Meet the Library: Media Services and the TechLab

Do you need to do a multimedia project for a class or want to print something in a way most campus printers can’t do? The Media Services desk and TechLab can help!

The Media Services department has many functions such as checking out materials and doing special printing jobs. Lamination, large format printing, and color printing all take place behind the Media Services desk. Various office supplies, including colored paper and transparencies, are available for purchase at the Media Services desk.

Jan Zessin, Media Services Supervisor, has been working for Van Wylen for 20 years. In addition to overseeing the fifteen students who work at the Media Services desk, she is also in charge of both the curriculum library and the division of Copy Works that runs out of the Media Services desk. The variety that comes from this range of tasks is one of Zessin’s favorite parts about her job.

“I like the big scope I have between printing and working in the actual library,” Zessin said.

Right next to Media Services is the TechLab. According to its mission statement, “The TechLab is a specialized computer lab that is staffed by trained students to support academic technology projects and assist with digital content creation.” Because of this, many resources are available in the TechLab that are not available on other campus computers. The four PCs and four iMacs in the TechLab have many unique tools that can help you create a project. The TechLab website features tutorials for software you may be unfamiliar with.

Daphne Fairbanks has been the TechLab Coordinator for six years. In that short time, she has seen a huge shift in how students use technology. “When I began working here, students would come in with floppy disks,” Fairbanks said. “Then it changed to CDs, then 512 MB flash drives, and now students will come in with 2 GB hard drives.”

As TechLab Coordinator, Fairbanks is able to watch students learn about new technologies. “One of the most interesting parts about my job is seeing the quality of videos students are producing,” Fairbanks said. “It’s fun watching people go from never having done it to creating something good for an academic purpose.”

As due dates for end-of-the-year projects come closer, don’t hesitate to use Media Services or the TechLab for any multimedia task you may need assistance with!

— Bethany Stripp, Library Student Blogger