The South Mountain Community Library has revealed a newly remodeled second floor with the goal of introducing more space for students. The library’s redesign was done in partnership with the City of Phoenix and the improvements are already making a difference in better supporting SMCC students' needs.
The number of public computers on the second floor was reduced from about 100 to 27, which now creates more seating space for students to use their own devices to work and study, both individually and collaboratively. The library team had examined computer usage data in this area beforehand to help guide this decision.
The 11 study rooms, which are available to reserve, feature newly painted walls with the addition of whiteboards and Wi-Fi touch screen monitors in every room. The monitors have webcast abilities and audio built in so students can sync their devices to better support their learning and assist in group project work. The changes to these rooms provide more accessibility for students to also log in to their online classes and schedule meetings or interviews.
The classroom space located in room L235 also has a new look and has been renovated to include 11 computers that are networked directly to the college so that students can easily log in and print for free using their MEID. The library is actively working to permit all Maricopa County Community College MEIDs to be used on these computers to support all MCCCD students who visit and for faculty who may teach at other colleges.
Some of the new changes offer more practical solutions which include removing the magazine racks to open space to provide a clearer view of South Mountain, adding more natural light in that area. There has also been new carpet, charging stations and LED lighting installed throughout the second floor.
The decision to redesign these areas of the library was made to reflect both what is needed for students and how the spaces align with the professional standards that are required of the library.
“It is a high priority for all of the college library’s faculty and staff to support our students,” said Dr. Cate McNamara, SMCL librarian. “I know that the changes that have taken place thus far are helping us to provide better support for SMCC students and moving the library more in alignment with the newly revised Standards for Libraries in Higher Education published by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).”