The Tombros and McWhirter Knowledge Commons at Penn State

Abstract

This article describes the Tombros and McWhirter Knowledge Commons at the Penn State University Park campus and its use by library patrons. The Knowledge Commons required a major renovation of the first floor of the Pattee Library. In addition to providing attractive and inviting new spaces for students to study and collaborate, it includes library, tutoring, information technology, and multimedia support services. Many of these services existed prior to the Knowledge Commons but were not used to the extent they are now. As this article shows, increasing the accessibility of services and offering them in an attractive new setting will increase their use.