Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) students won’t just be sitting on their hands when it comes to planning the IPFW Learning Commons in the IPFW Walter E. Helmke Library. They will be asked, literally, to sit on it. The Indiana-Purdue Student Government Association (IPSGA) recently committed to a $50,000 gift to fund new furniture for the future IPFW Learning Commons and test the feasibility of a system designed to check out mini-laptops. Feb. 8 through March 8, students will be invited to test the new furniture in an innovative "Sit on It at the Library" event. The funding and testing of the new furniture illustrates IPFW students’ eagerness to be involved in the planning of this new collaboration space on campus.

The gift will fund the purchase of library furnishings, such as lounge chairs, footstools, and task-table seating, designed to enhance students' capability to study alone in the company of others. In February and March, students will be asked to try out a selection of furniture and identify their preferred styles, materials, and placement. Student satisfaction with the chosen furniture installations will be a focus of ongoing study, with results informing the design of the future IPFW Learning Commons. Library staff will also convene student focus groups and administer surveys to solicit students' judgments regarding comfort, convenience, and favored environments for learning.

The goal of the planning effort is to create both the journey and the destination that will inspire IPFW students to take an idea through the research and writing process to completion, with coordinated support along the way. The future IPFW Learning Commons, when it opens in 2012, will occupy an entire 18,000-square-foot floor of the Walter E. Helmke Library. The space will be defined by an elevated walkway that opens a new second-floor entrance to the library and connects to the new Student Services Complex, Walb Student Union and Gates Sports Center. It will  bring together librarians and support staff from Helmke Library, Writing Center consultants, tutors, and other partners who share the mission to foster academic success, from a student's first year at IPFW through
graduation.

Also with IPSGA funding, library information technology staff will evaluate the feasibility of a system that will allow students to borrow and recharge a bank of mini-laptop (netbook) computers. Funding will cover installation of a display monitor showing the availability of computers within the library and across campus. The idea is to create a convenient and comfortable centralized place that helps students connect with all of the academic and technical support and tools they need to
succeed.