Library Building Completion Commemoration Project Part 1
"Maclay Memorial Hall "
With all my heart
Opening as a new intellectual hub for our university
Aoyama This year marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of the institute and the 75th anniversary of the opening of Aoyama Gakuin University. The construction of the library building was positioned as part of the 150th anniversary celebration of the institute, and the library building "Maclay Memorial Hall" was opened in this memorable year. The facility is named in honor of the first Chancellor Robert S. McRae, who founded the Mihai Theological Seminary, one of the three origins of the Aoyama institute.
A comprehensive academic information facility based on a "student-centered" approach
President (Professor, School of Social Informatics Department of Social Informatics)
Hiromasa Inatsumi
PhD in Engineering (Waseda University). Completed his master's degree in mechanical engineering at the Waseda University Graduate Graduate School of Science and Engineering in March 1984. His fields of expertise are information theory, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and Japanese language education. After serving as an assistant professor in the Department of Integrated information technology the Faculty College of Science and Engineering and College of Science and Engineering at College of Science and Engineering Aoyama Gakuin University, he was appointed professor there in 2003. In 2004, he became Dean of the Faculty of Science Graduate School of Science and Engineering and the Graduate School of Science Department of Social Informatics. In 2009, he became professor in School of Social Informatics of School of Social Informatics Graduate School of Social Informatics, and in 2019, he became Vice President. He will become the 20th President Aoyama Gakuin University in December 2023. His term of office will run from December 16, 2023 to December 15, 2027.
What role is expected of Maclay Memorial Hall?
--Please tell us about the position and special features of Maclay Memorial Hall at our university.
InatsumiThe newly opened Maclay Memorial Hall is a comprehensive academic information facility that brings together the main library, the Information Media Center, and even the Academic Writing Center in one building. The basement and first floors are the information learning floors, and the second to sixth floors are the library floors. The information learning floor is a space for "encounters with knowledge," and is equipped with PC labs relevant to all students, as well as facilities for learning languages and cutting-edge ICT (information and communication technology). The second to fourth floors of the library are also a place for "expanding knowledge," and feature a learning commons where students can not only read literature individually, but also learn from each other. The fifth and sixth floors are equipped with specialized literature and private study rooms for "deepening knowledge," as well as a presentation room that can accommodate online meetings with people outside the university, providing an environment for more specialized learning and discussion.
Maclay Memorial Hall will become a core facility for education and research as a new "knowledge hub" at our university, and it is expected that it will also contribute to society.
At the heart of Maclay Memorial Hall concept is a "student-centered" approach. In an ever-changing society, students' learning needs are also diversifying. To meet these various needs, the building has been zoned according to the purpose of use. When students want to concentrate on literature and deepen their contemplation, they can choose a quiet zone, or when they want to share information and exchange opinions with their peers, they can choose a group study zone such as the "Learning Commons." Meanwhile, some areas, such as the event space and presentation room, have been designed and furnished with highly flexible features, allowing them to be used in a flexible manner.
At Maclay Memorial Hall, which brings together a variety of academic facilities, students can organically advance book-based learning, digital learning, and learning through interpersonal communication. It would be wonderful if new ideas were born from this "integrated learning" experience, where students can enjoy paper books, make full use of the latest digital technology on the information learning floor, and engage in intellectual exchange in the Learning Commons.
We hope that by utilizing these facilities and various services, students will actively deepen their intellectual exchanges, making Maclay Memorial Hall a hub of learning on campus and fostering an even richer Aogaku identity than ever before.
The automated book storage facility, located on the 4th to 6th floors, can store up to 800,000 books.
Nearly half a century has passed since the old university library was built in 1977, and the construction of a new library with sufficient seating and book collection space was a long-cherished wish of our university. Since the new library plan was launched about 20 years ago, various discussions have taken place as the times have changed, but what has remained consistent throughout the ages has been the concept of a "library that grows as well" to support the growth of students. I believe it is extremely valuable that the concept of "growth" has been passed down to this day, and that after much consideration, the opening of Maclay Memorial Hall has come about.
--Please tell us about Sagamihara campus and your collaboration with society.
