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Anderson Academic Commons Story Archive
HIGHLIGHTS FROM ANDERSON ACADEMIC COMMONS' OPENING DAY
(March 26, 2013) Despite freezing temperatures outside, the atmosphere inside the Anderson Academic Commons on opening day was anything but. Approximately 500 students, staff, faculty, alumni, donors and friends gathered in the atrium for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. on March 25. Chancellor Coombe began the ceremony by asking us to reflect on where we were 10 years ago when the Academic Commons project first came to be, and thanking the more than 5,000 donors who made the project a reality. The Chancellor went on to talk about the Anderson Academic Commons as an intellectual focal point: "It provides wonderful new space for students, surrounded by every possible support service," he said. "It has become much more than a library. It's been transformed into space for collaborative learning, research, study and scholarly exploration."
Chloe Campbell, president of the American Library Association University of Denver Student Chapter, followed the Chancellor with reflections on her experience watching the library grow. She recalled walking into Penrose before her first day as a student and noting the "retro" design, yet soon came to the realization that a library is never static. Penrose grew and adapted, and has been reimagined into the Anderson Academic Commons. Sam Estenson, president of the Undergraduate Student Government, referred to the Anderson Academic Commons as "a symbol of inspiration and hard work," and that the students are "grateful and eager to utilize all the services it provides."
Finally, Dean Nancy Allen took the stage. Beaming with pride, she said, "The Anderson Academic Commons will truly enable the University to bring the library of the future to today's students and faculty, supporting learning in many ways, and highlighting collaborative programs featuring research and information services, writing, technology, math, and the best of pedagogy support for teaching and learning."
After a musical performance by the DU Idiosingcrasies, the longest-standing a cappella group on campus, Dean Allen and Chancellor Coombe cut the ribbon, officially opening the Anderson Academic Commons for business! "That was fun," remarked a smiling Allen.
If you missed the opening ceremony, watch the recap video. You still have the opportunity to take a themed tour, ranging from sustainability to technology. Pick your tour and RSVP online. You can also check out the first exhibit, "Maps: From the Local to the Global," one of the many services centers, or simply browse at your leisure. After 10 years, the doors to the Anderson Academic Commons are now open!
ANDERSON ACADEMIC COMMONS OPENING WEEK EVENTS FOR FACULTY AND STAFF
(March 12, 2013) The dedication ceremony will kick off the festivities at 11 a.m. at the south entrance. Everyone is invited. Speakers include Chancellor Coombe, students Chloe Campbell and Sam Estenson, and University Libraries Dean, Nancy Allen. Following the opening ceremony there will be lawn games (weather permitting). Try your hand at bocce ball, volleyball, bean bag toss, ladder golf or Frisbee! Register for your tours now before they fill up!
Faculty and staff events
Monday, March 25
- Mix it Up registration: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Front Porch Café
- General Audience Tour: noon-1 p.m.
- Tour of Special (rare and valuable) Collections: 1-2 p.m.
- Preview of the Artists Books: 2-3 p.m., Gottesfeld Room (located on the upper level)
Tuesday, March 26
- Technology Tour: 10-11 a.m.
- Sustainability Tour: noon-1 p.m.
Wednesday, March 27
- Faculty Tour: 9-10 a.m.
- General Audience Tour: 10-11 a.m.
- Technology Tour: 2-3 p.m.
Thursday, March 28
- Staff Tour: 1-2 p.m.
- Tour of the Artists Books: 1-2 p.m.
- Tour of Exhibits "Mapping: From the Global to the Local": 3-4 p.m.
- DUPB screening of Skyfall: 8 p.m., Events Room
Friday, March 29
- Faculty Tour: noon-1 p.m.
- DUPB screening of Clue: 6 p.m., Events Room
- Visit the Anderson Academic Commons website to see all opening week events.
FROM UNIVERSITY HALL TO THE ANDERSON ACADEMIC COMMONS, WHERE HAVE OUR BOOKS BEEN?
(March 5, 2013) As we're watching the trucks bring the books to the Anderson Academic Commons, let's go back and remember what it took to get here.
