Facilities
The OLRC has a circulating collection of approximately 13,000 items in over 60 languages. Our complete holdings can viewed by accessing our Online Catalog.
While most of these items are available for checkout, it is becoming increasingly rare for patrons to have the equipment necessary to play them. We can provide equipment for items to be viewed within our Center, and are willing to explore other options for providing access.
Instructors needing videos for classroom use are urged to contact the KU Libraries about streaming options.
Policies
All KU faculty, staff, students, and authorized affiliates are eligible for borrowing privileges upon presentation of a currently valid KU Card. Those not eligible for a KU Card should inquire about a KU Library Borrower Card at the circulation desk in Watson Library; borrowers in this category will have the same checkout privileges as students at KU.
The Open Language Resource Center is not part of the KU Libraries system. All items checked out from us must be returned directly to us. Items turned in to branches of the KU libraries will be considered overdue until they have been recovered from the library. There is a drop slot located outside of the main entrance to 4070 Wescoe for those wishing to return items when the Center is closed. Items placed in the drop slot after hours will be considered as having been returned the next day that the Center is open.
Checkout Periods
Students may check out two items at a time, not including headphones and audio splitters checked out to watch videos within the Center. The standard checkout period for students is one week. Students may check out reserved items for two hours or the length of the film, and must remain within the Center while using them. Students can checkout tech items (voice recorders, PowerPoint presenters, etc.) for one day. All items except for reserved items can be renewed once.
Faculty, staff and GTAs may check out up to three non-DVD items at a time and up to six DVDs at a time. The standard checkout period for instructors is one week for films and textbooks. Technology items may be checked out for three days. Instructors may check out any item reserved by another instructor for a maximum of four hours. Although there are restrictions during certain times during the academic year, some of our equipment can be checked out for extended periods away from campus to be used for research. Please contact the Director for more details.
Fines, Overdue Items and Holds
The late fee for standard items is $3.00/day. Fines for reserved items accrue at the rate of $1.00/hour. The maximum fine for any returned item is $20.00. An item that is damaged or not returned will accrue a fine will be equal to the replacement cost of the item, the total accrued fine, and a $20.00 processing fee. Notices of fines are sent out every other week using the official e-mail address listed in the KU on-line directory.
A fine will show up as an NPY hold on the patron’s account. That hold will remain on the account until the amount is paid in full, blocking initial enrollment and issuance of a transcript or diploma. Information on paying NPY holds can be found on the Student Accounts and Receivables website. All holds and fines must be paid online.
All overdue materials must be returned and fines paid before a patron can check out additional materials. There is often a slight delay in our unit receiving notice of fines being paid, so you may need to show proof of payment, which can be obtained through Enroll & Pay.
The OLRC occupies approximately six thousand square feet on the fourth floor of Wescoe Hall. Most of the spaces described below can be reserved for use by instructors within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for an entire semester or for intermittent usage.
Main Reception
4070 Wescoe is the unit's "front door" where patrons come to check out videos and equipment, to ask questions and to make requests. It is also the heart of the unit, an active learning space designed to facilitate both individual and group work with technology. The space provides access to computer workstations, a collaborative work area with extensive whiteboard space and a social conversation area with seating for eight. The space also includes a soundproofed mini-studio designed to create audio supplements for in-class or web-based instruction.
There is also a drop box to the right of the door to 4070 Wescoe to return materials when EGARC is closed.
Frank Bangs Memorial Classroom
The Frank Bangs Memorial Classroom (4066 Wescoe) is a dedicated teaching space assigned to instructors for the entire semester. The room contains a movable instructor station and six 6-person workstations. Each group station has a Windows computer, a 55" flat-screen monitor, and wall-mounted laptop and USB inputs that connect directly to computer or monitor. Whiteboard surfaces cover most of the walls, and two LCD projectors display a mirrored image on opposite ends of the large classroom. The instructor station features a SMART Podium for annotating directly on the computer screen and software that allows the instructor to share their display with all of the individual group displays and to share the display of one group with all of the other groups.
Active Learning Classroom
The active learning classroom (4068 Wescoe) is a dedicated teaching space assigned to classes for the entire semester. It contains a movable instructor podium and reconfigurable tables that seat up to 20 students. There is a 24’ unobstructed whiteboard directly behind the instructor and a large projection screen on the opposite side of the room. Students have easy access to power outlets and wireless connectivity to the projector for presenting group projects.
Computer Lab
The computer lab (4074 Wescoe) consists of 25 computers, including an instructor station with its own computer and a visual presenter, both of which are connected to an overhead LCD projector for display to the class. Although this room is primarily a open computer lab, it can be reserved for individual class sessions in which students will be working on computer-based projects.
Conference Room
The conference room (4038 Wescoe) is specially designed for class meetings, presentations and conferences for twelve or fewer people. The room is equipped with a multi-standard VCR/DVD, a computer, and an LCD projector that projects all video signals to a large screen at the front of the room.
We have a wide range of equipment, including legacy A/V equipment, available for use and possible checkout. Please contact us for questions concerning availability and support. Items include
- Computer and a/v adapters
- Digital cameras
- Digital voice recorders
- Foot pedal audio transcription equipment
- USB-powered microphones
- Wireless microphones
- PowerPoint presenters
- Slide projector, light box and scanner
- USB record player
- Audio cassette players
- Audio cassette duplicators
- VCRs (US and multiregion)
- Laserdisc player
- USB drives for 3.5" floppy disks and Zip disks
- USB optical drives for playing CDs and DVDs
The OLRC has a circulating collection of approximately 13,000 items in over 60 languages. Our complete holdings can viewed by accessing our Online Catalog.