Inazumi The opening of Maclay Memorial Hall will strengthen the ties between the Aoyama and Sagamihara campuses. The new functions resulting from the replacement of the library's systems, such as the introduction of IC tags, are common to both campuses, making it easier for students to use the library across campus boundaries. In addition, by connecting the two campuses via a network from the presentation room on the sixth floor, it will become even easier to hold joint events.
At our university, where Christianity is the foundation of education, Maclay Memorial Hall also reflects the university's perspective of contributing to society. For example, the presentation room can be used for a wide range of purposes, including academic research presentations, lectures, and various receptions, as well as for interactions with outside the university. Aoyama also holds valuable documents, including the Bible. Furthermore, Majima Memorial Hall is scheduled to open in May 2025 as a refurbishment of Aoyama Aoyama Gakuin Archives. Aoyama Museum We are considering making these exhibits available to the general public. We hope that through these connections with society and the spread of "knowledge," students will be able to encounter a wider world of "knowledge" than ever before.
Presentation room on the 6th floor
The seven-story Maclay Memorial Hall (six stories above ground and one below) houses approximately 1.5 million books.
Library Director (Professor, College of Literature Department of English)
Naoyuki Date
Ph.D. (English) (The University of York, UK). Completed doctoral studies at the York University Graduate School in March 2006. Specializes in English poetry, poetics, modernist literature and culture, regional cultural history in the UK and Ireland, and media culture theory. After serving as assistant professor and associate professor in the Department of English, College of Literature of Letters, Aoyama Gakuin University, he became professor there in 2009. In 2018, he became Dean College of Literature and Dean of the Graduate Graduate School of Literature. In 2023, he will become Director of the Library and Director of the Academic Writing Centre.
■ Aiming to be a library that grows together with students
--Please tell us about the thoughts behind Maclay Memorial Hall. Also, how are those thoughts reflected in the building?
Date As President mentioned, in modern society, technological innovation, especially in IT, is progressing at an incredible speed. Even as we continued to go through trial and error in planning the new library building, ICT and other technologies evolved at a speed that exceeded our expectations. What we realized was that "if something is completed before the library opens, it will start to become obsolete from that point on." From this experience, we came to the conclusion that the image of the library we should aim for is an "evolving library" that always leaves room for change. The concept of an "evolving library" is reflected in the presentation room with movable seating and the study spaces that can be used in a variety of ways.
The keyword "spiral of knowledge" is also important. At Maclay Memorial Hall, students first encounter new learning on the lower floors. As they progress to the upper floors, they master their learning in their own way, and then they can return to the lower floors, which are equipped with learning commons, with what they have learned, to share it with others and add a new perspective to their learning. In this way, the structure of Maclay Memorial Hall supports the upward circular "spiral of knowledge."
In this architectural project, various organizations worked together to support evolving learning in a multifaceted way. As a result, we have created a new "knowledge hub" that combines digital and analog, with a learning commons and group study rooms that realize dynamic learning accompanied by communication, and an entrance floor concept that stimulates intellectual curiosity. We hope that Maclay Memorial Hall will become a hub for learning, research, and various aspects of campus life for students and everyone involved with the university.
The floor layout embodies a "spiral of knowledge." You will encounter learning on the basement and first floors, expand and deepen your learning on the second to fourth floors, perfect your learning on the fifth and sixth floors, and connect it to the next level of learning for yourself and others on the basement and first floors.
Director of the Information Media Center (Professor School of Social Informatics Department of Social Informatics)
Yu Miyaji
Doctor of Engineering (Chiba Institute of Technology). Aoyama Gakuin University Graduate School Graduate School of Science and Engineering D. in Mechanical Engineering from Chiba Institute of Technology. His areas of expertise are robotics, information processing, artificial intelligence, and Kansei Engineering. Aoyama Gakuin Women's Junior College After working as an assistant professor and associate professor of general education courses and Aoyama Gakuin University School of Social Informatics Department of Social Informatics associate professor, he was appointed as a professor in 2018, and became the director of the Information Media Center in 2021.
■The role of the Information Media Center at Maclay Memorial Hall
--With the Information and Media Center now relocated to Maclay Memorial Hall, we can expect even greater learning benefits. Could you tell us what you came up with when building the information learning floor?
