1. 1 DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE STAFFING MODEL FOR THE LEARNING COMMONS: THE VU EXPERIENCE WWW.VU.EDU.AU Philip G Kent & Belinda McLennan 10 December 2007

2. 2 VU CONTEXT

3. 3 Information Commons to Learning Commons Research, literature review, study visits Evolutionary model City Flinders (2006) St Albans (2007) Werribee (2007) Footscray Park (2010) will be the largest implementation

4. 4 LEARNING FOCUS Active learning requires students to take responsibility for their learning in both collaborative and independent learning situations, and is dependant on students developing and employing generic skills and attributes. (McLennan and Keating)

5. 5 SERVICE MODEL Partnership - operational convergence 3 organisational units endure Library Teaching & Learning Support ITS 1 shared physical space in Commons Management and cultural issues

6. 6 VU SERVICE MODEL Tier 3 Individual Consultations Scheduled workshops Reference and liaison librarians Learning support staff Careers staff Tier 2 On call support Online Triage Ad hoc workshops Drop-in study lab IT support staff Virtual team Paraprofessional library staff Learning support staff Careers staff Tier 1 Phone Online Peer support Clerical support staff Virtual team Student Rovers Embedded support in curriculum

7. 7 STUDENT ROVERS

8. 8 STUDENT WORKERS Student Library assistants 2008+ Not rovers Extended opening hours

9. 9 SERVICE DESK(S) Self service Triage Staff levels Cultural issues

10. 10 VIRTUAL LEARNING COMMONS Collaborative project in 2008 Staff from all areas University of Manitoba model Work closely with Faculty

11. 11 EVALUATION Few assessment or evaluation methods or instruments focus directly or explicitly in the effectiveness of Information Commons services. Beagle 2006

12. 12 CONCLUSION VU’S Learning Commons journey Partnership management 4 tiered service model Cultural issues Evaluation Contribution to VU’s mission

13. 13 THANK YOU philip.kent@vu.edu.au belinda.mclennan@vu.edu.au