The UMass Amherst Library Celebrates Major Expansion of Learning Commons

The University of Massachusetts Amherst will hold an event celebrating the expansion of the Learning Commons at the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, where students have access to research tools and assistance, academic advising, tutoring and writing assistance - all in a comfortable, high-tech environment that fosters small group interaction. The event will be held February 8, 2010, 2:00 p.m., Lower Level, Du Bois Library, UMass Amherst campus.

Among those attending the ceremony will include Robert C. Holub, UMass Amherst chancellor; James V. Staros, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, and Jay Schafer, director of Libraries.

The expansion of the acclaimed facility includes a 20-percent increase in the size of the Learning Commons, to about 30,000 square feet; a 60-percent boost in seating, from 250 to 450, and eight new group study rooms. Overall, the Learning Commons houses more than 200 multipurpose work stations equipped with PCs and Macs, and more than 400 ports for connecting to the campus network and the Internet.