Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University
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Re-think it: Libraries for a New Age - Conference Proceedings
2015
Excuse Me. Is that a Video Studio in Your Library? Excuse Me. Is that a Video Studio in Your Library?
Lori S. Mestre
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Eric Kurt
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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rethinkit_proceedings/1/
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Mestre, Lori S. and Kurt, Eric, "Excuse Me. Is that a Video Studio in Your Library?" (2015).
Re-think it:
Libraries for a New Age - Conference Proceedings
. 3.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/rethinkit_proceedings/3
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Excuse Me. Is that a Video Studio in Your Library?
Lori S. Mestre, MALS, Ed.D
Professor and Head. Undergraduate Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Eric Kurt, M.S.
Media Commons Coordinator, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Abstract
Although many faculty now require student projects to be presented in a multimodal format, it is
rarely feasible for each department or school to acquire all of the technology needed to support
those efforts or to require that each student purchase the equipment. This article provides details
of the Video Production Studio in the Media Commons at the Undergraduate Library, which
serves as a centralized service space that houses a robust loanable technology program and
collaborative studios that facilitates the creation of video and audio projects. It is an environment
that helps to foster discussion and collaboration from students and faculty to help create solutions
through technology. The Media Commons is a service space that offers faculty, students, and
users the ability to create, disseminate, use, and curate digital media. It meets a need for broad
access to media creation tools, video and audio training, and instruction in media literacy.
Introduction
The Media Commons at The Undergraduate Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign opened in March 2013. This was the result of progressive library decision-makers
and colleagues on campus. They collaborated on a groundbreaking initiative that resulted in an
increased array of library services and space use that was not available elsewhere on campus.
Although many faculty require projects presented in a multimodal format that incorporate
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students’ research, it is rarely feasible for each campus department to acquire all of the
technology needed to support those efforts or to require that each student purchase the
equipment. The Media Commons was the solution to the problem on campus of no centralized
place where students, faculty, and staff, regardless of department, could borrow needed
technology and equipment and find needed software and hardware to edit video, audio and
photography projects. It now also houses two professional audio and video production studios.
To create this centralized service, we needed to develop a shift in the service philosophy and
roles of the library and the services provided by librarians, staff and campus partners, including a
reassignment of major floor space, budget dollars, and staffing time. A major contribution to the
success of these efforts was ongoing engagement with a long list of diverse campus units and
interested faculty, to create a new approach in providing services in entirely new ways, while
still maintaining the Library’s critical role in research, instruction, and curricular support.
The Media Commons at the Undergraduate Library provides students and faculty opportunities
to experiment with emerging technologies and to learn best practices in educational technology.
In addition to a robust loanable technology program, the Media Commons is a service space that
offers faculty, students, and users the ability to create, disseminate, use, and curate digital media.
It meets a need for broad access to media creation tools, information technology training in
multimedia hardware and software, and instruction in media literacy. For more on the
development of the Media Commons in general, please see Mestre (2013). For some video clips
and more details about the Media Commons, please see the web page at
http://mediacommons.illinois.edu.
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Evolution to a Media Commons
The Undergraduate Library, built in 1969, is in the middle of campus, connected by tunnel to the
Main Library. The top floor is the collaborative floor and the lower floor is the quiet study floor.
Services such as research, circulation, reserves, loanable technology, instruction services, partner
services, a computer lab, the video studio, the Media Commons, and technology support are on
the upper floor. The collections, quiet study, and an audio studio are located on the lower floor.
In 2005, we began formally exploring the creation of what we called a “learning commons.” The
goal was to create an information support system of the services students need located in one
place (physically and online). The Undergraduate Library had characteristics of a learning
commons for over twenty years. In addition to providing reference, reserve and circulation
services, it incorporated a space for the writers workshop, a campus-run student computing lab, a
Career Resources Center, advising support, a seminar room, study rooms, and an Espresso
Royale Cafe. We extended our research support to be more responsive to student needs, and
because of assessment efforts, we also restructured our services and spaces to reflect the needs of
students.
Since 2005, the Undergraduate Library had been increasingly providing loanable technology that
students could check out to help them with their audio and video projects, especially for students
who were not already part of a department that provided that equipment. Originally, we started
with very low-end equipment and basic 2-hour loan items.
