SINCLAIR LIBRARY TRANSFORMS LIBRARY SERVICES

Gregg Geary
Head of Sinclair Library

In an effort to meet the changing information, study, and learning needs of students in the twenty-first century the Sinclair Library is engaged in a major new initiative. This is the creation of the Student Success Center at Sinclair Library. This initiative transforms the space in the library into places were students can actively learn in a comfortable, welcoming, and convivial environment.

The Center expands on the usual library services of reference service and lending of library materials to include tutoring and mentoring services, on demand information literacy training, workshops, student led group study, increased computing facilities, a digital media studio, classroom space, video conference rooms, 24/5 access and a space that is food friendly.

We get to YES! Sinclair Library and the Success Center are no longer limited to research information, but expands its information services to address the whole of student life on the UH Campus. We help students find answers to a host of academic and student services questions. To do this the Center collaborates with units from across campus including the Office of Student Affairs, the Learning Assistance Center, the Honors Program, Arts and Sciences Advisors, English 100 Mentoring Program, the Nagatani Academic Center, First Year Experience, and GearUp. The Center does not seek to duplicate services that already are offered successfully by other units. Instead, the Center concentrates on either directing students to these units or provide them a space to offer services within the Sinclair Library.

Many physical changes accompany the change in services. To emphasis our dedication to a high level of service the old circulation desk was removed and replaced with a smaller, more open and flexible Information Concierge. Here students can ask any questions they want and staff will help find answers. New soft seating will be arriving to compliment the Grand Lobby. We are moving thousands of old journals to the second floor to create a large, spacious and elegant Heritage Reading Room. The old CLIC lab has been replaced with a Commons dedicated to group study, classrooms space and the Honor Program including an Honors Student Lounge.

Some features currently available:

• Food is allowed throughout the first floor and coffee is available starting at 9:30 p.m
• Chat Reference provides 24/7 access to a real live Librarian through an Instant Messaging environment.
• Wireless access throughout the building with lots of outlets to plug in your laptops.
• Spaces for group study

Our guiding principles in the development of the Student Success Center are:

• Provide outstanding service in a student-focused environment
• Create spaces that are flexible and sustainable.
• Find innovative solutions to get to "YES" in dealing with students and UH staff.
• Assess each operation or program, increase what succeeds, and change or eliminate projects that do not.