Posted On: November 10, 2015
Since its grand opening in early October, nearly 3,000 UC San Diego students and other Library patrons have stepped through the doors of the newly opened Digital Media Lab (DML), a one-stop shop for media production located on the main floor of Geisel Library. The technology-equipped Lab, which was opened in response to student and faculty requests for more digital media services in the Library, provides the space and technology tools that students, faculty, and other users need to create and edit projects in the digital age.
Along with free 3-D printing, the DML offers video editing software, image manipulation programs, and sound editing tools, as well as media-rich website creation programs and basic productivity software. Library staff with media expertise are on-hand to provide users with needed support and guidance, in addition to extensive online tutorials.
While there are several other digital media facilities available to students on the UC San Diego campus, the Library’s DML is the first facility of its kind to offer free and accessible 3-D printing. According to Digital Media Lab manager, Scott McAvoy, a number of classes on campus already require students to design a 3-D model and print it out as part of their coursework. This lab is provides these services free of charge and gives direct access.
The Lab exemplifies how the Library is evolving to meet the changing needs of students in the digital age. Further plans to upgrade and renovate the interior public spaces of the Geisel Library building are currently in the works, thanks to a recent $3 million gift from San Diego philanthropist, literacy advocate, and longtime supporter of the Library and the University, Audrey Geisel. The gift kicks off a major initiative to transform and revitalize the most active learning areas in the Library to more effectively support the current approaches to study, research, and learning of today’s students and scholars.
The Lab is open to all UC San Diego students, faculty, and staff. In today’s media-rich environment, students need multimedia support and software to complete non-media courses or for other academic projects. To learn more about the Library’s Digital Media Lab, visit library.ucsd.edu/dml. For further information about the Geisel Library Revitalization Initiative, visit library.ucsd.edu/give or contact Julie Sully, Director of Development for the UC San Diego Library, at jsully@ucsd.edu or 858-822-4554.