O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library Room 310 is a self-service video recording studio for student use.
Dedicated to students, it is available during normal library hours. The space is flexible with a height-adjustable SMART Board, furniture, lighting, sound, etc., to give your video presentation or group discussion the perfect, distraction-free setting.
Use the camera provided in the room or bring your own smartphone or device.
Use of this room by individuals or groups is by reservation for video recording purposes only. Reserving the studio is easy and immediate. Select an available time slot and confirm by logging into the room reservation system. Your reservation will be approved and ready instantly.
Group Study Rooms and Studios are reserved for use by current students, faculty, and staff.
NOTE: The room is locked, so stop by the circulation desk on the 1st floor of O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library to check out the room key. You will need your St. Thomas ID card.
While great care has been taken to wrap the cables and keep the space tidy, it is important to note that this is an active studio. Please be aware of tripping hazards and your own ability to move items. If you need assistance, please contact the library tech help by calling 651-962-5002.
If you have your own cables to run across the floor please use the black, rubber cable covers provided.
Do not roll equipment over cables or store items in an unsafe manner.
One of the advantages of the studio being situated in the library is that it is available to students during normal library hours.
The O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library provides a self-service recording space, not a full production/editing space or service.
Students should be able to reserve, set up, record, and save their work on their own. The space only provides recording capabilities and not editing. Library technical staff is not available to assist in recording or editing.
Before students show up to the studio, they should already be familiar with the software, device, and/or cloud service they use to record and store the recording.
If technical needs arise, for example, something is not working, connected properly, or broken or damaged, students using the room may contact library technical staff at (651) 962-5002. The technical staff is available during all open hours and may be able to walk you through troubleshooting over the phone or by stopping by the room.
This is just an overview of the features in the recording studio. For detailed information on using the devices in the room please refer to the technical sections below.
The furniture, SMART Board, and video cart in the space is movable for the creation of various styles of sets. Please be careful when moving and adjusting items. Please do not disconnect any cables.
The SMART Board is on a roll-away, motorized, height adjustable stand. You can adjust the height to suit your needs whether you are doing a stand-up presentation or using it as a backdrop video screen behind a sit down, interview, conversational production.
If your production does not require the use of the SMART Board you may roll it off to the side out of frame.
Note: The SMART Board is heavy and may require two individuals to move. There are handles on the back, near the center of the board. Please be careful not to trip or roll over the cables and be sure to grip the handles to move, not the screen.
The furniture in the space is movable. You may choose to have a stand-up presentation with no furniture, or set-up a sit-down interview or discussion style presentation.
Please be gentle with the furniture when moving and storing.
When done with the studio please return furniture and equipment to the locations marked on the floor.
The camera in the studio is connected to a PC running Windows 10. You may operate it's pan and zoom features using a remote. Zoom or Panopto to record to the cloud. You may also live-stream using the web based service of your choice. Panopto is a great choice for hosting and submitting assignments.
The recording cabinet has a camera and microphone already mounted and connected to a PC for recording. However, you may choose to use your own phone to record by using the phone mount swing arm on the front. You can also turn the cabinet around to place a laptop on top and use your laptop's built in webcam.
In addition to the room ceiling lights, LED panel lights have been added to enhance the background and foreground lighting. They are intentionally positioned in the corners, please do not move or adjust them. They should illuminate the room along the middle and backdrop. There is a white On/Off switch located on the recording cart. Please be sure these are turned off when leaving the room.
Adobe Premiere is available on four computers (2 Macs, 2 PCs) on the 1st Floor computer lab in O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library and two computers (1 Mac, 1 PC) in Keffer Library. You will need to save your work to a USB drive, One Drive, or other cloud storage solutions before leaving the studio. (You can download original MP3/MP4s from Panopto) More info
The SMART Board is ready to provide a drawing surface, a large, touch enabled computer screen, or display your own laptop or device. Touch the black bar at the bottom of the screen to bring up a menu to switch between inputs and modes.
The SMART Board’s display will go to sleep after a period of inactivity. There is a power button on the right side of the display panel.
To change inputs on the SMART Board, touch the black bar at the bottom of the screen just above the pen and eraser tray. That will bring up the various inputs and apps. You can choose Whiteboard for a drawing surface, or input for a computer.
To use the SMART Board as a Whiteboard touch the black bar at the bottom of the screen and choose Whiteboard from the Mode Panel that comes up.
To use the Windows 10 desktop, touch the black bar at the bottom of the screen and choose Display Port from the Favorites column. If Display Port is not listed, choose input and then Display Port.
There is an HDMI cable with adapters hanging behind the SMART Board on the left side. If you need an additional adapter you may check one out from Circulation on 1st Floor.
After your laptop or device is connected, touch the black bar at the bottom of the screen, choose INPUT, and then HDMI 1.
The PC has shortcuts on the desktop after you log in to some of the most popular recording options. The PC may be operated remotely by using the wireless keyboard/touch pad to start and stop video capture or advance through prepared notes.
The monitor is on a swing arm so you may turn it towards the studio set to view the video feed while you are recording or to display notes.
There are four options for saving or sharing your video feed. VLC and Panopto can be used to save your recording locally, and Panopto has a cloud option. Zoom and Skype can be used to present a live feed in a video conference-type format. See below for options and decide on the method that best suits your needs.
When using the provided camera, make sure the Video Input Source is "Logitech MeetUp" and the Audio Input/Output Source (Mic/Speakers) is "Echo Canceling Speakerphone (Logitech MeetUp)".
All students have access to record and save video directly to Panopto. Panopto allows for minor trimming in the browser as well as the ability to download the video file for advanced editing at a later time from any computer.
To record, make sure the Logitech MeetUp is selected for Audio and Video source and the quality is set as "High".
Tips on using Panopto in the library studios
Students may present a live feed to other remote participants via Zoom. This is similar to the video conferencing capabilities of other group study rooms in the library with the difference of having a screen located behind the speaker in presentation style. With the chairs it can also give a more casual, rather than a board room conference, feel to your video.
To record, make sure the Logitech MeetUp is selected for Audio and Video source and the quality is set as "High".
With only you and the SMART Board in frame, give a presentation while standing.
Ideal for one or more students giving a presentation which includes visuals, presentation deck, or interacting with the SMART Board in white board mode.
Note: If you want to use a traditional white board, there is one on the wall behind the curtain. Just move the curtain out of the way and reposition the camera.
For a one-on-one or group discussion while showing visuals such as a video clip, presentation, or images from a PC or other device. (Not ideal for interacting with the SMART Board).
Come prepared to talk about your topic and have an outline of main talking points. While you don't need to be scripted, you should be familiar with the topic you are going to discuss.
Before you arrive to record, have a conversation about what you will be discussing. Discuss it with a friend, a roommate, or family member. While this isn't a rehearsal, it will get you thinking about the topic and ready to talk about it. Think of it as training.
When you arrive, but before you turn on the mic, begin developing a rapport with your co-hosts. Don't start off cold. If you are by yourself, just pretend you're talking to an audience, or someone on the phone. Talk about anything, your walk over to the library, your last test, a favorite place to eat--even if no one is there.
Open the program you will be recording with, make sure the proper mic is selected, and start talking as you watch audio level indicators either on screen or as LEDs near the mic. "Test, test, test" is a good one. Say your name. Then hit record, do another test, talk for a few seconds, stop, play it back, and make sure it is picking up your audio well.
Now you're ready! Smile, hit record, pause for 3 seconds, and then begin! Have a conversation! When you are done pause for 3 seconds, then press Stop.