Tour of the Santa Clara University Library

The Automated Retrieval System


Members of the Saint Mary's College library staff and CaTS visited the state of the art library at Santa Clara University as one potential model for a new library on our campus. Perhaps on of the best ways to gain insight into what kind of library would be the best for our campus is to take a look at what other campuses have done and how these spaces work for them.The Automated Retrieval System was my favorite feature from our tour of the new Santa Clara University Library last week. This system allows all library resources to be located in one place and changes the time necessary to retrieve a book that is not on the shelves from a ten day turn around into about 10 minutes. Not only is it a quick and efficient system, it is incredibly cool to watch! I felt like I was stepping into the Matrix....

My second favorite part of the library were the computer labs. There were two rooms full of state of the art technology that could be used as classrooms or as computer labs when no classes are scheduled. They have desks that can be moved into rows or grouped into pods fro group work. The desks have a space where the computer monitor can be lowered beneath the desk so that students can have a better view of the main instruction area.

Most students, staff and faculty have a vision of what we would like to see in a new library at Saint Mary's College. We have a vague idea of how we would like to feel in a new library space, and how we would like to use the new space. The core issue in regards to creating a new library here on campus seems to be, how we can create a library space that is vital and engaging but also reflects Saint Mary's culture? In addition to a need for greater space for books, there is also a great need for staff work areas, student group work spaces and public places to just chill and take a break after an arduous day. Many of us would also like to see more technology throughout the library, as well as a space to showcase films and student projects.

Our notion of what a library is has dramatically changed over the past few decades. The Internet and on-line information systems have literally transformed the way we do research and view information for academic purposes. The image of a library as a quiet place to study in silence alone, has shifted and our expectation of how a library should function has also changed. There have been on-going discussions at Saint Mary's about how we can update our campus library. Ideas about improving the library have ranged from a desire to provide greater resources and space for students to the creation of collaboration spaces and the incorporation of a cafe.

One thing we noticed on our visit was a great variety of collaborative spaces. There were four levels arranged according to how loud the space was intended to be. the bottom floor was created to be a more like a living room or social space with comfortable sofas and soft chairs and classical music. This area has a big open feel with large windows in the ceiling that allow light to flood in. People are talking on cell phones and working in groups, and some folks are just talking casually, not just studying. Glass windows separate this space from the higher levels of the library to cushion the noise.

On the next floor up there is the circulation desk and roving Tech Support Assistants. There are film viewing spaces and small collaborative rooms. The rooms are reserved with a swipe of a library card and students who enter the collaborative rooms have access to an entire white board wall for scribbling formulas or brain storms, a large screen monitor and data ports where multiple computers can be plugged in at the same time. The upper floors have conference rooms, a space for showcasing films and video conferencing as well as a room for special collections and an exhibit space for rare books. All in all a very impressive space that I hope we can use as inspiration for a new library here at Saint Mary's.