The Anderson Academic Commons will be the library's fifth home. The first DU library was housed within University Hall. The Carnegie Library was built on campus in 1908, on what is now the Carnegie Green.
In 1932 the Mary Reed Library (now the Mary Reed Building) replaced the Carnegie Library, and served the DU campus for 40 years before a larger space was needed.
Penrose Library was built in 1972, and has now made way for the new Anderson Academic Commons. The only physical aspect that remains the same is its central campus location; the entire building was gutted to make room for a new floor plan. All heating, ventilation, cooling, windows, restrooms, plumbing and other infrastructure is also brand new.
The University began planning a new library more than a decade ago, and the books began leaving Penrose for the Hampden Center in April 2011. Library services and staff were moved to Aspen Hall, Nagel Hall, the UTS building and the Bookstore. The Penrose building officially closed in June and Penrose@Driscoll became the temporary library on June 20, 2011. Astoundingly, no library services were interrupted throughout the move!
Did you attend the furniture fair last year? In February 2012, the Academic Commons Furniture Fair gave DU community members the chance to help determine which pieces would be purchased for the new facility. Don't worry; the old stuff remains. The famous egg chair already has been moved into the new space (see for yourself), and thousands of original pieces have been refurbished.
Earlier this year, you saw copper go up on the library's façade. Did you know that copper is easy to repair and maintain, and can last for centuries? The copper used to make the University's sheeting is recycled from copper scrap, and is itself 100 percent recyclable.
Don't miss the opening week events and the chance to tour this new space. The Grand Opening kicks off with a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 25. Please RSVP.
Stay tuned to DU Digest for a full list of opening-week events.
You're Invited: Anderson Academic Commons Grand Opening March 25
(Feb. 26, 2013) We've been giving you a sneak peak at the offerings the new Anderson Academic Commons will provide, but we know you're getting anxious to check it out for yourselves. The Grand Opening is on March 25, and you are invited! The festivities will begin at 11 a.m. at the south entrance of the building. Please RSVP.
The whole week will offer activities and events to celebrate the launch of this incredible facility; stay tuned to your DU Digest for details! In the meantime, catch up on stories you may have missed below.
Faculty and Staff Spaces in the Anderson Academic Commons
(FEB. 19, 2013) By now, you've heard about many of the new features in the Anderson Academic Commons. This week we want to tell you about the spaces and services designed specifically for you as faculty and staff!
Faculty-only reading room
While Penrose held carrels for faculty, the Anderson Academic Commons has a faculty-only reading room on the upper level overlooking the Carnegie Green. With card-swipe access, this room guarantees a private place to do research, relax, or have collegial discussions. The room features lockers, comfortable chairs and a table.
General reading room
The Quinette Family Reading Room is open to everyone. Located upstairs next to the faculty reading room, this elegant space also overlooks the Carnegie Green and features a luxurious fireplace, soft seating and tables designed and crafted by University of Denver alumnus, Daniel Strawn.
Meeting rooms
When you're looking for a space to hold your spring quarter meetings, think of the Anderson Academic Commons. The 32 group study rooms also serve as small meeting rooms, in addition to larger meeting rooms including the Wohlauer Room, the Gottesfeld Room, the Schayer Room and others. You will be able to reserve these rooms online.
Other amenities and services
Did you know that all members of the University of Denver community have borrowing privileges at the library? Research consultations are available to everyone at the Crossley Research Center.
The Anderson Academic Commons also features the Front Porch Café immediately inside the entrance and providing services to anyone. Come for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or coffee and a snack.
Finally, the Office of Teaching & Learning has a brand new suite of eleven offices on the upper level. OTL staff offers creative programs, award-winning technology and course management software and systems to help University of Denver faculty be better teachers.
Come explore these spaces and services starting March 25!
New Technology in the Anderson Academic Commons
(FEB. 12, 2013) In the new Anderson Academic Commons, technology is everywhere, and integrated into all services.
Study rooms and booths have HD flat panels connected to easy-to-use switches, allowing you to plug in your smart phone, tablet or laptop and easily share your screen, while larger study and seminar rooms have screen projectors.
