NYU's Digital Studio

By Richard Malentiza & Jennifer Vinopal

Digital Video Stations

The Digital Studio is a new collaborative facility of the Libraries and Information Technology Services. It is the gateway for NYU faculty to digital services supporting scholarship and teaching. Studio staff offer training, consultation, and assistance with: NYU Blackboard; text scanning, PDF creation, and Optical Character Recognition (OCR); image scanning (including film, slides, and transparencies) and image editing; digital video and audio creation, conversion, and editing; DVD authoring; standards and best practices for digitization; metadata; digital project planning; video conferencing services; streaming services; and primary text collections available online and at the Digital Studio. As described below, our facility boasts the latest software and hardware for digitizing media.

Audio Work Stations

AUDIO/VISUAL

The Studio's digital video stations allow instructors to capture video clips from various sources—VHS, DVD, mini DV, Laser Disc—and edit them as needed. The results can be encoded to various formats (including Real, QuickTime, and Windows Media), which can be delivered on the Web via streaming media or download, or on DVD. Instructors can capture audio from cassette, digital audio tape (DAT), or phonograph records. They can then use the audio workstations to edit their files, encode them to various formats, including AIFF, WAVE, and MP3, and save them to CD or other media. The Digital Studio is conveniently located adjacent to the Avery Fisher Center for Music and Media in Bobst Library, which contains a sizeable collection of audio and video material. Faculty can borrow this media to digitize portions for teaching.

Scanning Stations

DOCUMENT & IMAGE MANAGEMENT

Automatic document feeders at the Studio provide a quick and simple method to scan text. Instructors can then save the image that is generated as an electronic PDF or, by using OCR software, convert the image into a digital text document for editing. Several flatbed scanners can be reserved for scanning images or transparencies. The Studio also has a large format flatbed scanner for handling materials up to 12" x 17" and slide scanners with automatic slide feeders.

BLACKBOARD SUPPORT

Faculty who need in-person training using NYU Blackboard can fill out the online help form at www.nyu.edu/blackboard/help/ and select "Instructor and Training" from the pull-down menu. Studio staff will then contact instructors to arrange a training session.

CONTACT INFORMATION

The Digital Studio is located in Bobst Library (70 Washington Square South) on the 2nd floor, east wing, and is open from Monday through Friday, 11am to 5pm. To make a reservation to use Digital Studio resources, please fill out our online reservation request form and Digital Studio staff will contact you during regular business hours: www.nyu.edu/its/studio/appointments.php. For more information, please visit www.nyu.edu/studio/ or call 212-992-9233.