Aptly designated as the Create! Media Lab, the digital studio is available for Auburn Public Library and Lewiston Public Library cardholders. Equipped with three Apple Mac computers that feature iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand and Audacity software, the lab also features a digital scanner, video camera, still camera, electronic keyboard, two microphones, studio lights, headphones, and multiple guitar input jacks for connecting electric guitars or acoustic pickups.Users will be able to create music, produce podcasts, design ads, manipulate digital images, scan photos and documents, generate movies, and edit existing work. Users will also be able to take old analog (VHS) home movies and digitize them.
Located on the second floor of the Auburn Public Library, the digital media lab is designed to hold up to six individuals and will be available to those of high school age or older.
“As digital media and technology continue open up new opportunities, having the ability to access these resources will be of great assistance to our creative community,” said Jim Wilkins, director of development
for the library. “I think we will look back on this lab as an invaluable small business and community asset because of the tools provided here.”
Funded in part by a $10,000 grant from the Procter and Gamble Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, an $8,000 grant from Best Buy Children’s Foundation to support a 10-part series of educational and equipment workshops for teenagers, and funds from the estate of Ernest and Norrine Wilkins who donated a portion of their estate to the Auburn Public Library, representatives from the library highlighted, what they expect, to be a number of benefits for the area.
“I think for both the teenage crowd and residents of Auburn, Lewiston and Minot, this new lab opens a window to explore a potential career in digital media,” said Wilkins. “It provides people with the ability to learn and create media in all its forms without having to purchase the high-end, expensive equipment required in today’s digital world.”
Student Kyle Coffill of Edward Little High School has been utilizing the lab since it opened last October. “The lab gives us a chance to make our own music and be creative,” said Coffill. “But being able to create and edit YouTube videos and movies is awesome. I love the media lab.”
Although classes and workshops designed to educate the public on how to effectively use the media lab have already started, future workshops will continue to be provided.
“We have reached out to area professionals who might be interested in leading workshops in photography, film, music making, and graphic design,” said lab coordinator Donna Wallace. “These are skills our teens will be able to use now, and we hope, may even start them thinking about their future. To date, we have had workshops on iPhoto and Audacity, and are looking forward to future workshops on iMovie, Keynote, and photography to name a few. We are excited to see the digital creations that will come from this lab.”
The lab is recommended for those who have a basic knowledge of the software or are willing to learn on their own, however librarians will be available to answer questions and assist with basic set-up.
“The Create! Media Lab is a groundbreaking public library service for the people of this community,” said Jonathan LaBonte, Mayor for the City of Auburn. “This lab demonstrates that the Auburn Public Library is at the leading edge in the evolution of community-based education spaces in Maine and gives users an opportunity not to just use content created by others, but to actually create their own material for personal or professional ambitions. Embracing new media for educational, business and artistic purposes, this will be a valuable resource in the heart of downtown Auburn and we thank our corporate community for their leadership gifts that brought this to reality.”
It is recommended customers bring their own digital media storage device.
The digital media lab is open Monday and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. through 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday from 9:00 a.m. through 5:30 p.m., and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and can be reserved in 2 hour block sessions. For more information on the digital media lab or Auburn Public Library, please visit www.auburnpubliclibrary.org, call (207) 333-6640, or visit their location 49 Spring Street in Auburn.
About the Auburn Public Library:
Founded in 1890, the Auburn Public Library (APL) is an independent 501(c)(3) organization that serves the citizens of Auburn and Minot while also allowing citizens of Lewiston to access community resources through a joint library card agreement. Encompassing nearly 30,000 square-feet and a collection with approximately 75,000 items, the modern library contains 40 public computers, a 13-station computer lab, conference rooms and café. Supported by the City of Auburn, grants from corporations and foundations, an active endowment program and the generosity of many individuals in Auburn, Minot and Lewiston, the Auburn Public Library serves an average of 740 people a day. For more information about the Auburn Public Library, please visit www.auburnpubliclibrary.org, call (207) 333-6640, or visit their location 49 Spring Street in Auburn.
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