AV resources are available for Southwestern-related activities, events, and projects. Some equipment may be borrowed from the Infodesk on a first-come first-serve basis and require a valid Southwestern ID. Other equipment can be requested for delivery and set up by AV staff.

Equipment may be reserved in one of the following ways:

• Online form
• by email, and
• in person at the Infodesk (SLC) or the AV office (PRC 253).

Types of Equipment

If you are not sure what you need or would like a brief lesson on how to use equipment, email us at avreq@southwestern.edu.

• Microphones
• Sound Systems
• Projectors
• Laptop, Phone and Tablet adapters (for use with projectors)
• Cameras
• Light Kits
• Voice Recorders
• etc

General Policies

• Reservations are filled on a first-come first-serve basis
• Equipment is available to current students, faculty and staff at no charge
• Outside groups may request equipment for events on campus for a fee

Policies for Equipment Setup by AV Services

• Reservations must be made by 4pm the prior business day
• Reservations for weekend and holiday events must be made by 4pm five (5) business days prior to the event
• Reservations must have an exact room number, start time, and end time
• Equipment can’t be delivered off-campus or to private spaces such as dorm rooms or fraternity houses
• Student organizations can only reserve equipment for large public events
• Student organizations can utilize spaces that already have AV equipment. See Installed AV Technology below.
• Priority AV assistance is available during regular business hours by contacting the Infodesk
• Equipment may only be moved or relocated by qualified AV employees

Policies for Borrowed Equipment

• Loan lengths are 3 - 7 days but may vary depending on demand
• Late fees range from $10 - $25 per day
• The borrower is responsible for borrowed equipment and must reimburse Southwestern for the full cost of its repair or replacement

Reserve Equipment

AV Services is responsible for most of the audio, video and projection equipment around campus. The primary exceptions include the theaters in the Fine Arts Center.

Classrooms & Labs

View all AV resources in classrooms and other learning spaces:

Classroom Installed Technology

Other Rooms

View all AV resources installed in other spaces on campus:

Installed Technology in Other Spaces

Equipment Operation Instructions

Classrooms

Most Classrooms

Other spaces

Howry Center

Mood Atrium

AppleTVs

Apple TVs allow devices to connect wirelessly to a projector and can be found in may locations on campus.

Apple TV Locations

Instructions on how wirelessly project to an AppleTV with specific kinds devices of devices can be found below:

Apple Computers with WiFi

IOS Devices (iPhones, iPads)

Windows computers with WiFi

Android devices

Video Production

Video Production by Students or Faculty

Depending on where you’re recording, different rules may apply. Public locations are open to recording while classrooms will require the professor’s permission. When recording someone, you should get them to sign a release and keep a copy in your records. Signed releases protect you from legal liability and prosecution.

Equipment Resources

The Smith Library has all kinds of equipment that can be checked out at no cost to students, faculty and staff. This equipment includes cameras, tripods, microphones of all sorts, light kits, tripod mounts for phones and tablets and much more.

Facilities Resources

There are several rooms in the Smith Library that are dedicated to AV production. Find out more on the SU Makerspace page.

Recording/Streaming Events

Given substantial advance notice and collaboration, AV Services may produce video recordings of and/or stream campus lectures, presentations, and other important events. The event organizer must secure a written Video Recording Release from every speaker prior to the event. Finished videos are placed on Southwestern University’s Youtube Channel.

Video Production

AV Services can work with faculty and staff to create short, high-quality videos. These videos must benefit activities that increase academic and student enrichment. For more information, please contact the Infodesk.

Weddings

AV Services provides audio support for weddings in the Lois Perkins Chapel. The Chapel has microphones installed both at the lectern and the pulpit. Additionally, one wireless lapel microphone is included in the facility rental fee.

If more equipment is required please contact AV Services at least one month before the wedding.

Consultation

Faculty and staff may request consultations regarding the purchase of AV equipment or the addition of AV equipment to classrooms, labs, lounges, offices, and other campus locations.

