A new resource at the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries is expanding avenues for digital storytelling, collaborative scholarship and experiential learning on campus.
Studio 608, a creative space located in the Central Library, provides Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff with opportunities to explore new modes of narrative storytelling through audio. The state-of-the-art studio can be used to record interviews, conversations, panel discussions and other formats that capture the diverse perspectives and experiences of the university community.
Potential uses for Studio 608 include podcasting for course assignments, showcasing Immersion Vanderbilt projects, capturing oral histories, and sharing research with the global community.
The space was created by Jad Abumrad, Distinguished Research Professor of Cinema and Media Arts and of Communication of Science and Technology in the College of Arts and Science. Abumrad is a veteran public radio host and podcasting pioneer and the founder of the Peabody Award-winning Radiolab.
“Studio 608 gives students, faculty and staff a place to capture conversations and to shape the narratives that spill out of them,” Abumrad said. “The studio’s aim is to develop a new generation of creative storytellers.”
Abumrad serves as an adviser to Studio 608, which also employs studio coordinator J.T. Spangler to oversee scheduling and training.
Studio 608 enhances the Heard Libraries’ mission to bolster faculty research and deepen student engagement with experiential learning. It’s also designed to help meet the growing demand on Vanderbilt’s campus for spaces and equipment dedicated to the popular medium of podcasting.
“Many students use podcasting for their class assignments and Immersion projects,” said Melissa Mallon, associate university librarian for teaching and learning. “We sometimes ask our Buchanan Library Fellows to create podcasts as their final projects. And we’re engaging with campus groups, such as The Future of Free Speech project, that are interested in podcasting as a platform to promote dialogue.”
The studio features a sound-proof booth that can accommodate solo or group podcasters, high-quality microphones and recording equipment, and editing tools and other post-production support.
Studio 608 also embodies the Heard Libraries’ ethos as a communal space, Mallon said.
“The libraries are for everyone. We’re for students, faculty, staff, every department and every discipline at the university,” she said. “Studio 608 is for everyone, too—especially if they want to explore podcasting as a medium for sharing their stories, research and information with the world.”
The new studio complements other resources housed at the Heard Libraries that support interdisciplinary research and digital pedagogy. These include the McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies, which aims to equip individuals with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate and critically assess narratives in the current media landscape, and the Vanderbilt Television News Archive, one of the most extensive and complete archives of television news anywhere in the world.
Studio 608 will operate in tandem with the Heard Libraries’ Digital Lab, which advances the creation, development and sustainability of faculty- and student-driven digital projects, as well as Special Collections and University Archives, a rich source of historical artifacts and materials that may inspire oral histories and other narrative projects at the studio.
“The possibilities for research, training, experimentation and community building are endless,” University Librarian Jon Shaw said. “We hope Studio 608 will serve as a catalyst for narrative storytelling and knowledge creation at Vanderbilt, with a reach far beyond campus.”
Getting started at Studio 608
Studio 608 is open to all Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff on a first-come, first-served basis with a pre-approved reservation. Contact studio608@vanderbilt.edu to inquire about appointments and/or to discuss potential partnerships.
The studio will host an open house on Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 10 to 11 a.m. All in the Vanderbilt community are invited to stop by, tour the studio and meet the staff.