De La Salle University Library, now The Learning Commons!
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| The Henry Sy, Sr. Hall: The home of The Learning Commons |
The
De La Salle University (DLSU) Library, now called The Learning
Commons, recently transferred to its new home at the Henry
Sy, Sr. Hall. Envisioned to be the central hub that
will serve as the intellectual crossroad for the university, the
Learning Commons opened its doors to the Lasallian community last 17
December 2012.
The
Henry Sy, Sr. Hall
The
14-storey structure, built in honor of the 100th
anniversary of Lasallian presence in the Philippines, is likened to a
“habitable tree.” The team of architects from the Leandro
V. Locsin Partners, Architect
designed the building as such to inject environmental sensitivity
despite being in the midst of the very congested and busy Taft Avenue
area. Completed and opened in January 2013, the building is
considered as the very first academic structure to garner the
Philippines’ Berde
Standard,
which means that the Hall is green and eco-friendly. The
building boasts of green roof, solar panels, a rainwater collection
system, water re-use system, pocket gardens, and open areas.
The interior areas of the building took the name of the various parts
of life-giving and nurturing tree, namely, the The
Meadow, La Racine, Heartwood,
Verdure, The Grove, Nests,
Springwood
and
Summerwood.
The
building’s concept also exemplifies the important role of DLSU to
Philippine education.
The
Learning Commons occupies part of the 5th floor, as well as the 6th
to the 13th floors of the building. It showcases its indoor gardens,
outdoor reading areas, lounges, discussion rooms, meeting/conference
rooms, and multipurpose halls and wide-open spaces.
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| The Heartwood: Main Lobby of the Learning Commons |
The
Heartwood (6th floor) serves as the main lobby of the
Learning Commons. This 2,490 sq. m. area is a place for
students to hangout and/or study. Being the “heart” of the
Learning Commons, it is one of the most occupied as events are
regularly held on this floor which likewise serves as the main
exhibit area. An information desk is stationed at the entrance of the
lobby to address all the library-related concerns of the community.
This floor is also home to the Director’s Office and the receiving
area for new acquisitions. The newest facility of the Learning
Commons, the Self-Check Out Machine, is also located on this level.
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| The entrance to the Learning Commons |
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| The Heartwood will showcase The Learning Commons' educational & cultural exhibits |
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| The Self-Check Out machine is near the Information Desk |
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| The outside of the Director's Office |
The
Cafe, one of the well-liked facilities of the Learning Commons,
currently has 38 internet-equipped public computers. Additional
computers will soon be added to complete 70 computer terminals.
A 110-seating capacity reading and lounge area is located beside the
Cafe. In addition, light snacks and beverages will soon be served in
this part of the Learning Commons.
The
Instructional Media Services/Systems Services which holds about 9,000
video recordings and assorted resources (such as audio tapes, slides,
posters, and multimedia sources in CD, VCD, and DVD formats) and
manages a wide array of audio-visual and projection equipment and
devices used for classroom activities and other university-sponsored
events is also located on the 6th floor.
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| The computer terminals of the Cafe |
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| The Instructional Media Services: where audiovisual resources (i.e., CD's & DVD's) and audio equipment (e.g., mics, recorders, & speakers) are loaned to patrons |
The
Learning Commons
The
7th to the 13th floors serve as the main study hall and repository of
books and other educational materials of the University.
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| The entrance to the 7F Information-Reference Section |
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| Computer terminals on the 7th floor Information-Reference Section |
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| Reading areas at the 7th floor |
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| A view of the Circulation Section, 8th floor |
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| Reading areas at the 8th floor |
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| Reading areas at the 8th floor Mezzanine |
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| The journal issues display at the Periodicals Section, 9F |
The
Periodicals Collection, which brings together both print and
electronic journals, occupies the 9th floor. It has a floor area of
2, 626 sq. m. and has a total seating capacity of 312.
The
9th floor mezzanine houses the Filipiniana Collection consisting of
all publications about the Philippines, its peoples and culture,
regardless of author, imprint, and language. The types of
materials included are general reference materials, Literary History
of the Philippines (LIHIP) collection, International Corpus of
English-Philippine Component Project (ICEPH) collection,
Manila-Malate collection, map collection, rare periodicals, Rizaliana
collection, Philippine English Data collection, and vertical file
collection. Filipiniana periodical materials are integrated
with the periodical collection found on the same floor. Likewise,
duplicates of selected current Filipiniana reference titles that are
sources of demographic and statistical data are kept at the
Information-Reference Section (7th floor). Preservation copies that
include file copies, rare books, and books with dedication and
author’s signature are housed at the Preservation Room, 5th floor.
