Media Resources

LITS Annual Report 2004-2005

Once again this year the department responded to patron’s requests and adjusted a number of services as well as began offering some new technology options. The self-service media duplicating area was expanded into Miles Smith level two north. Currently there are stations that allow the dubbing or conversion of vhs to dvd, miniDV to vhs, cd to cd, vhs to vhs, miniDV to dvd. This equipment is constantly in use. The viewing stations in the library were also consolidated to just two areas, Miles Smith level 3 and Williston level 2.

In response to the additional audio recording needs of the community, 4 Marantz PMD 660 digital audio tape recorders are available to use. These machines record professional quality audio to a standard flash memory card in either wav or mp3 format. Using mp3, a one-gig card can record 17 hours of stereo audio. An Editrol recorder is also available, but it has proven less than user friendly.

Ten Sony miniDV camcorders were added to the circulation pool bringing the total to 22 units. Ten Canon digital cameras were also purchased.

The first-come, first-served student laptop loan policy was removed this last year. Three laptops had been available for three-day loans. The laptops did not hold up well and proved to be a huge service issue. The twenty laptops at circulation filled the void and have proven to be a better service model, since they circulate for shorter time periods allowing more users to have a chance at obtaining a unit.

A cd/dvd repair machine was purchased this last year. This machine is amazing and has repaired every scratched disk that we have tried to repair. In the last six months, nearly one hundred disks have been repaired. The machine uses several stages of polishing wheels and the average disk takes 2 minutes to repair.

With the addition of the disk repair machine it has become possible to update the video collection and retire laser disks and older VHS titles and replace them with DVDs. There had been concern about the life of dvd’s, but with the repair machine, this is not much of and issue and it is assumed that the disks will outlast the tape. 150 vhs titles have been replaced with dvd titles and the retired vhs titles will be added to the leisure collection to allow some additional viewing as long as there is still some life left with the tape. Some titles have been shown hundreds of times and some are twenty years old.

Over the last six months, all media resources equipment operation manuals have been in the process of being digitized and will be available on the web to the MHC community for user reference soon.

Last summer the LRC was renovated. A new lounge was constructed where the service point was and much of the LRC operation was moved further back in to the lab area. The audio and videotape collection is now circulated by barcode on the main library system.

The staff of media resources began a training program offered by the International Communications Industry Association. This on-line program is an intensive program covering all aspects of design, support, and best practices as they relate to the audiovisual world. This course will also prepare one for the Certified Technology Specialist exam that has become the international standard for anyone in this field. CTS certification is typically required for technicians, engineers, designers, and salespeople in this field.
This program is tied to INFOCOMM, which is a yearly conference for the A.V./media community. At least one staff member from the department attends this important event yearly.

The Tandberg Video Conference system was moved in room 231 late last summer. This room is shared with both 16mm projection and special video showings. The conference system was used at least twice a week all last year. ISDN still proved a challenge to support with most of the use being IP connections.

The showing of 16mm film increased this year to a total of 170 rentals. 16mm film projectors are no longer available new, for reasonable prices, which has caused us to be very creative in the recycling of older machines. Parts are also no longer available. Currently we have a repairperson in New York that is willing to work on these machines. The large venue 16mm in Gamble was needed for the Weissman Water Series and it cost several thousand dollars to repair so it would be operational for the event. Currently we are collecting unused projectors from departments on campus and we will be sending the newest units out for refurbishment.

Internally, the department as begun work on several database upgrades. One example is the classroom database that is shared by LITS and the registrar’s office. Currently this data is in several locations and not updated regularly. A unified system with updates is being developed. Also a new database to replace the film-scheduling program is being worked on. Much preparation has begun to prepare to move the existing media data to the new ILS system next year. Some of the data base work may be covered with the new system.

Classroom updates

• Mediate Small Gamble
• Mediate Ciruti 221
• Mediate 127 Clapp
• Mediate 401,204, 301 and 327 Clapp
• TV/VCR/DVD player for Studio One, Kendall
• The Dance Classroom –Plasma and PC
• Gamble lighting design work
• Shades in Kendade 203, 303
• Skinner 212 and 216 were updated.
• Portable mediated system installed in Reese 304
• Hooker auditorium, new projector and media system
• New speakers in Dwight 101
• Rooke Green room, mediated classroom
• 231 library systems upgraded to allow for videoconference video to be projected
• Rooke teaching classroom-mediated cart redesigned
• Kendade 107 system redesigned
• Library 418, computer and redesign of podium
• Warbeke room in Pratt, viewing/listen system installed. Faculty office sound system repair-ongoing
• Dvd players installed on existing TV/VCR carts
• Multi-standard dvd players replacement in classroom-ongoing
• Projector replacement in 5 classrooms.

Events
There were 451 requests for event support last year. This number is more than twice the number of requests from last year.
100 requests for booked video showing assistance
468 training sessions for faculty, staff and students

Prepared by
Bill Farrington
July 2005