The library of the future gets an unexpected close-up

The James B. Hunt Jr. Library has received widespread recognition as an architectural and technological marvel. But now, because of Hunt Library-inspired renovations, D. H. Hill Jr. is getting some airplay for the innovative teaching and learning practices that its high-tech spaces enable.

The television show “Xploration Earth 2050” featured the D. H. Hill Jr. Library technology spaces in two episodes that debuted on FOX before finding their way to Hulu. Chuck Pell, the show’s endlessly curious host, visited D. H. Hill Jr. this spring to showcase how visualization and making technologies provided by the Libraries are transforming the way teachers teach and students learn.

In an episode entitled “The Classroom of the Future,” Pell interviews Julie Mell, Associate Professor of History, about her innovative use of the Visualization Studio and how it helped her bring the Bayeux Tapestry to life for her students. While the actual artifact is housed in a museum in Normandy, France, a full-scale digital version of the tapestry is now available in D. H. Hill Jr. for NC State students to study.

In a second episode entitled “Teaching Goes High Tech,” Pell talks with Susanna Lee, associate professor and director of graduate programs in the History Department, about the exciting ways the Makerspace in D. H. Hill Jr. can bring historical artifacts to life. In collaboration with the North Carolina Museum of History, Lee had students 3D scan and print fragile objects that couldn’t otherwise stand-up to the poking and prodding of historical analysis.

The producers of “Xploration Earth 2050” discovered both of these initiatives via the Library Stories site. Read about them and other accounts of everyday innovation at the NCSU Libraries here.