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| The Mezzanine at the 9th floor houses the Filipiniana Collection |
The
University Archives occupies the 10th and 11th floors with a combined
area of 4, 513 sq. m. and seating capacity of 692. This section
holds the collection of the “official memory” of the DLSU.
It was organized in 1973 as the College Archives, and became a major
unit of the Library in 1989. Its collections span the entire history
of the University, from 1911 to the present. Despite the loss of many
of the early records and library holding kept in the old building
because of the Second World War, this section still holds a
significant collection of university memorabilia, numismatics, and
artworks. The University archives also serves as the official
repository of the La Salliana collection and the collection of
faculty and student publications, graduate, undergraduate, and
faculty theses and dissertations. Plans as to what collection
would be at the 12th floor is still underway.
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| The lobby at the 13th Floor of the Learning Commons |
The
ASRC has collection of books, videotapes, periodicals and other
library materials related to the studies of the United States.
This collection also aims to support the American Studies Program of
the University.
The
EDC is a joint project of the European Commission and the European
Studies Consortium of the Philippines. EDC collects materials
specifically on the twenty seven member countries of the European
Union. It likewise supports the European Studies Programs and
collects materials that respond to the curricular offerings of the
program.
The
Center for English for Specific Purposes (CESP) Collection is a
collection of books on the teaching of the English language while the
Local Oral History collection is comprised of audio tapes,
videotapes, and transcripts.
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| Some special items are encased in display cases at the 13th floor |
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| Some indoor reading areas have modular cozy couches |
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| A look inside one of the many discussion rooms in the Learning Commons |
In a tree, a nest is a place of refuge to hold the birds’ eggs or to provide a place to live or raise their offsprings. In the Henry Sy, Sr. Hall, the Nests are the indoor reading areas, spacious lounges, multi-purpose conference rooms, meeting rooms, quiet rooms, and discussion rooms. As the repository of human knowledge, it is the aim of the Learning Commons to serve as the central node for a revitalized campus; thus, these Nests serve as a place where the academic community can gather to relax, interact, and even hold official university activities.
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| The conference room at the 8th Floor |
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| The multipurpose room in the European Documentation Center (EDC) at the 13th Floor |
Dedicated
reading areas for graduate students are located on the 10th and 12th
floors, with a floor area of 56 sq. m. which can accommodate 12
readers in one seating. Quiet rooms are located on the 8th,
10th, and 12th floors. These rooms are intended for library
patrons who enjoy the typical library’s quiet atmosphere. The
total area is 56 sq. m. and it can hold up to 28 readers. Two
(2) viewing rooms are located on the 7th floor for private viewing of
educational films. Television units and headphones are provided
in these rooms. An audio-visual room, sized 82.6 sq.m., has
teleconferencing capability and a seating capacity of 53 people, is
located on the 13th floor.
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| An inside look at the Faculty Reading Room (8th Floor) |
The
Learning Commons holds a number of indoor reading areas and
comfortable lounges. The estimated total seating capacity of
these areas is 2,000.
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| The Chill @ the 5th (Bean Bag Area) at the 5th Floor. It is accessible by going down the stairs from the main lobby |
Summerwood
and Springwood
Summerwood
and
Springwood
are
the
indoor gardens and outdoor reading areas in the Learning Commons.
These are meant to be a place for students to study. The area is
designed to be peaceful and stress-free so students can concentrate
more on their studies. These areas are located on the 5th,
6th,
7th,
9th,
and 11th
floors.
The
Future Begins Here
Given
the amenities and space at the Henry Sy Sr. Hall, the Learning
Commons hopes to achieve its mission to support the institution’s
instructional, curricular, research, and extension programs through
the organized, relevant, and efficient delivery of information
services. With the innovation in terms of facilities and
interior to match the ever growing books and resources, the Learning
Commons is optimistic that it will contribute to expanding the
creative and new ideas from its patrons and help them engage in a
life-long learning journey. Let the future begin here.
