University of Iowa Language Media Center Newsletters

Language Media Center

Materials and Service Requests, Summer 2008 and Fall 2008

Date: April 15, 2008
To: All Instructors in Language Departments
Re: Materials and Services Requests for Summer 2008 and Fall 2008

It’s time to start planning for the summer session and fall semester. Please read through the following information to help you decide whether or not you will need to request any of the materials and services offered by the Language Media Center. If you decide that you will, contact one of the staff members listed below as soon as possible to ensure that whatever you need is ready by the opening of classes on June 10, 2008 (summer session), and August 25, 2008 (fall semester).

• Becky Bohde (rebecca-bohde@uiowa.edu; 335-2334);
video materials and reservations, computer software and reservations (including Dasher).

• Carolyn Goddard (carolyn-goddard@uiowa.edu; 335-2333);
room reservations, audio classroom training, audio.

You will find additional information at: http://www.uiowa.edu/~lmc/pages/resfaculty.html. This information is also available in print form in the Language Media Center; ask for the Language Media Center Guide.

Reserving Materials for Use in the Language Media Center

Please search the catalog from the LMC Web site (http://www.uiowa.edu/~lmc/pages/search.html) to locate the titles and/or catalog numbers of the video materials you wish to place on reserve for your students for the semester. Send your list to Becky Bohde by email.

If you would like video to be available in a classroom for the whole semester, contact Becky Bohde with details of what materials and which classrooms.

Reserving Facilities and Equipment

The Language Media Center has small group rooms and equipment (e.g., video and still cameras, CD players, and cassette players, among other items), which may be reserved for instructional purposes. Contact Carolyn Goddard.

We can arrange in-class videotaping for observation purposes or to record class presentations. Contact Becky Bohde to set up a schedule for video recording. Departments carry 20% of the cost of recording (staff time and blank media).

If your classroom is not equipped with a VCR and you wish to use one, call Equipment Services (335-2571). The LMC does not have VCR’s to check out. Additional information, including available technology and sometimes illustrated instructions, is available on the Registrar Website for Classroom Scheduling at: http://classrooms.uiowa.edu/. For emergency situations in Phillips Hall when the technology machines in a room do not work, we have a cart stored in 120 PH for showing video in various forms. You can use your UI ID card to check out the cart in the Language Media Center.

Computers in the LMC Instructional Technology Center may be reserved for occasional class activities. If you are using Dasher in connection with your language classes, please make reservations for Dasher demonstrations with Becky Bohde. The first two weeks of the semester are usually quite busy so make your reservations early. If you need to have other software demonstrated to your classes, please make arrangements with Becky Bohde.

Requesting New Materials

Each year we designate a portion of our budget for the acquisition of new instructional materials, including audio, video and computer-related material. All requests for new materials must be in writing and must include the following information:

• A description of how the materials will be used.

• Complete ordering information including addresses and prices.

• A written endorsement by the department chair with the commitment to contribute 20% of the total cost of the materials, including shipping, from department funds. (This can be a separate email message from the chair person.)

If you wish to acquire specific software for your classes to use in the Language Media Center, please consult first with Becky Bohde about funding and system requirements. If the materials are to be acquired by the LMC, please supply a letter of request as described above. If installation on the network is desired, computer fee funding may be available; application may be done through the ITS web site at: http://itc.uiowa.edu/Nomination.aspx.
Note: At least one month must be allowed for network installation and testing.

Complying with Copyright Law

The Language Media Center will not duplicate copyrighted materials without written permission from the publisher. Permission is often not difficult to obtain, especially to make single back-up copies. However, it sometimes requires purchasing a site or duplicating license. If you would like assistance in doing this, please contact us. Materials not copyrighted, or materials that you own the rights to, may be copied. A limited number of copies of broadcast recordings may be made to meet the needs of teachers, as long as the rules for recording off-air are followed. Please note that making digital materials available on ICON sites may require a separate permission from the publisher, even if a previous permission was obtained for duplication purposes.

Using the Audio Classroom

The audio classroom in 17 Phillips Hall is equipped with digital audio technology. The system contains a teacher computer with CD and DVD drives, a data projector, a multistandard VCR, ceiling-mounted monitors, and a cassette recorder. This facility may be reserved for classes or for data collection for research. Training on the lab software is necessary; it must be set up well in advance and completed before the first lab class. Contact Carolyn Goddard if you are interested.

Audio Facilities in 120 Phillips Hall

The audio study area of 120 Phillips Hall is equipped with a digital system identical to the system in the audio classroom. Students can work with lessons which have been digitized to the storage unit. They can also record an mp3 file of their own speech to upload to an ICON class site or email to their instructor. If you wish to send students in to work with digitized and stored material, contact Carolyn Goddard for details.

If you have questions or need information which was not available here, please contact us.

Language Media Center Staff
120 Phillips Hall