As academic libraries expand support for digital scholarship, media creation, and experiential learning, recording studio spaces offer emerging opportunities to support faculty, students, and campus partners. In this session, we will discuss Coastal Carolina University Libraries’ process for planning, prototyping, and launching a suite of recording studio rooms within our recently constructed library building. We will describe how our team approached the early planning process, tested different equipment and room configurations, gathered feedback, and used those results to refine our studio model.The presentation will also address how we are developing instruction and outreach for faculty, including strategies for introducing the studios as tools for course projects, research communication, podcasting, livestreaming, and multimedia assignments. Our current setup includes one traditional podcasting audio recording studio, one studio designed for livestreaming applications, and one video recording studio with a wide-angle camera and green screen currently under construction. We will cover the configuration of each, and the benefits and challenges we faced in implementing them. Attendees will leave with practical considerations for implementing similar spaces, including recommendations for equipment planning, room design, user training, documentation, staffing, and ongoing service and support models that make recording studios approachable for users with varying levels of technical experience.
