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Library Commons

The Library offers three Commons spaces: Geisel’s East Commons (2nd Floor), Geisel’s West Commons (2nd Floor), and the WongAvery Commons (WongAvery Library 1st Floor). These areas are intended to enhance the educational achievement and personal growth of UC San Diego students. All offer a variety of amenities, including computers, software, study areas, group study rooms, and comfortable seating. By providing pleasant and well-equipped spaces in which to study, think, develop new ideas, collaborate with others, or just rest, read a good book, or surf the net, these Commons foster student creativity and discovery.

Geisel East Commons

This area focuses on undergraduates and has SSO Computers (Windows PC and Macs). It is an active, collaborative learning area and includes Audrey's Cafe. The space also offers scanners, a printer, group study rooms, tables and comfortable seating, games, and WalkStations. This area also houses the Active Learning Lab and the Digital Media Lab.

Geisel West Commons

This area focuses more on upper-level undergraduates and grad students, and has SSO Computers (Windows PC and Macs). This space tends to be quieter than the East Commons and better accommodates individual study and quiet reading. The space offers tables and comfortable seating, and the Data & GIS Lab. Government documents, reference and MMW materials, current journals and newspapers, maps, microforms, and popular science books are also housed here.

WongAvery Commons

This library building is intended for quiet study. It contains SSO Computers (Windows PC and Macs) in the main commons area. Public Computers are available near the entrance. The space offers a book scanner, printers (across from the Front Desk), tables and comfortable seating, and nearby group study rooms and a presentation practice room.

Getting Help

Walk-up assistance is available at the Front Desk during posted hours. Alternately, you can call the service desk, chat for assistance or use the Ask Us service.

Commons Policies

  • The Library’s Use & Conduct Policies apply to all library spaces.
  • With the exception of a couple of designated Public Computers (West Commons), all computers in the Commons are SSO Computers that require valid Active Directory (AD) accounts and passwords.
  • Never leave laptops or personal belongings unattended for ANY length of time.
  • Use your own storage media; files are not kept on the computers after the nightly reset.
  • Never load any software on a library computer.
  • At WongAvery, set cell phones, pagers, and other electronic devices to silent or vibrate mode and take/make phone calls outside the building.
  • Observe the Food and Drink Policy and Use & Conduct Code.
  • Talking in a normal tone of voice is permitted in both Geisel Commons spaces.  The entire WongAvery Library is a quiet space, with silence expected in the WongAvery Silent Study Room.

Comments or Questions?

Send questions, comments, and suggestions to LearningSpaces@ucsd.edu.

See Also