I interviewed Professor Lee Kyung-ho of the Department of Library and Information science, and also the director of library at Daegu University, about the new space in the library, known as the Information Commons. For your convenience in the interview transcript below, Professor Lee Kyung-ho is noted as P. Lee and the reporter is noted as R.

R : Why did you remodel the first floor of the library?

P. Lee : The first floor of the library is the most comfortable space for students to use. It is also the most important space because it is available without going up the stairs. Therefore, the first floor with better accessibility is to provide a space for students to communicate and share information that is future-oriented in terms of providing the services that students want the most.

R : What is the difference between before and after the first floor remodeling?

P. Lee : Before, there was a periodicals room, but there was not enough space to prepare a new service space. So, the internal and external periodicals room was consolidated into one place on the second floor. The electronic reference rooms were consolidated into the 'Information Commons' so that students could use it.

R : Please explain generally about the Information Commons.

P. Lee : This is the newest concept of consolidating various facilities for students to study. In other words, it is a customized service space. Mainly, there are plenty of rooms for group study. There are room for creative learning and concentration study. Creative learning room have a large seminar room and a rest area, a computer space and three collaborative spaces. Multimedia room have two seminar rooms, a 16 PC search spot, 12 DVD rooms, and an e-newspaper reading spot. Concentration study rooms have six study rooms for large groups and three study rooms for small groups. If the image of an old library is static, I think it is now a dynamic and comfortable place to rest. I hope it will be a place where students can study, relax, and enjoy their hobbies together.

R : Please explain how to use the seminar room and the operating hours.
P. Lee : It is operated on a subscription basis and can be booked on the library homepage. Operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., but reservations are only available until 9 p.m.R : Please explain how to use the seminar room and the operating hours.

R : There are rules to follow while using the various rooms. For example, things like putting bags on sofas and using other places. What are the future management plans?

P. Lee : We are operating on a reservation system because of people who study or sleep in DVD rooms. People found misusing it rest zones where the sofas are located are given a warning if we catch the situation. Problems could be resolved faster if students inform the person in charge.

R : Is there anything else you want to say?

P. Lee : Speaking as an expert, I think students are too ignorant about the library. If you have any questions, you should ask the librarian. A librarian is a person who exists to answer questions and satisfy requests from users. If you have a question about anything at all, be sure to ask the librarian. Also, please come to the library and look around the Information Commons and other reading rooms. If you look around the library, you must have necessary space. So please come to the library and use it.

L.L.F reporter Seung-Hee Na