UM Mansfield Library Adds Automated Video Recording Facility
MISSOULA – The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library at the University of Montana has launched a new One Button Studio, an automated video-recording facility that can be used by UM students and employees and requires no previous video production experience.
The facility is modeled after the One Button Studio at the Penn State Libraries that integrates third-party hardware to create an automated and streamlined video recording studio. UM’s One Button Studio is the first one in a region that includes the Rocky Mountain West and the Dakotas.
Glenn Kneebone, One Button Studio manager, poses for a photo in the new University of Montana facility. (Photo: UM)
“This gives us a production studio for making digital films, training videos and more,” UM Provost Perry Brown said. “To produce a video with it, you don’t need major technical knowledge. There is a projector on the side so you can show things on a green screen and talk about what is being projected. It’s a great setup.”
The video recording setup can be used by students, faculty and staff without any previous video production experience. Glenn Kneebone, the project manager for UM’s One Button Studio, said the design of the studio enables users to create high-quality video projects without having to know anything about cameras, lights or audio recording.
“The process of creating and saving a video is automated, with the user interaction confined to three simple steps – inserting a flash drive, pressing a button to start or stop recording, and removing the flash drive to end the session,” he said. “Once the recording is done, they can upload the video to YouTube or use one of the library’s four multimedia workstations to do further editing, such as adding music and images to the recorded video.”
Kneebone began designing and assembling the studio during the summer in consultation with colleagues nationwide. He said the studio is designed for such things as presentation practice for a class, creating demonstrations and e-portfolio content.
“A new high-tech, green-blue screen appears like magic with a simple flip of a switch to create high-tech presentation videos,” Kneebone said.
“The One Button Studio in the library is an innovative way to help UM students, faculty and staff create, communicate and captivate using the power of video,” said Shali Zhang, UM library dean. “We are committed to providing the finest facility and tools for UM students and faculty to enhance their learning and teaching experience. The One Button Studio is a perfect example of how we enable them to produce quality videos for their teaching and learning needs.”
Zhang said the facility also puts UM on the world map where other institutions implemented a similar project: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zhlKpzX8jfe8.kDKhKRvgPMDw.
The workstation that holds all of the recording equipment is height adjustable, making it accessible to all. This feature puts the controls within reach and allows people of all heights to be in the shot, as well as allowing for seated or standing presentations.
“I’m proud that we are the first studio that I know of to focus on accessibility and access for everybody when using the facility,” Kneebone said. “We are the first with all the controls, the projector and the camera being height adjustable with the press of a button. I think we are going to get a lot of positive feedback from the One Button Studio Community on this innovation, and I’d like to think we will serve as the new model for future studios.”
The One Button Studio will be available to the entire campus community through the library’s online reservation system at http://www.lib.umt.edu/OBS.
###
More From KSEN AM 1150
