The Library as Launchpad: Transforming Student Lives through Open Learning Infrastructure and Co-Creation

Abstract

What happens when an academic library becomes more than a place to access information? Cal Poly Humboldt Library has reimagined itself as an Open Learning Lab: a launchpad where students publish, prototype, experiment, and build career-ready portfolios through authentic curricular and co-curricular work. This poster presents a scalable framework for libraries seeking to transform student learning, institutional culture, and community impact.

Through faculty partnerships, prototyping challenges, paid internships, and an Innovation Hub, students move ideas from classroom assignments to open-source tools and public-facing projects. Examples include the world’s first 3D Digital Herbarium, immersive theatre, an augmented reality sandbox, an earthquake table, a wind tunnel, and customized AI. The Press at Cal Poly Humboldt extends this model by giving every student the opportunity to publish before graduation; more than 5,000 student-authored works turn coursework into visible scholarship, professional evidence, and meaningful public contributions. The poster reframes library infrastructure as a platform for agency, co-creation, and high-impact learning rather than simply buildings, collections, or services. Attendees will gain practical strategies for integrating project-based learning, open publishing, student employment, and community engagement into an adaptable ecosystem that libraries of varied sizes and contexts can use to power meaningful transformation worldwide.