With music provided by the SMU marching band, a brief appearanceby Peruna, a feast of sweets and a prize raffle, students and staffcelebrated the opening of the new Information Commons located onthe library’s first floor Thursday afternoon.

The Information Commons, which took over a year and a half tocomplete, is a place where students can study, use researchresources and work on assignments in a single location.

“[The staff] comes to the user, so the user doesn’thave to go to multiple places to get their work done,” saidCarol Baker, the director of Public Services.

The idea to combine the information technology center with thetraditional reference libraries came about in May 2002, and thestaff members have been working hard to get the center up andrunning. In the past, the Information Technology Center and theReference Library were separate and ran at different hours, makingit difficult for students to make maximum use of thelibrary’s resources.

The Information Commons consists of an Open Information Center,a reference library as well as two classroom computer labs. In thisarea you will also find four laser printers and two photocopiersthat are available for use to those who purchase an SMU copycard.

The Open Information Commons contains 50 computers, all withInternet access and printer connections. The computer labs eachhave over 20 workstations, however you must have a current SMU IDto use the labs. The computer classrooms will also be available toprovide instruction to SMU faculty, staff, and students with avariety of classes designed to enhance your knowledge oftechnology.

Reference librarians and technology specialists are alsoavailable if you are in need of assistance.

“The pursuit of knowledge is virtually unlimited,”said Joann Lan, director of Information Technology Services’Academic Computing.