PC or Mac? Text or e-mail?

Take our new poll at the right!

Congrats to UNC Charlotte students Courtney Campbell, Chris Fitzmaurice, Tjamel Hamlin, Ashley McAlister, Anna Porter, Mayank Sharma, Roger Stone, who won prizes (gift certificates from iTunes and Barnes & Noble, Ricoh Color Printers) from the Atkins Library Week of Welcome raffle. Hundreds of students learned about the Library’s great services. IC was pleased to participate in the WOW festivities.

The UNC Charlotte community frequently praises IC faculty and staff. Here are just a few recent examples (edited for concision):


Thank you so much for your participation in our Graduate Student Orientation on Saturday. We hosted nearly 500 students during the event. We could not have done it without your help. Thank you! (Praise for Dawn Hubbs and Frada Mozenter)


I want to take a few minutes to express my gratitude to you. The IIE-Fulbright Pre-Academic Program far surpassed all of my expectations. I want to thank you for helping us to make it such a smashing success. Your sessions, Introduction to Conducting Research and Conducting Research in University Libraries and Using Electronic Databases, were two of the highest rated sessions. Your enthusiasm and energy were contagious. It was a pleasure to work with you and I hope you will continue to work with me on many future programs. (Additional praise for Frada)


Yes, that works. Thanks. You’re great! (Praise for Reese Manceaux)


Yup, these are the files. Pretty amazing. THANKS THANKS THANKS!!! Thanks for being a “pack rat” like my husband. (Additional praise for Reese)

SafeRide and IC

SafeRide offers safety escort service seven days a week, 4:30pm-2:30am, with pick-up and drop-off at the main entrance of Atkins Library (just outside IC) on the hour and half-hour. On-demand service is also available for those needing further assistance from various locations while on campus. Just ask at our Information Desk.

Printing in IC using Windows or Mac is as easy as 1-2-3: (1) when you're ready to print, establish and remember a password (Release Key); (2) go to the printers along the wall behind Technology Support (Library's first floor); (3) key in your password and swipe your 49er ID card, and your pages will print. Questions or problems, just ask us in IC!

WOW! IC is participating in Week of Welcome activities on Tuesday, August 25th. Visit the Library’s table at the Belk Tower from 10am to 2pm. Here’s the deal: We acquaint you with all our Library services, you register to win gifts from Ricoh, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes. See you tomorrow!

UNC Charlotte has a new branding campaign called Stake Your Claim. It's a great message for our students, especially for those students starting their academic lives at UNC Charlotte today. We in IC are ready to help! Call us at 704.687.3959.

IC’s Digital Media Studio, located on the first floor of Atkins Library, is a great resource. Our Technology Support staff provides varying levels of support for Digital Audio and Video Editing (Garageband, iMovie, Logic Express, Final Cut Express), Graphic and Web Design (Microsoft Publisher, iWeb, Adobe Creative Suite 4, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver), Scanning, Analog Conversion and Dubbing. Stop by or call us at 704.687.3827.

So, just what is Information Commons anyway?


UNC Charlotte’s IC offers several types of social spaces that foster individual and collaborative work. Located on the first floor of Atkins Library and equipped with integrated information and technology services, our department provides environments in which students can most directly address their learning needs. Whether speaking about our Research Services and Technology Support desks or the Information Desk and the Digital Media Studio, about Group Study and (new!) Presentation Practice rooms or individual PC and Mac workstations, about increasing students’ information literacy in the form of the First-Year Writing Seminar or the Writing Resources Center (located in IC spaces)—our IC is meant to provide students a seamless experience in which they can access the tools to skillfully manage and produce relevant knowledge.

Several of us in IC attended the 2009-2010 UNC Charlotte Convocation yesterday. Click here for Chancellor Philip L. Dubois' remarks.

If IC hosted Gaming Night, which events would interest you? Take the poll at the right.

New Service for UNC Charlotte Students!
Presentation Practice Rooms Now Available


Atkins Library now offers technology enhanced rooms where students can rehearse class projects and research presentations. Each room features the same “smart podium” that is also installed in many classrooms across campus. Students can practice assignments including PowerPoint slide shows, streaming video and DVDs, or access to the Internet and electronic databases – all in one place. Click here for additional information.

The calm before the storm, as UNC Charlotte students return for classes the week after next. IC's instructors are all prepped and ready to go (we love storms!). A recent YouTube presentation describes two IC goals for the new academic year: increasing students' information literacy, reaching as many students as we can.

Follow the IC on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/InfoCommons.

Hello! I'm Mike Olson, Associate University Librarian for Information Commons at UNC Charlotte's J. Murrey Atkins Library.

On behalf of my colleagues in the Information Commons department (IC), today we introduce a blog, the IC, which is intended to promote IC services. We hope our ideas will be of interest not only to the UNC Charlotte community but also to other audiences interested in information literacy, trends in higher education, and technology.

It's a great time to be at UNC Charlotte. Stanley Wilder started his new position as University Librarian less than two weeks ago; everyone in Atkins Library (right) looks forward to working with him. Our new Student Union houses luxurious dining and meeting facilities as well as a magnificent bookstore. And our student enrollment will increase to more than 24,000 in the 2009-10 academic year.

We'll provide plenty of posts on this blog. Please subscribe to the IC and comment away!