University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Magazine | Page 32

The “Living Wall” in the BioCommons.

By Jessica Newman
(Undergraduate Services
Librarian) and Amy Bethel
(WISCIENCE)

32 | LIBRARIES Fall 2015

University of Wisconsin–Madison bioscience
students from across campus now have a
welcoming home base on the lower level of
Steenbock Library, with space to study, relax,
meet, hold an event, advise/mentor, tutor, and
collaborate. Introducing the BioCommons.
The remodeled space is full of nature
and life. On one wall, portraits of diverse
scientists are interspersed with life-size
panoramic images of the UW–Madison
arboretum. A large, round study booth,
already a favorite with students, is wrapped in
an image of trees. Several other walls feature
living plants, thanks to the students of the
UW–Madison Horticulture Society.
With the changes, the lower level of
Steenbock is now fondly called “the Garden
Level.” Members of the Aquarium Enthusiasts
Club, along with retired faculty member John

Glaeser, are creating a planted aquarium,
giving students the chance to take ownership
of the space and bring it to life—literally.
Student workers help compile resources for
the BioCommons (http://biology.wisc.edu/),
assemble displays of flyers about biology
opportunities across campus, and staff a
new information desk. An events display
advertises a cross-campus fair for biological
sciences majors, undergraduate research peer
mentoring, drop-in pre-health advising, and
student-sponsored TED Talk video nights.
The BioCommons is an ongoing crosscampus partnership intended to spark more
collaboration and innovation. Initiated
by WISCIENCE, Steenbock Library, and
the Office of Undergraduate Advising, the
BioCommons is shaped in part by the units
and student groups across campus that are
contributing their own programming and
projects. In addition to providing a central
gateway to information, the BioCommons is a
place to build community and a venue where
members of campus can offer biology-related
services and events, find out more about each
other, and collaborate in new ways.
“We started off the project with town hall
meetings to gather ideas from the campus
community,” notes Lisa Wettleson, Interim
Director of Steenbock. “We incorporated
many of these into the physical space. We
have also taken advantage of the insights
other libraries have gained about connecting
with campus programs. There is so much
potential to work together and increase our
impact.”
Nearly 25 percent of UW–Madison
undergraduates study some area of bioscience.
There are more than 30 undergraduate

Students attend a BioSciences fair.

biology-related programming are invited
to reserve BioCommons spaces and take
advantage of publicity support, including the
BioCommons newsletter. To learn more, stop
by the BioCommons in Steenbock Library
or visit biology.wisc.edu. You can also email
http://biology.wisc.edu/ .

http://biology.wisc.edu/
biocommons.htm

“The BioCommons is an
ongoing cross-campus
partnership intended to
spark more collaboration
and innovation.”

T