The Nancy Thompson Learning Commons (NTLC) serves as the intellectual and cultural center of Kean University and is dedicated to promoting lifelong learning. The Learning Commons offers student support services designed to meet the academic and research needs of the Kean Community. Through various workshops, placements, and events, the NTLC provides an integrated support system that directly assists students and faculty with completing academic research-creative-and-scholarly activities and their continuous professional development.
The Learning Commons provides a comprehensive and overarching academic learning environment through continuous collaboration with the faculty. The faculty is an innovative and creative partner and provides primary and secondary information resources needed for students to become critical, creative, and global learners engaged in their learning. NTLC partners with the faculty and administration to foster student development of information literacy skills and provides the necessary services to support the basic needs of faculty conducting research with students. Students, faculty, and staff can access computer stations and print machines on all three floors. Through the Learning Support Services, NTLC provides Kean students tutoring, writing, and public speaking services. These programs are in tandem with the disciplinary and degree programs of Kean University and follow General Education requirements.
Located in the heart of the Kean campus, the Learning Commons, its website, and online catalog house the Library's print and online collections, with holdings of more than 177,961 volumes of books and access to more than 444,000 e-books. In addition, the Library subscribes to more than 52,250 electronic periodicals and provides access to more than 196,595 U.S. government online documents. We also have access to 250+ databases to support the Kean Community. A current validated Kean University photo ID is required to borrow materials from the Library. A Kean Google email account is required to access resources from off-campus. The Library can also request additional books and articles through the Interlibrary Loan system. Students may access the print book collections of other New Jersey academic libraries using the VALE Reciprocal Borrowing Program.
The Learning Commons is home to the Holocaust Resource Center, which adjoins the Human Rights Institute and is located near the Miron Student Center Plaza on Cougar Walk. Students may visit the Library or use the Reference and other services provided online, by phone, or by appointment.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement:
Here at the Kean Library, we actively support diversity, equity, and inclusion by acquiring and collecting diverse resources and providing culturally inclusive programming. We also select resources in various formats to support distinctive learning styles of patrons within the BIPOC community. In addition, our Learning Support Services welcome the entire Kean community and assist through inclusive, equitable, and accessible tutoring, workshopping, and mentoring. We respect and are dedicated to linguistic diversity, cultural pluralism, and racial justice. Our staffing and training practices reflect our commitment to understand and support the changing priorities of the communities we serve.
NTLC Commitments:
Our collection is a work in progress. Some of our holdings date back to the 16th century. Some of the books and documents contain language and ideas that do not reflect the current values of Kean University. We cannot ignore the systemic racism in our country, and our library collection is not exempt. The pervasiveness of racism is alive in our collection, especially with dated materials. We are working on being more transparent and clear with titles that support a racist agenda. We don't wish to censure our collection, but we do wish to distinguish between works that have historical relevance and can be used as an aid in teaching, and those works that do not hold value, but are still housed in our collection. This is a process we are undertaking through diversity audits. If you have questions about our methodology, please email learningcommons@kean.edu.
