We were pleased to receive a generous donation of eight Windows XP computers (some with Microsoft Office) that will replace several of the old clunkers that have been serving Mediatech for years. Special thanks to Craig and Carol Ellison, long time MT supporters.

Is it possible to replicate the 5500 square foot Chicago Public Library’s YOUMedia center in a 145 square foot annex located in a financially stressed small town library?  Probably not. But could the key ideas be adapted on a different scale? If so, what would such an implementation look like?

This proposal, initially called YOUMedia on a Shoestring, takes the core concepts outlined by Gee (2004), Ito (2008), Pinkard (2010) and Yowell (2010) and applies them in a small town library setting, while leveraging using existing resources. These include volunteer supervisors, recycled furniture, five consumer grade desktop workstations and an existing library space located in a once abandoned second floor of a typical town library. It is one answer to a worried librarian or library trustee who might look at the YOUMedia model and worry, “We could never do this in our small town public library… it costs too much.” We’d like the chance to prove we can.

ASSESSMENT OF NEED
Mediatech Foundation— a non-profit 501 c 3 corporation has been operating public technology center to complement the services of one of New Jersey’s last independent libraries without depending on additional tax revenue.  Located in previously unused space in the second floor of the Flemington Free Public Library, the center has become a frequently visited destination for middle and high school youth.  By using recycled equipment, local donations and volunteer support, the center has managed to stay in public service since May 23, 2003.

Mediatech is independent but it works in close cooperation with the Library and other sectors of the town.  It is governed by a board of trustees that includes the library director, technology coordinators from two surrounding school districts, a town council representative and several local businesses. See the profile of the center in School Library Journal (August 2011) http://bit.ly/nTkHFg.

The center is currently an ideal place for informal socializing and “hanging out.” (Ito, 2009). It is rarely used to create digital media however, or, as Ito says “geeking out.”  This proposal outlines how existing resources can be enhanced to become more geek friendly, on a shoestring. We feel that by keeping costs low it will be more in line with the expectations of libraries looking for the ability to offer an interactive multimedia center on a limited budget.

WHAT CAN YOU CURRENTLY DO IN MEDIATECH?
Visitors of all ages (not just teens) can browse mainstream video games and play them on the spot on public consoles (PS3, Xbox Kinect, Wii, DS). In addition educational platforms such as Leapster, V.Smile and LeapPad are available; Mediatech also has 12 Internet stations. Unlike the traditional Internet stations located in the lower part of the library, these stations have no time limits. They also have speakers and headphones; a limited number of webcams and game-friendly peripherals are available . One of the stations is configured as a flight simulator; another is setup for tax preparation. A video projector is ready for large group presentations or for demonstrating a funny YouTube video.

A circulating library of over 1200 donated video games can be checked out and taken home, just like a book. Because the games are part of the Flemington Free Public Library catalog database, it is possible to reserve and/or hold a title from your home computer. See  http://youtu.be/793Ge-yKfHM.

The lack of funding has, in some ways, been good for the center. By forcing the designers to pinch pennies, there is a strong feeling of local ownership in space. Visitors know “this space belongs to me” or “my car dealership donated that computer.”  As a result, computers are rarely vandalized, and theft of games has been minimal. Mediatech has been able to earn the trust of the residents, and has been noted by the Governor of New Jersey (http://bit.ly/4vsfpn).

We know that the center could do much more to harness the power of technology for creating cultural artifacts, and for digital story telling without greatly increasing the staffing or the overhead.

THE NEED: TO INCREASE THE ABILITY TO CREATE WITH DIGITAL TOOLS
Adding five powerful, relatively affordable  creativity stations (off the shelf iMacs) would complement the mission by providing free public access to digital creativity tools for active participation in digital culture (per Henry Jenkins, 2007). Put bluntly, we want to demonstrate how our youth can start making YouTube instead of just watching it.   In addition, we feel that many of the Mediatech activities, such as the recent trans-Atlantic flight http://twitter.com/#lindbergh2011 could be better documented if the students had the toolsat hand.

Currently, Mediatech’s well-worn computers don’t have the power to support a video editor like Final Cut Pro. Providing free public access to such a sophisticated video editor without a block of disk storage and some support could create problems, such as erase another person’s project.  We currently don’t have the funding to provide the level of support needed to accompany these types of stations. Here is our plan for doing so.