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Over the years, the program grew to incorporate basic equipment, adapters, and cables that
students check out, as well as high-end media equipment. The growth of loanable technology
occurred due to the increased coursework requiring multimedia projects, direct feedback and
requests from library patrons, and the creation of the Media Commons that provided a need for a
more media focused direction. We started with about 40 items that we loan out and now have
over 300 types of items (with multiple copies) that we circulate. Some items are for 2 hours in-
library use only. However, cameras, presentation equipment, tablets, and data storage items
circulate for one week. Chart 1 gives an idea of the amount of circulation of these items by
semester since the implementation of the Media Commons and the growth.
Chart 1: Loanable Technology Circulation Growth
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Loanable Technology Demand and Expenditures
Before the implementation of the Media Commons, we had been spending about $3,000 a year
on equipment. We needed to increase our expenditures in order to include high-end equipment
and equipment requested by students and faculty for classes. We believe we are now at a stable
cost of approximately $10,000 a year for equipment. Sander, Mestre & Kurt (2015) published a
book that provides detailed information for establishing a loanable technology program,
including the setup, policies and procedures.
The need for video equipment has increased since the implementation of the Media Commons
and the class presentations that our Media Commons staff have provided. Please see our
loanable technology webpage at http://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/mc/loanable.html for the
categories, options and policies. To see a visual of the breakdown of equipment checked out by
category, please see chart 2.
Chart 2: Loanable Technology Circulation by Category
Adapters/Cables
5%
Calculators
11%
Camera Equipment
21%
Cameras
29%
Data
Storage/Retrieval
14%
Gaming
2%
Other
0%
Playback
3%
Presentation
Equipment
8%
Tablets/Accessories
7%
2014-2015
1-WEEK LOANABLE TECHNOLOGY CIRCULATION
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In the 2014-2015 school year, loanable technology circulated over 38,000 times to over 500
individual classes. Almost 60% of the departments on campus used our loanable technology.
Although students now have greater access to higher end equipment available through our
loanable technology service for their own video projects, there was still an unmet need on
campus for a centralized, free video studio. After five years with the Learning Commons, we
realized that one of the areas that we still needed to improve was our services for technology
assistance to faculty and students. We had a robust technology loan service to help students in
their class projects, but no support. We submitted a successful proposal to get funds from the
Library/IT student fee to create a Media Commons.
Adding in the Support
Prior even to the inception of the Media Commons we knew that we needed to provide expert
support, along with the technology we were making available, in both the Media Commons and
in our loanable technology program. We identified various partners on campus who could offer
consultation services and workshops in the Media Commons.
The initial idea was that the staff, who were hired for the Media Commons specifically because
of their video production skills, as well as the designated campus media partners, would provide
consultation via a centralized help desk as a walk up service. What we discovered was that
patrons preferred to set up appointments for assistance as they planned and worked on their
projects. We also found that it was critical to work directly with the instructors, outside of the
Media Commons, to enhance our ability to provide support for larger projects and course media
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requirements. Increasingly, the faculty at the University of Illinois want to add media
components in the form of both educational tools and student-based projects to their curriculum.
However, they have little experience in the creation of these items and the proper grading
techniques for a media project. We can either consult with the instructors to offer advice on
effective ways to grade and create media, or we can work with the instructor to become involved
with the course itself. The idea was that by working with the instructors directly to help frame
media assignments and to offer to come into the classes and offer demonstrations and
presentations on the basics of media creation, we could reach a much larger number of students
than if we tried to work with students individually.
Video Production Studios
One of the goals of the Media Commons was to provide a centralized service for media
production that would be available to students, faculty and staff. The creation of a video
production studio with support staff to assist with video shoots was the single most critical aspect
of realizing this goal.
We felt the creation of a video production studio was important for two main reasons. The first is
that a video production studio allows us to provide a higher level of support beyond the media
based loanable technology that we offer our patrons. The needs of our faculty, staff and students
sometimes exceed even the highest level of camera and audio equipment we offer in loanable
technology. Being able to bring them into a controlled video environment is essential. This space
allows us to control the lighting and provide high quality and high data rate video recording. The
video production studio also allows us to give patrons access to a higher level of media
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technology that we would not feel comfortable offering access to in loanable technology. It also
gives patrons access to a green screen background for more versatile options in video shooting
environments. The second is to allow our patrons to gain experience and to learn the use and
process of a video production studio. We felt it was important, as part of our “Do It Yourself”
model of offering media creation assistance to patrons, to offer access and education in running a
video production studio in a controlled environment. The video production studio is staffed
during a patron appointment. However, we attempt to involve the patrons, as much as they are
comfortable or have interest, in the running of the scheduled video shoots. For students who are
interested in media creation, this gives them access to an essential learning tool and project space
that they may not get anywhere else.
