The U-Record Studio located in Karrmann Library 103 is now open for all University of Wisconsin-Platteville students, faculty and staff to record whatever they need in a user friendly way.

“The room is designed to work as simply as possible,” director of Media Technology Services Colleen Garrity said. “Basically, you bring a USB flash device that has space on it. [You] put your USB device in the box behind the screen, and then you decide what mode of recording to use.”

There are three different modes to choose from in the studio: camera and audio, camera and computer and computer only. Once a mode is chosen the person using the studio can press record. When they are finished they press the stop button, eject their USB from the box and the user then has the finished product in the palm of their hands.

“It was very easy to use,” junior psychology major Sarah Fiala said. “I’m not the most technological person. It was self-explanatory and I was done in under an hour.” Fiala used the room to get a head start on a project due at the end of the semester.

“This definitely won’t be the last time I use it,” Fiala said.

Scheduling to use the studio has also been designed to be simple. The studio booking is in found on the campus Outlook calendar, which is accessible to all UW-Platteville students, faculty and staff. Once a user is on the calendar page, they can create a new event and under ‘Add a Room,’ find ‘U-Record Studio.’ Once there, book whatever time is needed, and a confirmation email will be sent to the user to verify the reservation.

Garrity said inspiration for the studio came from Pennsylvania State University, where she first saw a similar room.

“This is a concept that a lot of schools are using,” Garrity said. “Penn State’s room is very different, but it’s the same concept of a recording space where anyone can go record and leave with [the recording] on a flash drive.”

Garrity wrote the grant application that funded the U-Record studio. UW Systemwide Information Technology had some extra money available and called it an ‘Innovation Grant for Technology Projects.’ All UW System universities had the opportunity to apply. Most universities received a grant, but UW-Platteville received two. The grant that Garrity wrote was for $19,300 and the funds were then matched. The total cost of the project was $33,780, Garrity said.

“As we’re working with all of these budget cuts we have to find ways to work smarter, not harder,” Garrity said. “The grant gave us the opportunity to try some new pieces of technology that we probably wouldn’t have tried if it was just a standard classroom.”

Along with creating the studio on the technology side, there was also the construction and design side of the project. The terms of the grant allowed only 120 days to complete the project, so UW-Platteville Facilities assisted in the creation of the studio.

“It started out as a hollow core and then when we went in we were able to put in carpet, and changed the ceiling out so that lights were effective,” Facilities Designer Geri Zauche said. Zauche also assisted Garrity in choosing colors for the studio, branding it and making it acoustic.

“We complement each other as a team,” Zauche said. “Between facilities and technology services each department has its own expertise and we work together very well.”

Zauche said she is pleased with how it turned out. “I hope a lot of people use [the studio] and take advantage of it,” Zauche said.

“I hope it gets the attention it deserves.”

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