PROJECT DESIGN
We will use a 9-by-14 foot room currently used as an iPad Lounge and adjacent 9 x 4 foot locking closet (currently used for storage) to house five digital editing stations that will be an excellent social setting for “Geeking Out.” Note that the current 950 square foot Mediatech space (pictured to the right) is currently ideal for the hanging out. It is easy and fun to interact with others while using video game consoles, checking Facebook pages, looking through and discussing a large circulating library of video games, or “messing around” with games such as Rock Band or LEGO Star Wars.

On the other side of the future YMOST center is a large, often locked community room with a screen that would be idea for whole group presentations. Similar spaces can be found in many libraries. We are hopeful that, with funding and supervision, YOUMedia-inspired activities could spill into this space. The fact that the center takes place in a passageway will help to keep screen activity public and social. Following are specific steps.

STEP 1: Clear out current space and train the “YOUMedia Genius.” Order equipment. (Week 1)

STEP 2: Use existing tables from the basement to setup four desks. Clear out closet. Use existing plastic chairs. Mount the flat screen on the outside wall (next to the bathroom wall). (Week 2).

STEP 3: Install and register the software, format hard disks, create the public OSX profiles, and keep passwords and registration codes locked in the closet. Start allowing free public and highly supervised access to the new computers, but steer visitors who are not using the stations to create to other stations. Note that there will be a strong novelty effect due to the old and worn condition of the existing computers. If necessary, set up a sign up system, to be supervised and maintained by the supervisor. Post all policies on the web site. Keep it free and public until the novelty fades. (Week 3).

STEP 4: Announce the new center to the local middle and high schools by way of the virtual backpack. Notify the newspaper and post a schedule of special events.

STEP 5: Notify the NJ Adobe User’s Group and let them conduct training sessions to introduce video and still photography editing options. Schedule a summer series of Friday night workshops on social media creation, video editing, secrets of YouTube and so on.

STEP 6: Review progress and re-evaluate. Keep a log of the projects that are made and link to finished work when possible from the Mediatech website. Notify YOUMedia in Chicago with problems, issues, and links to work if necessary. Tap into the network of other IMLS funded projects for help and ideas. Understand that things will need to be evaluated on the fly as new technology emerges. This evaluation is critical so that others can learn from our mistakes.

GOALS AND IMPACT

Our goal is to increase the “geeking out” (Ito 2009) power of the existing technology center by providing increased digital creativity capacity.  Here are some potential challenges to anticipate:

• Making sure powerful computers are used for powerful ideas. Mediatech’s existing 12 stations are heavily used for social media and gaming and are protected with Fortress; but the YOUMedia iMac stations will not be protected or filtered, and the level of required supervision would be much higher. An online reservation system would be created for students wanting to reserve time blocks; as a result, staff costs are higher, even with volunteers. This has been covered by the initial proposal. We’ll also make sure that both Scratch and GameStar Mechanic are loaded on each station, so that the stations can be used to edit and create games. Mediatech already has existing accounts and server space for both of these experiences.

Specific learning objectives for YMOST visitors might include:

a) Introduction to video editing

b) How to post video to a social media site

c) The basics of editing

d) Sound creation and editing (sing a MIDI keyboard or DJ station to make your own podcast)

e) Photoshop basics

f) The basics of copyright — what’s OK to copy, and what’s not

• Training. Providing free public access to something as powerful and complex as Final Cut Pro or Adobe Creative Suite can’t be done haphazardly. We’ll recruit “YOUMedia Geniuses” (a term borrowed from Apple stores) from the current flow of 200+ visitors that attend Mediatech each week. The goal will be to teach them to teach others. We’ll also use the expertise of a group that has used Mediatech for it’s club meetings for years; the New Jersey Adobe User’s Group http://bit.ly/qTFgb6; approximately 20 local professionals who could take volunteer shifts teaching various techniques. We’ll also stack the deck by using some of our current Mediatech visitors who have a great deal of expertise, including Jon, Ethan (now famous SCRATCH Teachers).