While most of these items are available for checkout, it is becoming increasingly rare for patrons to have the equipment necessary to play them. We can provide equipment for items to be viewed within our Center, and are willing to explore other options for providing access.
Instructors needing videos for classroom use are urged to contact the KU Libraries about streaming options.
Policies
All KU faculty, staff, students, and authorized affiliates are eligible for borrowing privileges upon presentation of a currently valid KU Card. Those not eligible for a KU Card should inquire about a KU Library Borrower Card at the circulation desk in Watson Library; borrowers in this category will have the same checkout privileges as students at KU.
The Open Language Resource Center is not part of the KU Libraries system. All items checked out from us must be returned directly to us. Items turned in to branches of the KU libraries will be considered overdue until they have been recovered from the library. There is a drop slot located outside of the main entrance to 4070 Wescoe for those wishing to return items when the Center is closed. Items placed in the drop slot after hours will be considered as having been returned the next day that the Center is open.
Checkout Periods
Students may check out two items at a time, not including headphones and audio splitters checked out to watch videos within the Center. The standard checkout period for students is one week. Students may check out reserved items for two hours or the length of the film, and must remain within the Center while using them. Students can checkout tech items (voice recorders, PowerPoint presenters, etc.) for one day. All items except for reserved items can be renewed once.
Faculty, staff and GTAs may check out up to three non-DVD items at a time and up to six DVDs at a time. The standard checkout period for instructors is one week for films and textbooks. Technology items may be checked out for three days. Instructors may check out any item reserved by another instructor for a maximum of four hours. Although there are restrictions during certain times during the academic year, some of our equipment can be checked out for extended periods away from campus to be used for research. Please contact the Director for more details.
Fines, Overdue Items and Holds
The late fee for standard items is $3.00/day. Fines for reserved items accrue at the rate of $1.00/hour. The maximum fine for any returned item is $20.00. An item that is damaged or not returned will accrue a fine will be equal to the replacement cost of the item, the total accrued fine, and a $20.00 processing fee. Notices of fines are sent out every other week using the official e-mail address listed in the KU on-line directory.
A fine will show up as an NPY hold on the patron’s account. That hold will remain on the account until the amount is paid in full, blocking initial enrollment and issuance of a transcript or diploma. Information on paying NPY holds can be found on the Student Accounts and Receivables website. All holds and fines must be paid online.
All overdue materials must be returned and fines paid before a patron can check out additional materials. There is often a slight delay in our unit receiving notice of fines being paid, so you may need to show proof of payment, which can be obtained through Enroll & Pay.
The OLRC occupies approximately six thousand square feet on the fourth floor of Wescoe Hall. Most of the spaces described below can be reserved for use by instructors within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for an entire semester or for intermittent usage.
Main Reception
4070 Wescoe is the unit's "front door" where patrons come to check out videos and equipment, to ask questions and to make requests. It is also the heart of the unit, an active learning space designed to facilitate both individual and group work with technology. The space provides access to computer workstations, a collaborative work area with extensive whiteboard space and a social conversation area with seating for eight. The space also includes a soundproofed mini-studio designed to create audio supplements for in-class or web-based instruction.
There is also a drop box to the right of the door to 4070 Wescoe to return materials when EGARC is closed.
Frank Bangs Memorial Classroom
The Frank Bangs Memorial Classroom (4066 Wescoe) is a dedicated teaching space assigned to instructors for the entire semester. The room contains a movable instructor station and six 6-person workstations. Each group station has a Windows computer, a 55" flat-screen monitor, and wall-mounted laptop and USB inputs that connect directly to computer or monitor. Whiteboard surfaces cover most of the walls, and two LCD projectors display a mirrored image on opposite ends of the large classroom. The instructor station features a SMART Podium for annotating directly on the computer screen and software that allows the instructor to share their display with all of the individual group displays and to share the display of one group with all of the other groups.
Active Learning Classroom
The active learning classroom (4068 Wescoe) is a dedicated teaching space assigned to classes for the entire semester. It contains a movable instructor podium and reconfigurable tables that seat up to 20 students. There is a 24’ unobstructed whiteboard directly behind the instructor and a large projection screen on the opposite side of the room. Students have easy access to power outlets and wireless connectivity to the projector for presenting group projects.
Computer Lab
The computer lab (4074 Wescoe) consists of 25 computers, including an instructor station with its own computer and a visual presenter, both of which are connected to an overhead LCD projector for display to the class. Although this room is primarily a open computer lab, it can be reserved for individual class sessions in which students will be working on computer-based projects.
Conference Room
The conference room (4038 Wescoe) is specially designed for class meetings, presentations and conferences for twelve or fewer people. The room is equipped with a multi-standard VCR/DVD, a computer, and an LCD projector that projects all video signals to a large screen at the front of the room.
We have a wide range of equipment, including legacy A/V equipment, available for use and possible checkout. Please contact us for questions concerning availability and support. Items include
- Computer and a/v adapters
- Digital cameras
- Digital voice recorders
- Foot pedal audio transcription equipment
- USB-powered microphones
- Wireless microphones
- PowerPoint presenters
- Slide projector, light box and scanner
- USB record player
- Audio cassette players
- Audio cassette duplicators
- VCRs (US and multiregion)
- Laserdisc player
- USB drives for 3.5" floppy disks and Zip disks
- USB optical drives for playing CDs and DVDs