Learning Commons Rooms (LCRs/SACs)

As provided for in Article 9 of the Rules, the Library has available Learning Commons Rooms (LCR) [Sale di Apprendimento Collaborativo (SAC)] equipped for joint study and research activities, also providing opportunities for teaching and discussion, with the possibility to utilise the bibliographic materials present in the Library, including those not available for borrowing.

The LCR is also available for online connection to external events such as lectures, meetings and workshops relevant to study and research activities.

Where and when

Currently the Michele Barbi LCR is in service on the second floor of the Orologio-Carovana site in Pisa, at the far end on the right side. It is open from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. In the event of a variation in the Library opening times, the LCR service shuts down one hour before the closing of the Library.

As part of an overall project that plans to equip each location with an LCR, the creation of such a room is also planned at the Florentine site of Palazzo Vegni and at the Canonica site.

Use of the room

The service is reserved for users with active Library membership.

The room may be occupied by only one group at a time. It may not be used for individual study; the reading rooms are available for this purpose.

Outside the door giving access to the LCR there is a display that indicates whether the room is free or is already booked.
If the room is free, the study group may occupy it without having booked it, but only until the start of the next booking; if, however, it is already booked, it must be left free, since those who have booked the room always have priority over those who have not booked it.

The rooms may be occupied by from two to 8 people at any one time.

Those utilising the LCR agree to make correct use of the room, tools and services, with consideration for other users. Those utilising the LCR are required to notify staff of any damage identified before the start of the collaborative work session, by writing to biblio.sac@sns.it from their institutional address. Users will be held responsible for any damages not reported.

Any materials permitted in the reading rooms may also be taken into the LCR; food and drinks in open containers are among those items that may not be taken in.

Bibliographic materials consulted in the LCR must be left in the trolley placed in the room for this purpose.

How to book

The room may be reserved via spazi.sns.it, on authentication with the usual keys held by SNS affiliates.
Bookings may be made solely by users affiliated with the SNS, although users not affiliated with the SNS may also take part in the study groups, provided that they are active members of the Library.
A booking may only be activated by a co-ordinator of the study group (who must be affiliated with the SNS) who takes responsibility for the management of the group and

• activates the booking, stating the names of the other members of the group;
• completes the check-in to register the occupation of the room, to avoid the automatic cancellation of the booking 15 minutes after the booking is due to start;
• cancels the booking as soon as possible should it become impossible for the group to take advantage of it;
• checks out immediately if the room becomes free early, so that it can be made available for other users
• supervises and guarantees the proper use of the room and equipment on the part of the study group;
• borrows in his or her own name the laptop eventually reserved for this service (see § Equipment and room).

The co-ordinator of the group and its members may not activate more than one booking per day or more than two bookings per week.
The above measures are designed to ensure the widest possible use of the service. The room may be reserved by the same group for a minimum of 30 minutes and for up to four hours continuously, in 30-minute slots.
Bookings can be scheduled well in advance, but may also be made on the spur of the moment; in any case priority is given to groups that have reserved the room over those that have occupied the room without having booked it.

Equipment and room

The LCR is furnished with the following: a table and comfortable chairs for 6 people (other seats are available), shelves, an interactive multimedia monitor, ananalog whiteboard, a reading desk, WIFI service, power sockets, good exposure to natural light, soundproofing and a multifunction printer (printing / photo reproduction / scanning).

One wall of the room houses an advanced Samsung Flip 2 interactive multimedia device; the following characteristics make it an ideal tool for carrying out collaborative activities:

• it is of large dimensions;
• the large dimensions allow for effective viewing by all those present;
• it has a synchronised screen display;
• it features synchronisation of personal devices to share and control content in real time;
• any changes made on the display are transferred to the connected device and vice versa;
• users can connec remotel to the meeting room;
• it allows you to connect to a keyboard and mouse;
• using the Wi-Fi network, users can view the contents of the display on another device in real time;
• it enables the distribution of notes and summaries to all those present and to others involved;
• important conversations and content are stored on the device in real time, for easy sharing via mobile and digital channels.

For further information, please refer to the Manual.

The study group co-ordinator that has made the reservation may borrow a laptop from the first-access desk. The PC, which must be returned at the end of the booking, operates with Windows 10, with office automation and internet navigation software. This service is available only when the Circulation desk service is open.
The laptop must be returned at the end of the use of the LCR and before the circulation desk closing time.

The Library does not provide assistance in the use of technical equipment.