Our Services

• Identifying specifications for appropriate equipment
• Assisting with sourcing vendors
• Helping with assembly and installation
• Providing end-user training

AV Services may be able to fund a project if the purchased equipment will benefit the general campus community. Otherwise, the project must be funded by the benefiting department.

Copyright law consists of many broad statements, some tested in court, others not tested. Interpretation of the law is by no means an exact science. Southwestern University Audiovisual Services provides this information simply as guidelines for the use of copyrighted media on campus.

A good general rule of thumb:  If the author, producer, or distributor of a copyrighted media work would be deprived of income (no matter how small) from the sale or rental of their intellectual property by your actions, it would be in your best interest not to copy, broadcast, or publicly display the work in question. Think about how you would react to another individual or organization who used, without compensation to you, intellectual property that you spent a lot of time and money developing.

Duplication and use of copyrighted media, even in an academic setting, may be a violation of copyright law. While the Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians may allow the use of part or all of copyrighted works in the classroom, in general we must follow the time tested adage of “If in doubt, leave it out” when considering the use of copyrighted media.
Audiovisual Services cannot under any circumstances make copies of copyrighted videotapes, audiotapes, CDs, or other multimedia items that are readily available on the commercial market.

Here are some common scenarios involving copyright and some guidelines on how to navigate them:

I need to create a video for a project using music and/or video someone else created

In general, a student may edit clips from copyrighted videos or other media works into a presentation for a class project. The following criteria should be met:

• Keep a detailed log of all video/audio content including the title, producer/distributor, the exact start/end times, and a description
• Video clips must be less than three minutes or 10% of the length of the video, whichever is shorter
• Audio clips must be less than 30 seconds or 10% of the length of the audio, whichever is shorter
• Video projects may only be used for the class project and for student portfolios

I want to show a movie on campus (not in class)

A movie showing that is open to the general campus community is a violation of copyright law if the public performance rights have not been paid for. This is true for rented movies, personally purchased movies and most films in the Southwestern Library.

Some films (usually independent documentaries) purchased by the library were purchased with public performance rights.  The InfoDesk on the first floor of the Library can show you how to check if a film was purchased with public performance rights.

Movies can be rented from a distributor that includes specific campus public performance rights (generally at a much higher cost than a personal purchase.  Student Activities can facilitate the a movie rental that includes a public performance license.

I want to show a movie in my class

For academic purposes a movie can be shown without public performance rights but must meet certain criteria. These include:

• The movie must be listed in the syllabus or course outline
• The movie must be shown in a classroom
• Only enrolled students can attend
• There must be some form of lecture, discussion, assignments, and/or testing based on the material
• The copy must be legitimate (that is, not illegally reproduced) with the copyright notice included.

I want to record video/audio on campus

Depending on where you’re recording, different rules might apply.

• Public locations are open to recording, but please be respectful
• Classrooms require the professor’s permission to record
• It’s best practice get a signed release of anyone who you record and keep a copy in your records.  This will ensure that you are absolved from any legal liability that may result.
• Off-campus organizations must request the approval of Southwestern in order to perform any video or audio recording, including commercial organizations such as TV stations and news channels

Copyright Resources

Webpages

• Copyright for Educators and Librarians online class
• Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians
• Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia
• Copyright for Educators video series (produced by PBS)
• Final Report to the Commissioner on the Conclusion of the Conference on Fair Use 
• United States Copyright Law
• University of Texas System Crash Course in Copyright

Books in Southwestern’s Library

• The Complete Copyright Liability Handbook for Librarians and Educators by Tomas A. Lipinski. 2006.
•  Copyright law for librarians and educators : creative strategies and practical solutions by  Kenneth D. Crews. 2012.
• Technology and Copyright Law : A Guidebook for the Library, Research, and Teaching Professions by Arlene Bielefield and Lawrence Cheeseman. 2007.

Youtube Videos

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNBoBw39hAs
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9H6Ksp36q0

Contact Us

AV Services is located in PRC 253. You can email us at avreq@southwestern.edu.

For support or to report problems, please contact the Infodesk.

Reserve Equipment

• via online form
• via email

Office Hours