If you’ve looked at the floorplans for the upcoming Forsyth Library Renovation, you’ll notice several spaces on the lower level are dedicated to a new partner, the Institute for New Media Studies, led by Dr. Gordon Carlson.
Operating as a “blue skies sandbox” where people across the university can come with their ideas and develop them from experiment to implementation, the Institute for New Media Studies works with students, faculty, and the community on projects across a range of technologies. “If you have an idea, even if you do not know how to do it or what it would take, bring it to the us and we will help you make it a reality,” said Dr. Carlson. In line with the library’s core value of access, no student has ever paid for materials, access, or services at the Institute for New Media Studies because they believe cost should never be a barrier to success.
The newly renovated Forsyth Library will bring more opportunities for the FHSU Community to come together with common interests and be a hub for learning and creating. When asked about being a new building partner, Dr. Carlson said “the Institute for New Media Studies moving into the library will be a significant leap forward in our ability to work with stakeholders, share our accomplishments with the public, and develop new partnerships. Being neighbors with the MakerSpace in the Technology Zone, in a building full of librarians who regularly embrace technological innovation, opens a whole host of new opportunities for the institute and the university.”
In the renovated library, the institute will have two offices, a research lab, a storage area, and a large classroom space that will be shared with the MakerSpace. Dr. Carlson explained that “the significant increase in overall space, our new ability to divide and organize that space into dedicated areas on demand, and our integrated technology systems will allow us to conduct research projects we have never been able to in the past. Large scale, and long term, virtual or augmented reality projects can be conducted without the need to constantly assemble and disassemble equipment to allow for competing needs. We will be able to host classes, public visits, and open house events. This space is also being designed with future development in mind so the institute can keep up with the rapid pace of new media and technological advancement we are sure to see in the coming years.”
Several features of the institute’s new spaces have been designed for specific purposes. Electronic access to the rooms will empower students to work on their own schedules and special flooring incorporates permanent markings for virtual and augmented reality projects, minimizing setup time. Additionally, Dr. Carlson has worked with the Office of Technology Services and Facilities Planning to design a number of useful visualization and interaction tools into the room, which include:
- advanced projectors capable of displaying very large images on an entire wall;
- ceiling mounted data and power cables that allow us to place equipment anywhere in the room safely and efficiently;
- dedicated network and server infrastructure to provide speed and reliability to our advanced workstations;
- integrated software for controlling many ultra-high definition displays with lighting and sound;
- marketing and educational displays in the windows of the lab; and
- a spatial sound system coordinated with the library’s own capabilities.
In addition to the features described above, Dr. Carlson also commented that “the shared classroom space is an important step for the institute to be able to offer unique courses to students and generate student credit hours for the university. It is the perfect balance of making dedicated teaching space available to the institute, while also serving the needs of the library and its other partners; it is another great example of how the library renovation will impact every program across the university.”
Until the newly renovated space is ready, the Institute for New Media Studies will stay in its current location in Malloy Hall 106. The public lab hours are available for anyone (students, staff, faculty, and community members):
- Monday: 1:30pm – 4:00pm
- Tuesday: 3:00pm – 4:30pm
- Wednesday: 1:30pm – 4:00pm
- Thursday: 3:00pm – 4:30pm
- Friday: 10:30am – 2:00pm
Outside of lab hours, Dr. Carlson encourages anyone interested in visiting the lab, bringing a class in for a field trip, or looking to develop scholarly work to contact the institute to schedule an appointment by emailing mailto:newmedia@fhsu.edu. Hours may expand later in Fall 2023 so watch for more information about the Institute for New Media Studies at www.fhsu.edu/newmedia.
