Posted on Feb. 27: Instructional media centre launched
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/media_centre_lyons.jpg” caption=”Edward & Margaret Lyons”]Faculty and staff have at their disposal a state-of-the-art facility containing a large collection of audio visual and electronic materials with the launch of the Edward & Margaret Lyons Instructional Media Centre.
Formerly the Edward & Margaret Lyons Humanities Communications Centre, the facility combines the McMaster University Video Library and the Visual Resources Centre/Slide Library into one area centrally located in Togo Salmon Hall, Rooms 314 and 331.
The Lyons officially opened the centre Tuesday with the unveiling of a plaque. Howard Jones, acting dean of humanities, gave the history of the Lyons' involvement while Geoffrey Rockwell, associate professor in the School of the Arts, introduced the key staff members who helped make the centre a success.
The media centre's audio visual library consists of approximately 1,400 videotapes, 16mm films, and videodiscs. The collection is primarily used by faculty for classroom screening or individual study. There is a selection of feature films as well as subject specific videos, which cover areas such as anthropology, women's studies, sociology and drama, as well as a large selection from the BBC Shakespeare Series. McMaster is also a member of Interfilm, which provides access to over 34,000 film and video titles from other Ontario universities.
The slide and photograph collections, formerly overseen by the School of the Arts, have been incorporated into the centre. The collections can be traced back to the 1930s, when art history courses were first taught at McMaster University. They currently house more than 105,000 slides and 36 running metres of mounted photographs and reproductions.
The centre has three video and DVD viewing stations available to preview material. The slide library also has preview facilities. Faculty, staff and students can access the collections during regular business hours.
Photo caption: Edward and Margaret Lyons unveil a plaque that bears their names at the opening of the centre Tuesday.