History of the Video Production Studio
Even though the Media Commons received a startup budget, we made strategic decisions in
expending the money and worked in revised stages as the needs of the patrons became clear. We
followed this philosophy in the creation of the video production studio, which started with just
one DSLR (digital single lens reflex camera), a couple of lights, and a portable backdrop.
There are a couple of major benefits to starting simple and revising or expanding, versus starting
with the plan of building a fully formed and final video production studio. The first benefit is
time. Creating a major space like a video production studio can take a large amount of time in
planning, purchasing, and construction. We wanted to be able to provide a space almost
immediately, even if it only afforded a basic setup. The second benefit of starting simple is using
minimal budget compared to the cost of an expensive full video studio. The third, and possibly
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most important benefit, is the limited risk and enhanced efficiency of building and revising based
on user need and expectation. By starting small, we were able to identify what our patrons’
practical needs were and could then expand and grow based on that practical need. To date, our
video production studio has gone through four main phases; each was a minor upgrade but it has
resulted in a fully formed professional, and extremely effective, video production studio.
The following is a basic description of each of the phases of the Video Production Studio:
1. The first phase, as stated above, was just enough to get us started. We started with a
Nikon d600 DSLR, a Helios travel three-point light kit, a portable framed backdrop, and
a wireless lavalier. This was enough to begin production and to start providing support
for DIY video creation needs. Even this basic setup provided the availability of a
professional studio environment, whereas previously students shot video without any
lighting control, with any type of background, and with medium to low grade equipment.
Image 1: Phase 1 of the Video Production Studio
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There was also a commitment to provide Media Commons support to those using the
studio. This initial setup also had the benefit of being portable and allowing us to use it in
other spaces in the case that patrons needed us to come to them. Image 1 displays the first
phase of the video studio.
2. The second phase was to expand our setup. This phase added a second camera (Nikon
7200), 5 professional Lowell lights and stands, additional audio equipment, and various
power and cable upgrades. This setup allowed us to support more than one person on
screen at a time and still have good quality audio. It also allowed for camera changes
during the shoot. This phase, as illustrated in image 2, had the added benefit of making
the studio look more fully formed and professional.
Image 2: Phase 2 of the Video Production Studio
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3. The third phase focused on expansion. At this point, we had most of what we needed to
run the studio, but we wanted to improve what we could support. By this point and at all
of these phase points, we saw a substantial increase in usage and popularity, so our phase
revisions also focused on being able to support the added demand. We purchased studio
specific cameras that would stay in the studio at all times. This, then, freed up our
DSLR’s to use as travel cameras and for other uses (marketing, on location shoots,
website needs, video tutorials, etc). We also upgraded our portable backdrop by painting
an entire wall in Green Screen paint and the others black. Once again, we reduced some
cost by using a standard bright green color from Sherwin Williams (Jolly Green) instead
of paying a large amount for a specific Green Screen paint. Whenever possible we looked
at practical solutions that would provide the same or similar results at a reduced cost.
Image 3: Phase 3 of the Video Production Studio
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4. The fourth phase focused on automation and allowed us to hire student workers and other
work support to run the production studio, which freed up the Media Commons’ full-time
staff to focus on other endeavors. At this point the video studio was being used once a
day and at that rate we had full–time staff who had to focus almost entirely on the
running of the studio day to day. We purchased a lighting grid that took all of the lights
off the floor (for safety), installed automatic light dimming, direct recording and
encoding to the computer, and made other minor updates that simplified the process
based on our experience providing video support. Image 4 provides a glimpse of the final
studio.
Image 4: Final Phase of the Video Production Studio
Each of these phase revisions incorporated suggestions from patrons who used the studio and
from the staff who assisted them.
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Video Production Costs
Below is a basic list, along with the estimated cost of each phase of the video production studio
2012-2015.
Phase 1: Where do we start?
Initial Nikon d600 dSLR Camera and Lenses = $6000
3pt Lighting Kit = $300
Portable Green Screen and Frame = $1000
Wireless Lavalier = $650
Miscellaneous cables and equipment
Phase 2: What did we miss?
