Sean and I conducted our survey of technology this week. We both work as tutors in the library, so we’re there pretty frequently, making it easy to talk with both the library staff and the Computing and Information Technology (CIT) staff (also located in the library) about the equipment and assistance we will have access to when we start building our COPLAC site.

Sean and I at work in the Geneseo Writing Learning Center located in the library.

We found that we have access to a host of different devices through our school. We will be able to rent out digital voice recorders, video cameras, scanners, and cameras with tripods for multiple days at a time. What’s also extremely helpful is that the CIT staff will be able to teach us how to use the equipment. One thing that this survey made me think about was what the benefits might be of having school technology versus the tools we have on our phones. I’ve seen people use the voice recorder on iPhones pretty frequently, so I’m wondering if there’s a difference in the features of each tool. It’s definitely possible that the school equipment is much better quality, but I think it would be much easier to record stuff on my phone because it’ll make it that much more accessible for our website. Either way, I’m satisfied that there are a bunch of people on campus willing to help us with our website.

The people working at CIT are also able to help beyond showing us how to operate equipment and enhancing our WordPress skills. They turned us onto these great services they offer that specifically pertain to creative media projects. I never knew the school had these services available, and, though I wish they had been more publicized so I could’ve discovered them before my senior year, I’m so glad I found them.

I found a few places to turn for help outside the library as well. A few good friends of mine took a digital humanities class last semester, taught by Dr. Schacht who is our resident digital humanities expert, and I think they will be able to point me in the right direction once we start getting more specific about our website design. Furthermore, they would be able to put us in touch with Dr. Schacht if we need his help. Another unexpected resource I will probably turn to is my friend Emily who took a COPLAC class two years ago. She has already told me about her experience and given me tips for time management, places to go for help on campus, and website designing.

The last resource I found was Allison Brown, the Digital Publishing Services Manager on campus. Allison works with my English class to produce a literary magazine, Gandy Dancer, that requires a lot of online design for not only the printed journal but also our website. I’ve worked with her before and she’s really nice and so knowledgeable. Even though she’s not a traditional digital resource, I think Sean and I will definitely be reaching out to her occasionally–especially since we’ll be spending time with her when she helps out our English class.