Collaborative workstations boast state-of-the art, high efficiency and low-energy equipment, such as server-based computers that enable you to log in to the University "cloud" for access to software and workspace.
Almost everyone on campus carries a laptop, tablet computer, or smart phone – all of which need to be plugged in -- so every seat, study carrel, meeting room, group study space and lounge area has sufficient electrical outlets.
The library's collection is increasingly digital. While the library's paper collection is much used, its e-books are popular as well, and the library offers access to over 90,000 journals online. The collections stored off campus are all listed in the online catalog, which features a new virtual shelf-browsing tool.
The library's Research Center answers questions not only in person, but also by email, phone, or instant chat.
Finally, the Internet is accessible everywhere indoors and outdoors – in the café, on the porch, on the lawn under the trees. You can log in to the University's digital services and collections from the grassy slope outside the library, a hotel lobby in Prague, your office or your own home at library.du.edu.
What's new in the library?
(FEB. 5, 2013) Many of you are watching the final construction of the Anderson Academic Commons out your office windows and you might be wondering: What's new inside? What's different from Penrose?
Natural light floods the first and second floors, thanks to the Hamilton Atrium pulling sunlight through the building. New windows in the stairwells will make the trek up and down from the stacks much more pleasant.
A "Perched Classroom" hangs between the skylight and the main floor seating and browsing collections.
Want to host an event in the new space? A flexible, technology-rich event space that seats up to 200 people and has a catering kitchen for meals and receptions will allow the library to feature an array of academic events.
Display walls, built-in cabinetry, rolling display cases and digital monitors will be used to showcase exhibits that are based on the library's collections or are generated by the University of Denver community. Stay tuned in the coming weeks to find out what the first exhibit will be!
Want to know more? There are Forty Things To Look Forward To.
Anderson Academic Commons to provide "Academic Support Services" under one roof
(JAN. 29, 2013) Penrose Library featured student and faculty support services including Research, Writing, Math, and Teaching and Learning, yet in improvised, often crowded spaces. The UTS help desk in Penrose offered only software support; hardware support was offered in a different location. The Anderson Academic Commons has dedicated spaces designed for these "Academic Support Services," including full services from UTS and the brand-new Digital Media service. 
These service points are presented on the main level along a circular path (see photo at right) that connects the service "neighborhoods." A suite of 11 offices on the second floor will make up the Office of Teaching and Learning in the Anderson Academic Commons.
Read on for information about each service.
- The Office of Teaching and Learning
- The Shopneck Writing Center
- The Crossley Research Center
- The Math Center
- The UTS Help Center
- The Digital Media Center
Anderson Academic Commons to open March 25
(JAN. 22, 2013) Nancy Allen, dean and director of University Libraries, today announced a lead naming gift that will fund the University's new library, the Anderson Academic Commons, an academic hub in the heart of the University of Denver campus. The undisclosed donation was made by Boston venture capitalist and alumnus Ed Anderson and his wife, Linda Cabot.
And in case you missed the other big news, the Anderson Academic Commons is scheduled to open March 25! Save that date – and in fact, save the whole week as we look forward to offering daily activities and events to celebrate the launch of a facility that will transform the experience of all of us in the University of Denver community.
Passers-by the construction site have probably noticed the building's improved appearance. The Anderson Academic Commons' modification of the original Penrose architecture blends beautifully with the campus, and the building's all-new space allows for enhanced and innovative services.
Look forward to these things and more:
Inside you will find a variety of study areas and seating styles, the high-use library collections, much more natural light, and technology that supports academic work without dominating the space.The Anderson Academic Commons will welcome and enable students and scholars, providing choices that facilitate research and learning – quiet for reflection, collaborative meeting areas, academic support services, a room to review primary resources, an event space, exhibit areas, and a cafe for a cup of coffee and a meal.
Over the next nine weeks, look for future updates with details about the Anderson Academic Commons, information about the transition from Penrose@Driscoll, and a schedule of opening week events.
See more images and learn more about the Anderson Academic Commons here.