The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the clear need of libraries, especially for students. More than anything, their importance as facilitators of resources and accessible student spaces has been brought to the forefront.

As we transition to digital resources, libraries are shifting from housing books to active learning commons. Learning commons are spaces that foster participatory learning, bringing together a number of resources to encourage holistic learning processes for students. There are three major components to a learning commons - physical, virtual and socio-cultural, and a well-planned learning commons focuses on how students are able to smoothly move through and access learning resources with minimal obstacles.

Printed books still play a critical role in supporting learners, but complemented with digital technologies, they offer key pathways for learning, content acquisition and visualization. Why is the question of libraries’ relevance always about the physical vs the digital? Their role, in fact, lies in enhancing traditional physical realms. 

As student learning behaviors change from gathering information to constructing knowledge, they need to be reflected in current and need to be represented in future library spaces.

Physical commons refers to the environmental aspect, arranging space for users. First and foremost, physical design needs to be open and inviting, opposed to cramped and poorly lit. While individual study needs to have its own space, there need to be larger spaces that encourage social interaction and collaborative learning. At Ames, the very classification of the library tiers by noise level is quite interesting - it allows for both silent and collaborative spaces to co-exist without conflict. As you move up from the first to fourth floor, noise level decreases, with the final floor supposed to be the silent floor. This ensures that especially the first floor is a vibrant learning commons, where learning trumps studying. Here is a video of one of these locations.  

In terms of virtual commons, libraries need to be adaptive to digital resources and new technologies, as those become deeply integrated with student learning. At Ames, we have access points to computers throughout the physical space and robust digital collections including archival materials, scholarly resources, and library resources as well.

Finally, the socio-cultural aspect includes the activities and events that occur within this physical and virtual space that helps students develop ideas and solutions. Ames successfully does that as well, from events like Banned Books exhibits to speaker series and instruction sessions, it goes beyond the traditional space of a library.
 

That brings us to the big question - Why do we need the physical spaces of libraries anyway?
 

The answer to that question is a combination of all the paths we have taken you through so far - through our study of how our libraries have evolved over the past 175 years, we realize one thing - libraries have transcended the boundaries of study spaces and book repositories to spaces where students come to expand learning horizons, wind down with friends, engage with faculty, work on research projects or even find a quiet spot to simply study.

In a digital age where information is abundant but often fragmented, libraries offer curated and reliable sources that foster deeper understanding and critical thinking. They provide access to resources and technology that may be otherwise unavailable to many, promoting equity in education and information. 

Libraries are undoubtedly the most underrated student resources. Most importantly, for students of this modern generation, as well as students in the future, they represent customizable, personalized spaces where they can receive tailored help from expert librarians for all kinds of academic needs, but libraries as learning commons have also come to house other resources like writing centers, self-care stations etc. that truly show that they exist for the holistic development of the student. 

In our eyes, libraries of the future are places of balance - places for exhaustive academic resources but also for social interaction and relaxation. As student lives become more hectic by the day, library spaces represent spaces to express oneself through so many endeavors, and undoubtedly, whether we see bookless libraries or hybrid spaces, the very concept of a library space will never go obsolete.

At its core, even if we let go of the remarkable tactile experience of holding a physical book in the future, every other aspect of our libraries is difficult to replicate in any other setting.​​

It is all about our use of space - and space matters.