Nikon D7100 (Secondary Camera plus more lenses) = $3000
2
nd
Sennheiser Wireless Lavalier = $650
Audio Control Mixer = $300
Video Monitor = $200 (black magic mini monitor)
Miscellaneous cables and equipment = $200
Professional Lights
4 * Lowell 450 = $2000 each
1* Lowell 250 = $1500
Light Stands = $300 (6* $50)
Miscellaneous cables and equipment = $200
Phase 3: How do we make it easier?
2* Black Magic Cameras = $2000 each
Painted Green Screen Background (Sherwin Williams Jolly Green) = $100
Painted Black side walls (matte black) = $100
Black Magic Ultra Studio Express = $500
Miscellaneous cables and equipment = $200
Phase 4: What did we add based on need and efficiency?
Lighting Grid = $8500
Dimming Light System = $500
Mac Pro = $6000
Miscellaneous cables and equipment = $200
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Use Cases of the Video Studio
Initially the video production studio was used extensively by media professionals needing a
space to shoot, and by University of Illinois departmental staff and faculty who wanted to create
educational content or promotional marketing videos. Gradually, through class presentations and
marketing, students became aware of the ability for them to reserve the studio.
Currently we provide support to a wide variety of classes and programs throughout the campus.
Programs and courses within the College of Media, including journalism and media and cinema
studies, are an obvious and heavy user of the loanable technology as well as the production
studios. An interesting and altruistic usage of the studios has been through non-profit and student
groups, with little to no budget, looking to help market their message and spread knowledge of
the support that they offer. Programs like that are services that we try to support whenever
possible, and this has even led to the idea of creating some form of free or low cost editing
support. This assistance would be offered with the help of student workers or video editing
student groups across campus.
We now average at least one video shoot per day, with most days having a second and
sometimes even third shoot scheduled. An example of a given week of shoots includes: two
shoots from Media and Cinema Studies, a shoot for an Informatics course, a shoot for
Instructional Learning, a student organization, and two student projects for personal needs (a
commercial advertisement for an invention and a web series helping students with a variety of
issues).
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Audio Production Studio
Early on in the use and design of the video production studio, we found that there was also a
demand for audio-specific recording. Although patrons could also do this in the video production
studio, there were two real concerns. The first was that we wanted to avoid utilizing a large, high
demand video studio for audio-only recordings. The second was that the video studio, while a
quiet space, did not provide the audio isolation that we were looking for in an audio recording
sound booth. Our initial idea was to convert a couple of smaller study rooms into audio booths
by providing sound insulation and other infrastructure changes, along with the needed audio
equipment. By a strange coincidence, the Media Commons Coordinator was speaking with
someone on campus about our plan to convert study spaces and learned about a pre-existing
audio studio on campus that was being removed due to space needs. After immediately
contacting the Beckman Institute, we were just in time to take advantage of this before they
disassembled it. After a quick planning meeting, the Media Commons was able to secure the
audio booth in exchange for the cost of removing the studio and transporting it to the
Undergraduate Library. As a result, the Media Commons was able to open a sound proofed audio
recording studio, with the help of donor funds for the equipment. Image 5 shows the audio studio
being dropped into the Undergraduate Library Courtyard and Image 6 provides an illustration of
the audio studio’s two rooms.
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Image 5: Lowering the Audio Booth into the UGL
Image 6: The Audio Booth in Action
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The audio booth contains two rooms; a smaller control room to isolate the sounds of computers
and other audio recording equipment, and a large sound isolated audio recording space. The
audio recording studio setup is easy to understand and run, with generally a five-minute
orientation. It then functions as a self-use studio. This has been important for the Media
Commons staff, as we can provide a much larger use model for audio recording because return
users do not require the presence and support of the Media Commons staff in most cases. The
audio recording booth has been even more popular than the video production studio with
students who need to record interviews, podcasts, and other audio recording projects for class.
Students have also used the space for interesting personal projects, such as for music recording
and voice narration of animated web series.
Alternatives to an Audio Studio
As was stated earlier, the Media Commons was fortunate to be able to acquire this professional
audio recording studio. However, audio recording is possible in a much smaller and less
permanent space. Two things are necessary for audio recording and space is generally not one of
them, especially if the use is for one or two people at a time. Any private study space or walled
in area should suffice. The first essential component is to have sound dampening. Sound
dampening can be added in a variety of ways, based on size and budget. Simple examples are
acoustic panels or added insulation, even something that covers the opening at the base of a door
can provide a small level of sound dampening. You also want to be aware of any heating and
cooling vents that are in the room and their noise level when turned on. The second component is
a decent vocal recording microphone. There are many of these, but a reliable recommendation is
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a Shure sm7b. It is a pretty timeless and quality mic that, when combined with a sound
dampened space, will create a very high quality audio recording.
