the Complete Article
See Also: New Knowledge Commons area to open at Pattee Library on Jan. 9 (via  PSU Live)

• Photos of the Knowledge Commons
• Interactive Floor Plan

Filed under: Lecture, Libraries