A new digital presentation room and Intel Mac Lab opened at the Main Library last month, giving students and faculty another resource when developing multimedia group projects.

The first-floor presentation room features a camera built in to the ceiling, which records speeches and presentations, and an Interactive Smart Board computer screen that uses touch navigation in place of a mouse.

On the second floor, the new computer lab contains two Intel Macs with multimedia software, including 3-D animation, video editing programs and Web content tools. Both computers are compatible with Macs and PCs.

"We hope students use these rooms as places where they can do group work, where they've got tremendous access to the Internet," said David Gift, vice provost for Libraries, Computing and Technology.

Gift said the new rooms have been in the works for the last few years, with the efforts finally coming to fruition in recent weeks.

"We've sensed the need for many years for space for students in groups to work in and spaces that were technology enhanced," he said.

The technology is geared specifically to students and faculty working on team multimedia presentations, said Reference and Technology Librarian Emily Barton.

"We're putting together tools for faculty, staff and students to help them work collaboratively on projects," she said.

While the two rooms have been sparsely utilized so far, Barton expects students to flock to the new technology once awareness of the labs grows.

Still, Gift said he expects the work spaces will be in high demand as the end of the semester approaches.

"They've been oversubscribed at busy times during the year," he said. "We know there are times when the rooms are oversubscribed, so we know we can use more."

Finance senior Drew Dawson said the digital presentation room allows him to rehearse speeches, tape himself speaking and take part in video conferences.

"It gives you the opportunity to see yourself on video and see yourself taped," he said. "Then, you can easily critique yourself."

The funding for the project came from the university's Fund for the Enhancement of Academic Quality, which allocated $53,700 for library information integration and the collaborative technology project.

Both rooms can be reserved online at http://reservations.lib.msu.edu.