Self-Use Media Studios
The popularity of the video production studio and the heavy personnel resources needed to assist
our users required that we look at expanding the video creation services within the Media
Commons. We knew that many of the patron projects using the studio required a much less
robust setup, as they often needed simply to have one person recorded in front of a blank
background. This understanding, combined with the simplistic setup we had for the audio studio,
lead us to focus on creating a more automated video recording space that could be used without
an orientation or Media Commons staff person present. This would allow us to accept a much
higher volume of video recording reservations and save the video production studio for larger
studio requirements or those specifically needing a green screen. This plan would also have the
added benefit of freeing up Media Commons personnel to focus on other long-term Media
Commons projects.
We determined that the best plan for us would be to renovate two pre-existing study rooms
instead of purchasing a freestanding audio-video booth. The 4-foot by 8-foot study rooms,
located in the lower level of the UGL, are cinderblock rooms with a large window. The
cinderblock reduces the amount of sound dampening needed. We only needed to add a few
acoustic panels to limit echo. The windows needed some acoustic dampening, as did the cracks
under the door frame. These efforts reduce the possibility of external sounds and the possibility
of sound from within disturbing students who are studying on the floor. We looked at a variety of
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“all in one” recording boxes that would allow us to record video from a camera, encode it, and
then either save to a patron supplied drive or a network share. After our assessments, we chose
the Extron SMP351, as it provided us with the options we were looking, for as well as a
simplistic and easy to use front interface. We combined this with the Panasonic AW-HE2P
camera, as we wanted a high definition camera that would record a good signal without many
external buttons and options that might confuse patrons. Ease of use in our equipment was a
main priority during the selection process. The goal is to have even a patron who has never used
the studio be able to walk in and intuitively understand the setup without a large amount of
signage or labeling.
Strategies for Developing Resources
In addition to taking advantage of competitive proposals at campus for funds, we also worked
with other departments to acquire student interns or student workers to help with the demand for
video and audio use. Another excellent opportunity is working with campus departments who
will provide media support, training, and even equipment that students can check out. When
students do not need the equipment for classes, that equipment can be checked out by others.
We also post in our “Library is Looking For” Advancement newsletters to donors for specific
equipment. That is how we funded a good portion of the equipment in the video studio, audio
studio and for the DIY studios.
Conclusion
The Media Commons is a centralized area where faculty and students from all disciplines can
explore possibilities with technology. It provides users an opportunity to turn ideas into
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multimedia projects through consultation services, free loanable technology, high-end video and
audio studios and media editing equipment. Faculty and instructional technologists recognize the
value of this centralized service point, especially for the benefits it offers to a broad range of
users. Rather than maintain small pockets of technology, they are exploring ways to contribute to
the Media Commons, whether it is with technology, consultation hours, workshops, student peer
mentoring hours or videos of examples of projects created because of services in the Media
Commons.
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References
Mestre, Lori S. “Media Commons : The Process and Value of Centralizing Services.” Library Hi
Tech 31, no. 4 (2013): 669-687.
Sander, Janelle, Mestre, Lori S., and Kurt, Eric. Going Beyond Loaning Books to Loaning
Technologies: A Practical Guide for Librarians. Lanham, MN: Rowman & Littlefield
Publishers, Inc., 2015.
Biographies
Dr. Lori Mestre
Dr. Lori Mestre is the Head of the Undergraduate Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign. From 2005 to 2009 she was the Digital Learning Librarian at UIUC. Prior to 2005,
Lori was at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for nearly 15 years where she was the Head
of Research and Instructional Services and previously the Education Librarian. In addition to her
M.A.L.S. degree, she has a doctorate specializing in multicultural education
Eric Kurt
Eric Kurt is the Media Commons Coordinator at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
He has a B.S. and M.S. in Computer Graphics Technology from Purdue University. He has
presented and written on the topics of the Media Commons, media and video editing, loanable
technology selection and use, and the value of collaborating with faculty to enhance technology
support at Libraries.