The Miyaji Information and Media Center is an organization that supports the ICT education and research environment at our university, and has been one step ahead of social trends by providing PC classrooms, networks, etc. Similarly, the Information Learning Floor, which occupies the basement and first floor of Maclay Memorial Hall, has maintained a traditional educational environment while being conscious of adapting to changing usage patterns and anticipating future trends.
For example, in recent years, a new learning style is becoming established in which students research and study on their own, then submit the results as documents or videos. As BYOD * is also becoming more widespread, the Information Learning Floor has been equipped with space and facilities to accommodate this learning style. New rental lockers for various devices have been installed in the building, so students can use the devices they borrow to project their own laptops and create materials while holding discussions. As for the lounge area, which also functions as a learning commons, we plan to continue developing it in cooperation with the library and the foreign language laboratory, and we envision that the trained student staff will be involved in its operation.
* Bring Your Own Device. Bringing and using personal information devices at various locations.
While promoting these new initiatives, it is also necessary to maintain and develop existing initiatives such as IT training courses. As a result of being conscious of preparing for future needs while maintaining the existing functions, the ideas of "flexibility" and "evolution" became key points for the Information Learning Floor. As for the areas other than the classrooms, they are not limited to specific uses, but are designed to be modifiable, with an eye toward responding to future activities that cannot be imagined at present.
The relocation of the Information and Media Center to Maclay Memorial Hall will strengthen communication with the library, and it is expected that the convenience of students will be further improved by improving the management system for learning support.
The stepped B1F hall that connects the basement and first floors can be used for casual presentations and various events. The steps can be used as benches, and the surrounding counters can be used as standing room only.
■ New knowledge is born from free thinking
--Please give a message to the students and other users of Maclay Memorial Hall.
The
Date-Maclay Memorial Hall concept is based on concepts such as "growth" and "spiral of knowledge," but I hope that students will use it freely and unconventionally. For example, if you are interested in dance, you can come here with your friends, watch AV materials, read magazines and literature, and learn about the evolution of dance styles. Through this kind of broad learning and individual approach, I think you will discover that your personal interests are connected to the wider world, and I hope that you will expand your learning possibilities infinitely. Maclay Memorial Hall is also expected to play a role as a place to establish your identity. By seeing students from different faculties devoting themselves to a variety of studies on the same floor, you will be able to gain a tangible understanding of "diversity." Furthermore, as you share the space of Maclay Memorial Hall with your friends and deepen your tangible and intangible intellectual exchange, you will also develop a sense of belonging to the learning environment of Aogaku. When forming your own identity, these two wheels of "perspective on diversity" and "sense of belonging" should be of great power. Establishing your identity is also important as the foundation of your communication skills. We hope that by utilizing Maclay Memorial Hall, students will think deeply about what they want to do and use it as an opportunity to take action.
Learning Commons on the 2nd floor
Miyaji: Like Professor Date, I think it's best for students to use Maclay Memorial Hall freely. If there's one thing I would like you to do, it's for you to make the museum the place you spend the most time outside of your home. I believe that the time you spend here will be a time to develop your intellectual curiosity and abilities. Please make full use of the Macrae Maclay Memorial Hall in a variety of ways.
Due to the location of Aoyama Campus in
the Inatsumi-Sibuya / Omotesando area, our university tends to have a "fashionable" image. However, in the fields of education and research, we have actually achieved excellent results in both humanities and sciences. Aoyama has accumulated a variety of achievements, including traditional global education since its founding and cutting-edge international research. In order for our university to continue to be a "university of choice," it is important to place more emphasis than ever on "sincerity in learning," which is the origin of our institution. On the other hand, one of the strengths of Aogaku is their "communication skills." In proceeding with the construction plan for Maclay Memorial Hall, we have incorporated ideas to combine "sincerity in learning," which is our future focus, with the "high communication skills" that are the characteristic of Aogaku, and to elevate it to new learning. The newly established Learning Commons is expected to be a representative place of this. As I mentioned earlier, I hope that students will take full advantage of these facilities and various services, actively deepen their intellectual exchanges, and engage in even richer learning and research than ever before. I also hope that students will enjoy an even more fulfilling student life by spending their days at this new "hub of knowledge" that is Maclay Memorial Hall.
*The May issue of AGU NEWS will feature an interview with the designer of Maclay Memorial Hall as the second part of a special project celebrating the completion of the library building.
