(L-R) Karen Croneis, associate dean, Dickie Cox, media services coordinator, and Wayne Rau, digital media specialist, all of UA Libraries, joined Mrs. Arthur R. Taylor Jr. of Demopolis in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Lillie Florence Jones Sanford Media Resource and Design Center, located on the second floor of UA’s Gorgas Library and named for Mrs. Taylor’s grandmother.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- University Libraries announce the opening of the Lillie Florence Jones Sanford Media Resource and Design Center, located on the second floor of the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library.

An official ribbon cutting ceremony recently took place with Dr. and Mrs. Arthur R. Taylor Jr. of Demopolis, who provided funding for the new facility in honor of Mrs. Taylor’s grandmother (Lillie Florence Jones Sanford), attending the event.

The Sanford Resource and Design Center, also known as the R&D, provides University of Alabama students with a cutting-edge facility fully equipped for digital media production. The R&D is designed to be a learning environment with a high level of creative and productive output. The center offers computers, audio-visual hardware, soft-ware and instruction. Through these outlets, students can have the experience of becoming producers and authors of multimedia content. In serving as an open resource for students at large, the center provides collaborative and interdisciplinary learning opportunities.

The R&D Center allows students to work in the following areas: graphic design, web design, remote file transfer, page layout, video editing, DVD authoring, audio recording, musical composing, CD authoring, and file format conversions. The center is stocked with Apple G5 PowerMacs, G4 iMacs, video decks, audio decks, a MIDI work station, video cameras, still digital cameras, scanners, printers, and industry standard software.

Introductory modules about the equipment and software are offered to students and media specialists are available for one-on-one instruction.

For more information, contact Dickie Cox, University Libraries media services coordinator, at 205/348-4674 or rccox@bama.ua.edu.