Libraries and higher education have always gone to peer to feed academic activities and stimulate research. Traditionally, libraries were one of the only places where new information could be found. It was a book repository with librarians appointed as a guardians of new knowledge. However, with the creation and use of new technologies, many obstacles to access the information has been eliminated. Online access to books and documents has changed the operation of the library. Over the years, the library has gone from a knowledge guard at a place of productivity, discovery and collaboration. With the continuous evolution of new technologies, libraries must continue to evolve to remain relevant to modern academic.
To follow the Times, the libraries of the University of Binghamton have committed to facilitate learning experiences of exemplary students, to infuse technology in basic services and spaces and to the library test.
“The library of the future must instill technology in our basic services and spaces,” said the dean of the Andrea Falcone libraries. “Our new Makerlab is an easy way for students to explore prototyping and manufacturing in their research and for teachers to integrate new technologies into their study program.”
In January, the libraries of the University of Binghamton invited members of the Binghamton University Forum, including the alumni of Binghamton, community partners and donors, to learn more about the commitment of libraries to a university library of the future, providing modern solutions thanks to technology to meet the needs of today’s students and beyond. Falcone presented some of these strategies in a discourse entitled “Taking the curtain: an overview of the modern academic library focusing on the mission and vision of the organization, a history of libraries and the approach of libraries at the University of Binghamton in the future.”
“Historically, libraries were the knowledge of knowledge entrusted, and you had to be privileged enough to have access to information,” said Falcone. “The libraries have mainly focused on accessing and transferring information – from our hands to yours. But with the constantly evolving invention of the Internet, libraries have passed from the population to help you not only, but also to assess information in a sometimes overwhelming sea. At the moment, we are away from our most exciting professional development that helps our students and to share knowledge.
“Our first cycle research researchers program, now in its second year, is an excellent example of easy learning that occurs in libraries,” added Falcone. “The program combines undergraduate students with librarians to conduct original research. This experience infuses our students researchers that the library is accessible for collaboration and strengthens the necessary skills throughout their academic journey. ”
The forum event has highlighted the third floor of 45,000 square feet recently renovated by the Glenn G. Bartle library. Hosted in the newly created makerlab, guests have seen 3D printers, 3D scanners, virtual reality headsets and other creation technologies on display. The objective of the new space is to provide an entry point accessible to the university community in order to explore new technologies that complete other library services.
Chungmin Park, Makerlab coordinator, is one of the new additions to the Library Staff to direct the Makerlab space and develop it from zero. A graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology with two master’s degrees in integrated design and industrial design, Park hopes to create a space for collaborative practical learning.
“The library itself is a place to share knowledge, but also for people to collaborate to improve projects or concepts,” said Park. “Sometimes students may not understand a concept only from a conference. Makerlab can be another space that libraries provide that can raise the experience in class thanks to 3D models that promote learning in a more tangible way. ”
The equipment provided in the makerlab includes additive manufacturers such as 3D printers, subtractive manufacturers who include laser cutters and digital perspective machines such as virtual reality headsets and 3D scanners. While the space opens later this spring for the general exploration of students, Park’s objective is to collaborate with a variety of departments to discover innovative ways that the Makerlab can be used.
“Right now, we are testing each of the machines, let’s learn their limits and create ingenious samples so that different types of students can think of the means to apply their perspective on how they can use technology,” said Park. “I know that an adult in art and design will address a 3D printer differently from a major in chemistry. Knowing the machines and samples of different materials will help the collaboration process, whether it is a mechanical engineering student creating a prototype of a machine they have designed or a student in the field of medical sciences printing a replica of a bone. “
Cutting -edge service spaces such as Makerlab increase access to new technologies to a wider student population. This intentionality for accessible services allows creativity on the stock market, which can lead to innovation and new discoveries. In addition, this access provides an important line using libraries collections, including primary data and resources, in Makerlab projects and by housing final digital products in the digital library repository. The creation of Makerlab is a major means for libraries looking for their role in the supply of high quality collections, services and spaces at the University of Binghamton.
“A modern academic library pays tribute to the preservation of knowledge and the creation of new knowledge by taking advantage of technology,” said Falcone during the Forum event. “Libraries are one of the most important divisions that interact with each student at some point in their stay in Binghamton.