Community Corner

Fountaindale Public Library's Studio 300 to Open March 16

The $3 million creative space will include sound and video recording studios and a media editing computer center.

Fountaindale Public Library will host the grand opening for its new, creative multimedia space -- Studio 300 -- on Saturday, March 16. 

The grand opening event will be from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The event will include remarks from Library Board President Peggy Danhof and Mayor Roger Claar, tours of Studio 300, face painting, balloon and caricature artists, story times, crafts and a photo booth. Refreshments will also be served.

Studio 300 will include six sound recording studios and two video recording studios. There will be three group collaboration rooms, video conferencing capabilities and a computer center with Mac's equipped with photo, audio and video editing software. The space will be 7,000 square feet total.  

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Patrons will be able to: 

  • Shoot and edit video
  • Record and edit sound
  • Compose, record, and mix music
  • Draw, color, and animate images
  • Take, restore, and enhance pictures
  • Write, edit, and publish an e-book
  • Collaborate with people in other locations

To use the space, patrons will need to attend a Studio 300 orientation to go over rules and procedures. The space can be reserved and will be open on a first-come, first-serve basis. Patrons will also be able to check out some of the equipment and take it home.

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Need help? Fountaindale has hired six people to assist with equipment and software questions and has planned "how-to" programs to train users on Mac's and their software. 

"I think we're going to be amazed and surprised by what the community wants to do with those spaces," said Paul Mills, executive director of the Fountaindale Public Library.

A new trend for libraries 

There's a strong movement for libraries to serve as audio and video creative spaces, Mills said. Libraries have always served as creative spaces, he said. 

"Libraries have always been more than a repository of information," Mills said. "People can use the knowledge the library has made available to create something new." 

Chicago Public Library and Barrington Public Library both offer media centers. Chicago Public Library's YOUmedia space is an "innovative, 21st century teen learning space," complete with books, computers and media creation tools and software. 

But with the features and space Fountaindale will be able to offer, Mills thinks Fountaindale can top both spaces. 

"We think ours is going to be one of the best in the country," he said. 

The $$$ 

The space will be paid for using construction bonds from the Fountaindale Public Library's initial construction. The library celebrated its grand opening in March 2011. Studio 300 was part of the original plan for the building, and the library earmarked the basement to serve the purpose. 

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