With a Little Help from Our Friends - Making Change Happen with University Partners

Information Technology and library working relationships historically have a storied past. However at Saint Louis University, the two independent units partnered to create an Academic Technology Commons (ATC) replete with numerous learning/teaching technologies and spaces and a one-stop “genius-bar” inspired service area that supports media, an IT helpdesk, and library functions. The ATC project origins were a symptom of common challenges found in higher education – space and new collaborations. IT was seeking a new space for their instructional media center. The library was seeking new ways to respond to the changing information landscape within the academic enterprise. With seed money from the University President what began as a “what if” informal conversation evolved into a 2.5 year thoughtful and productive exploration into a new collaboration space. Financial barriers were encountered to bring the plan to life, so other campus partners were considered and brought into the process. Reaching-out to student government ultimately yielded the impetus to move the project from a plan to a reality. After seven months of construction the new space in the library opened. Independent units working towards a common goal and in a common space are a new reality in the academic environment. This panel presentation will outline the process of creating the space, highlighting the benefits and challenges of collaboration during the planning and construction, and finally explaining next steps on moving forward. The partnership is not a one and done endeavor. Once the Academic Technology Commons opened a new set of expectations, although planned for, became immediately apparent with the two independent units working in a common space. Full-time staffing issues, student supervision dynamics, and faculty engagement will be discussed. The flexibility, cooperation, unique insights and perspective of all the members of the partnership are a model that partnership can yield meaningful results.