Innovation & Research Commons opens at RBD Library

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Auburn University researchers have been asking for a dedicated research commons. Now they have one. The Auburn University Libraries used the COVID-19 campus closure to finish work on the newest addition to its services: the Innovation & Research Commons (I&RC). Located on the first floor of RBD Library, the I&RC offers a makerspace as well as physical spaces for interdisciplinary research activities and discussions.

The I&RC is a place for turning ideas into reality. Its purpose is to help faculty and students find new ways to incorporate digital and analog technologies into their classroom and research projects. It is also designed to serve as a campus-wide incubator for interdisciplinary research ideas and projects.

The I&RC makerspace offers 3D printers and 3D scanners for additive manufacturing, electronics, a laser cutter, sewing machines, a tabletop letterpress book press, virtual and augmented reality equipment for course development and virtual instruction, an audio editing studio and large-format printers and scanners.

The I&RC also includes an Adobe Creative Cloud open learning space; a data services and visualization hub — the DataSpace — to help researchers organize their datasets, troubleshoot their computational workflows and comply with data-management requirements from federal and private funders; and a large, interactive digital display — the Liquid Galaxy — that provides a platform for 3D geospatial visualizations, panoramic images, exhibits, videos and tours in a shared immersive environment.

The I&RC is currently open. Library users may contact the I&RC staff or their liaison librarians to arrange an orientation tour.