Audio-Visual Services

The AV Services area exists to support the audio-visual equipment needs of faculty and staff at Kirkwood. This support includes purchasing, installing, and providing user support for AV equipment. It also includes providing supplies and duplication services related to audio visual equipment usage.

AV Equipment Checkout

AV Services maintains an inventory of equipment that may be checked out for classroom use or for use in on-campus and off-campus meetings and presentations. In addition to the equipment listed here, many departments also maintain their own small inventory of equipment. Check with your departmental staff for availability. Also in addition to this central collection, both the Library on main campus and the Library at the Iowa City campus maintain an inventory of equipment that may be checked out.

For the main campus checkout center at 102G Linn Hall, equipment should be reserved and a pickup time set. To reserve equipment, contact AV Checkout at x-5521.

Computer/video projectors
TV carts & TV/VCR carts
DVD players
VCR’s
Mini-DV Camcorders
Digital Cameras
Speaker systems (conference phone)
Portable projection screens
Audiocassette recorders
Overhead transparency projectors
Public Address (PA) systems

AV Equipment Purchasing

All Audio Visual equipment purchased for the College should be purchased through the AV Services department. The staff is involved in both College-wide purchases (such as new or remodeled classrooms with integrated projection systems) and individual department purchases (such as the purchase of a single 35mm slide projector or a portable sound system). Equipment needs can involve a single piece of equipment or a complex system involving many components. We “turn-key” the purchasing process, handling everything from assessing user needs through the delivery or installation of equipment. We originate the orders, handle all of the Purchase Order process and receive the equipment. For more information on purchasing Audio-Visual equipment, contact Allan Schau at x-5620 or allan.schau@kirkwood.edu.

Equipment purchases at Kirkwood can be funded through several different sources. In many cases, departmental funds are used for purchases. Kirkwood has also been fortunate to receive support for a special Instructional Equipment 9-cent property tax levy approved by the voters of our seven-county service area. Purchases for AV equipment through this fund involve a defined request and approval process that is tied to specific dates. Please contact instructional department Deans or the office of the Vice-President for Instruction for more information on the Instructional Equipment fund.

Computer/Video Projection Systems

The vast majority of Kirkwood classrooms are now equipped with instructor’s tables with PC’s and a ceiling-mounted projection system for both computer projection and video projection. Many classrooms also have powered speakers, VCR’s, DVD players or DVD drives in the PC, video presenters or a variety of other peripheral devices.

These tools create the potential for powerful classroom presentations, but the use of the equipment can get a bit complicated. Most instructors’ tables include a printed set of instructions attached to one side of the table in a clear plastic sleeve. These instructions include the basics for successful operation of the equipment. In the near future, we will provide links at this website so you can access instructions for any classroom at Kirkwood. We also conduct special training sessions for new faculty and are happy to orient individual instructors to equipment in their classrooms by appointment.  Contact Allan Schau (Allan.Schau@Kirkwood.edu or phone x-5620).

AudioCassette & VideoCassette Duplication

AV Services provides audiocassette and videocassette duplication services for the College. We have high-speed audiocassette duplication equipment in 102G LH that allows three copies/both sides to be made simultaneously at eight times normal speed. We also have videocassette duplication equipment located in the KTS Master Control area for duplication from VHS, S-VHS, U-Matic, Beta & BetaSP formats to DVD, VHS or S-VHS. We can also accommodate duplication from other formats such as Hi-8, Mini-DV, CD video, DVD and other digital formats, but the appropriate playback device must accompany the order.

In all cases of duplication, we reserve the right to request evidence of permission to duplicate copyrighted materials. It is the requestor’s responsibility to secure that permission. To submit audio or video duplication requests, contact Allan Schau(Allan.Schau@kirkwood.edu or x-5620).

Ballantyne Auditorium Tech Support

AV Services also provides back-up technical support for public and College uses of Ballantyne Auditorium (with the exception of Kirkwood theatre and music productions which are supported through Arts & Humanities staff and students). The 438 seat auditorium is used for a wide variety of meetings, events and ceremonies. Tech support involves uses of the facility sound system, projection systems, staging, lighting and a variety of special presentation accommodations. The facility is reserved through Iowa Hall Services. For questions about technical operations in the facility, contact  Allan Schau (Allan.Schau@kirkwood.edu or x-5620).

Special Event & Facility Tech Support

In addition to Ballantyne Auditorium, AV Services supports a wide variety of special events in a wide variety of settings, both on-campus and off-campus. We provide set up and/or operation of special AV equipment such as PA systems, portable projection systems, video playback systems, etc. Events have included building dedications, press conferences, major gift announcements, government budget hearings, political campaign events and many others. We support multi-venue Kirkwood events such as the annual Beyond Rubies, Fire School and Staff In-Service Day conferences. We also provide support for large or complex facilities such as the Green Room (234CH), the Parliamentary Room (343CH), the Kirkwood Hall Board Room, KTOS Center and Ballantyne Auditorium.

If you need special arrangements for AV equipment, support for special events or support for existing facilities, please contact Allan Schau (Allan.Schau@kirkwood.edu or x-5620).

Training & User Support

A primary focus of AV Services is to train faculty and staff in the proper operation of equipment. Our goal is to show users what they need to know to effectively use AV equipment to meet their specific instructional and presentation needs. We accomplish this through group training sessions, individual training appointments and on-going user training. We conduct formal training sessions on projection system classrooms (a.k.a. “smart” classrooms) at the beginning of fall and spring semesters for new faculty. You can also schedule individual training in your classroom.

Familiarizing yourself with the specific equipment that you will be using in a classroom or in other presentation settings is one of the keys to effective presentations. We’ve all sat in meetings or classes where the presenter’s message becomes lost in the course of fumbling around with equipment. We want you to be able to concentrate on your content and make the “mechanics” of operating the equipment as automatic as possible. For more information on training sessions or to schedule an appointment, please contact Allan Schau (Allan.Schau@kirkwood.edu or x-5620).

Equipment Problems / Trouble Calls

Unfortunately, equipment breaks down … it’s just that simple! And it breaks down at the worst possible time! That's the bad news...equipment breaks down while it’s being used, not while it’s sitting idle. The good news is, in the case of AV equipment, about 75% of the trouble calls we get are operational problems. These are often simple things: an incorrect input being selected, a menu function that is hard to find, dead batteries in a remote control or a cable that has been disconnected. The remainder of our calls are actual equipment malfunctions. We pride ourselves in our response time to problems and our success rate in correcting problems. Over 90% of the trouble calls we receive on-campus are responded to within 60 min. Of those, about 70% are corrected on site. In other words, the majority of problems are corrected within an hour. The rest may require servicing by our staff in Telecommunications Services and some may need factory work. Even then, we try to install back-up units that can be used while this service work is performed. Response times for off-campus problems are obviously not as quick and may require special scheduling.

So, got a problem? Call Allan Schau at x-5620. If Allan is not available, call the general Media Services line at x-5585 or x-5507. We encourage telephone calls for problems because it will almost certainly result in quicker response and we often have questions to ask the user. And please call as soon as you suspect a problem. The quicker a problem is reported, the quicker it will be resolved. Don’t rely on another user to call in the problem. They may not use the equipment in the same way that you do or may be putting off the call until the problem is too serious to work around.