The Olive Tree

Information Commons

A collaboration between Fogler Library and Information Technologies, the University of Maine’s Information Commons is a state of the art education and technology facility. Located on the first floor, this new facility offers a single information and service access point for students and researchers. Library users can get help using both print and electronic resources to do research, they can get advice on how to write a paper or report, and they can get assistance using the technology they need to produce a report, presentation, or web site.
All of this is provided in a large open space, where students can interact and work together in groups or individually. There is a central information/help desk staffed by both reference librarians from Fogler and technology experts from Information Technology. There are also new area studies sections for easier access to print resources. The areas include: Fine Arts, Business and Economics, Atlases, MiddleEast/Asia, and Southern Hemisphere.
The creation of an information commons represents an emerging trend at colleges and universities, as technological advances begin to influence the ways in which libraries house and facilitate access to information. UMaine’s Information Commons is part of this new tradition.

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