The Workshop on the lower level of James Branch Cabell Library continues to expand access to its resources during the pandemic.

Remote Access to Workstations

A set of powerful workstations is now available for patrons to access from anywhere—home, office or on the go. Patrons may submit a request to get access for a week at a time for any of five workstations:

• Graphics
• Video editing
• Audio editing
• 3D modeling
• GIS/Data visualization

Instructions for how to access the workstations will be sent to patrons once their request is received and processed.

Open Sunday Hours

The Workshop has been offering in-person hours Mondays through Fridays for equipment lending and also for in-person use of equipment by reservation. As of Oct. 11, hours expanded to include Sundays, noon to 10 p.m. Expanded hours run through the end of the semester. See the full list of hours and make a reservation for in-person computer workstations.

New Mobile Studio Kits

Some of the most requested pieces of studio equipment from the audio and video studios have been repurposed into four new mobile studio kits:

• Podcast
• Music
• Video
• Photo

Kits can be checked out starting on Wednesday at noon and are due the following Wednesday at noon for a total of seven days. The Podcast/Photo kits and Music/Video kits are available on alternating weeks to give the appropriate time to quarantine. This means there is always at least one audio and video kit available each week. Details about each kit are available on the request form. Staff will be in touch with more information for patrons after receiving their request.

New M50 Cameras

The Workshop has added to their collection seven new Canon EOS M50 mirrorless digital cameras with 15-45mm lenses in a kit with a Rode VideoMic GO on-camera microphone. Together, these items form the essentials needed to capture high-quality stills and record well-rounded UHD 4K movies with enhanced audio. Canon DSLRs are among the Workshop’s most popular items, and these new Canon M50s may prove to be an attractive alternative.