• User Folders. In addition, the Macintosh workstations must be configured so they are adept for multi-user use. We’ll use Mac OSX profiles to create multiple layers of access. Only the supervisor will have the management passwords. We look forward to learning more about these challenges and others that will undoubtedly arise as we meet with other YOUMedia project participants.

• Theft prevention. Current Mediatech staff are already well versed in theft prevention. Strategies include a sign-in log, video surveillance, labeling and special storage. For example, the iPad is public and used, but the charger is tightly wrapped around the leg of a chair and the device is housed in an acrylic case that locks with a tethered cable. While theft isn’t impossible, it is much hard for a single thief to “make a score.” Still, the addition of the technology that includes wireless mice and keyboards, that would be part of the YMOST center would require a higher level of supervision and a rethinking of existing theft prevention.

 • Sustaining and Evaluating The Work. Proof of success is public and observable, because work products can be posted at www.mediatech.org and satellite sites from www.youmedia.org . If the stations are used for projects that can be posted, you’ll be able to see for yourself if you like what you’re doing. However, specific quantitative and qualitative evaluation efforts will be employed, and we’ll welcome external (independent) evaluators to the program. Specifically we will:

• Track (and link to) student projects that has been created on the UMOST stations.

• Track of how many people use the stations by keeping the sign in system. These statistics are currently kept by the supervisor, and reviewed at each board meeting.

• Systematically evaluate progress during quarterly board meetings.

• Expect challenges. We’ve learned from experience to expect things to go wrong. We know there will be challenges — both in terms of the technology and the people.  We also know that the Mediatech clientele often come in the door with problems that require solutions that can’t be found at the library.

• Show off. We look forward to displaying student work on our local community access channel and during our special programs. In addition, we’ll make sure that the 54 inch screen is always on, displaying student work. But we’ve already proven we can create and manage a technology center on a shoestring, using recycled computers. We’re eager to see what we can do with a small grant.

• Use the work to request (when appropriate) donations. We’ll ask a “suggested donation” fee for workshop events. We’ll also need to start saving at least $1345 per year to maintain software licenses and hardware. This money will come from existing fundraising activities, including a holiday concert and showcase, and the annual Lindbergh flight simulation.

PROJECT RESOURCES

Mediatech is already equipped for upgraded work stations and has an existing board and governance structure already in place and ready to move quickly.

Other advantages:

• The safe, supervised space already exists.

• We current staff is small but dedicated, and they know the current youth population. They also know a lot about networks, Mac OSX and customizing a computer for use in a public setting.

• New hires (see the personnel section) would increase experience with digital editing tools. If funded, we can hire additional help to supplement the staff work and increase operating hours.

• Selling the services to the community is made much easier thanks to good standing in the community which includes hundreds of happy teens who are now young adults who have fond memories of their time in Mediatech. We can count on the word of mouth power of approximately 300 visitors per month who come to take home video games. It will be easy to put a flyer inside the jewelcase of the games. Once teens learn that they can edit their own videos, in a fun, safe social setting with computers that work, the word will quickly spread.

• A non-political decision-making structure already exists. Mediatech’s board is consulted on an ongoing basis by email, and meets four times per year for board meetings.

• Our budget request of just over $60,000 represents enough support to get the room equipped and staffed for 18 months of operation, on computers that should easily be functioning for five or more years.

We’ll hope that we’ll be able show our community, our funders, and even the most skeptical library director that the effort is well-worth the investment.

REFERENCES

Jenkins, H. (2006).  Confronting the Challenge of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. White Paper for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Gee, J.P. (2004).  Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. New York: Routledge.  Institute of Museum and Library Services (2009).

Ito, M. et al. (2009).  Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Rideout, V.J., U.G. Foehr, and D.F. Roberts (2010).

Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8–18 year olds. A Kaiser Family Foundation Study. Available online at http://www.kff. org/entmedia/upload/8010.pdf.

Barack, L (2011) Game Station: Spare funds and some hand-me-down desktops have turned a forgotten room at the Flemington Library into tech central. School Library Journal, Aug. 2011, online at http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissue/currentissue/891275-427/game_station_spare_funds_and.html.csp

Yowell, C. (2010).  How Can Learning Ecosystems Advance Educational Innovation? Talk given at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Aspen, Colorado.