This study focuses on the process of transitioning a traditional high school library to the learning commons service model. The study identifies the requirements of the model and the factors that either promote or undermine the success of the transition.;A general inductive approach based on qualitative research was used to collect and analyze data obtained from three high school librarians who self-identified as having successfully transitioned a high school library to a learning commons. The two research questions for the study were: (1) What factors determine a successful transition? (2) What factors undermine or threaten the transition? Data was collected through multiple methods including: field notes from site visits, review of participant created websites, as well as interviews conducted in person, by telephone, and by video conference. Coding was used to sort and evaluate data that identified categories and themes that influenced the success of the transition.;The transition to a learning commons is analyzed in the context of the tragedy of the commons scenario (Hardin, 1968). The tragedy scenario has its roots in pre-Roman England when farmers grazed their livestock in communally held fields. The growth in demand for the common fields led to increasing herd sizes with no corresponding incentive to maintain the shared resource, leading ultimately to overuse, depletion, herd starvation, and collapse. The tragedy scenario has been applied to analogous issues such as over-fishing, deforestation, and in this study, the highly demanded resources of a modern learning commons.
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