Mission Statement

The goals of Academic Commons are to provide coordinated research, information, technology, and learning assistance for Oberlin students and to facilitate academic community on campus.

In the News ( Oberlin Online )

By Sarah Politz '07 September 27, 2007

A $1.5 million Academic Commons opened on the main floor of the campus library this fall after months of extensive renovations to Mudd Learning Center.

Open daily until 2 a.m., the commons allows more space for collaborative learning and interaction among students and faculty, says Ray English, Azariah Smith Root Director of Libraries. An attached café named for Azariah Root, the College’s first librarian, offers coffee, snacks, and a reading area with shelves of periodicals. A glass wall separates the café from the main commons area, while cork flooring minimizes noise.

“We’re trying to make Mudd a better space for learning—more accessible and welcoming,” says English.

Besides, “If people already ‘live in the library,’ then they should be able to get a good cup of coffee,” adds student consultant Allison Choat ’07.

Housed along the building’s outer walls are six group-study rooms outfitted with 42-inch LCDs, as well as media labs, multimedia presentation areas, and electronic classrooms. The center of the Commons area features bold, colorful retro-modern but comfortable furniture, as well as mobile collaborative workstations. Two bathrooms were added nearby.

English says that a second goal of the commons was to bring together several support services, such as the Writing Center, Peer Academic Ambassadors, reference help, and student technology support. The circulation area has also been consolidated, with reserve and audio-visual materials being checked out from a single location.

Planning for the Academic Commons began two years ago, when the Faculty Library Committee reasoned that the Mudd Center, built in 1974, needed to better reflect the significant changes in student learning styles and educational technologies.

The Board of Trustees approved the $1.5 million dollar budget last March. As of August, $1.4 million had been raised for the project. Major donors include Mimi Halpern ’60, William G. Roe ’64, Sarah Sharpe ’82, and Charles ’64 and Anne ’62 McFarland.

The Academic Commons Dedication Celebration ( Booklet in PDF )