Navigating the Tricky World of Creative Research

On October 3rd, faculty Amy Tavern brought her section of “3D: Form vs. Function” into the library for an afternoon of active research. Students brought their sketchbooks and Amy guided them through the process of gathering books, magazines, and journals related to their current project on data visualization, sustainability, and found/repurposed materials.

This “research party” was part of a developing partnership between the libraries and the First Year Program designed to help students navigate the tricky world of creative research. We’ve planned activities for 3D courses that give students hands-on experience with the print collections in Meyer Library. We also host workshops for 2D classes on visual research and image attribution, and visit 4D classrooms to discuss copyright and Creative Commons.

Two sections of 2D have visited Meyer Library so far this semester for workshops led by Instructional Services Librarian Daniel Ransom -- Stacy Tang’s “2D: Text, Image, Content” and Saraleah Fordyce’s “2D: Color Translations.” Students browsed the stacks for visual inspiration, learned about techniques and resources for image search, and walked away with concrete information on how to provide image attribution in both creative and academic work.

Meanwhile, Daniel also visited both of Bijan Yashar’s sections of “4D: Image, Motion, and Process.” Following a format first developed for faculty Taro Hattori’s class, Daniel taught students about copyright, fair use, Public Domain, and Creative Commons, and students spent time actively searching for Creative Commons licensed audio and video files to incorporate into their narrative video projects.

You can learn more about the FYP + CCA Libraries partnership on the CCA Libraries website. If you are FYP faculty and would like to bring in your class, please contact Daniel Ransom.

Main image: Stacy Tang, © 2018, Instagram.