Construction is underway to transform the first floor of Pius XII Memorial Library into the Academic Technology Commons, a technology-based work space designed for collaborative learning. This partnership between Information Technology Services, Student Government Association and Pius Library will result in a 14,000-square foot space that makes new technologies available for students, staff and faculty.

Included in the plans are a recording studio, editing pods, hologram projectors and an LED display wall for student use. New collaboration spaces will be created to allow for group work, complete with white board walls and display screens. An outdoor space will be created that expands the study locations available to Library users.

The Ask SLU help desk will be staffed with ITS and Library personnel available to help answer questions and promote use of the new technology.

“That could be anything from doing research to support a term paper to using the quick-recording studio to practice for a presentation, to designing and printing a poster for a class or conference presentation, to checking out a 3D scanner to make an image and learning how to use a 3D printer to create a replica of an artifact to support a class presentation, to much, much more,” said Kyle Collins, director of Academic Technologies at SLU.

“I would say that the part of the Academic Technology Commons that I am most excited about is the Innovation Studio, which will contain touch-enabled visualization displays, 3D printers, and other tools to create a truly functional makerspace,” said SLU junior Andrew Budd. Budd is the Chair of the SGA Facilities and Services Committee and has been working with ITS to provide student input on the project. “This summer, a diverse group of students worked with ITS and the Library to finalize the design details of the renovation, making it a truly student-centered space.”

The vision for the ATC was formed by a task force made up of ITS and Library staff members. “Our initial visioning sessions that we held on campus engaged various groups of students and faculty members. We purposely did not seek out specific disciplines or areas of study,” said Collins.
The new space comes with a $1.5 million investment from the Student Technology Portfolio Team, the committee that oversees the use of the technology fee that students pay each semester. A portion of their $500,000 annual budget will be allocated to the ATC over the next five years until the full investment is made.

ITS included the commons as a potential new investment in their 2016 proposal to SGA, which requested student support in increasing the student technology fee. The fee increase was voted on as part of the SGA election process that year, with students ultimately voting in favor of raising the annual fee from $50 to $100.

ITS has emphasized that additional tuition and student fee increases are not anticipated to be necessary to fund the ATC. The department has been among the most heavily impacted by the Magis Operation Excellence Program layoffs, with 40 jobs being cut since March.

Construction is expected to continue into October, meaning much of the library’s main floor will be inaccessible until then. The West Pine entrance is closed off to patrons, as well as the first-floor computer lab and seating areas. Library visitors can access the building through the Lindell entrance until reopening this fall. Computers and printers can temporarily be accessed in the basement and on the third level of the library. The circulation desk and Einstein’s Bagels remain open.