After the spring 2016 semester concluded, Weber State University began renovations to the Stewart Library on campus.
Not only is the library getting a face lift, but Studio 76, which is housed within the library, is getting remodeled as well.
Studio 76 is a fully operational video production studio run by students that produces a wide variety of shows, including a news show, the Cat Call, which informs students about activities around Weber State University.
The new studio is being completely redone with new black paint on the walls, a new lighting grid system, a new control room and a new podcast studio.
“We are lucky to have it. It’s been a great upgrade for us,” Drew Tyler, digital media adviser, said. “They have addressed a lot of major issues we previously had.”
Tyler has been working with the Studio 76 staff throughout the renovation.
According to Tyler, the new podcast station will give students a chance to dive deeper into the digital media world by gaining more knowledge in other areas of the field.
“It’s designed to be able to make content fast,” Tyler said. “So you can operate a podcast, a live stream or a Twitch channel with only one person.”
The staff has faced challenges during the construction. Ty Sanders, a digital media arts professor, has experienced these challenges first-hand.
“The dust and paint fumes are the main thing around here,” Sanders said. “Just trying to figure out how to get everything hooked back up again and get it going is a challenge in itself.”
Despite the challenges, Sanders and Tyler said they are both excited about the new lighting grid system being installed.
“What we’ve got is much more versatile and usable in terms of what we are doing in the studio,” Sanders said.
Tyler described the new lighting system as “confusing” and “technical,” but he said he is also excited to begin to use it.
The Stewart Library is still accessible to all students during the construction, however there is only one entrance and exit for the time being.
Students who have a class in Studio 76 or are on staff with Studio 76 will still have access to the studio, but the rest of the WSU student population will have to wait until the construction is complete to see the reveal.
Construction in Studio 76 is planned to be complete sometime before the spring semester. The Stewart Library construction is supposed to be complete in June 2017.
