Services

The Language Center’s range of services is designed to support classroom teaching, research, course requirements, and independent learning. Most services are available at no charge to CAS Faculty.

Videos on Reserve

Instructors may place their own copies of videos (VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray) on reserve at Geddes for students to watch outside of class or showing times.  To place a video on reserve bring it to the Geddes checkout window (CAS 537).  We will need to know your name, course, and how long you wish to place the video on reserve.   Additionally, you may ask the Mugar Library’s Krasker film library to place videos at Geddes for a period of time.

Videos on reserve must be owned by Boston University or the instructor and be an original copy.  We cannot place Netflix discs or “burned” copies on reserve.


Equipment Loan

EquipmentThe Center loans equipment to instructors who wish to use technology in class. Instructors may borrow Mac or Windows laptops, an iPad Air, Mac mini-displayport or usb-c vga/hdmi adapters, PowerPoint remotes, laser pointers, usb speakers, and webcams for in-class use. Cameras are also available for instructors who need to film themselves for department evaluations.  For student in-class recordings, see Recordings below.

Most equipment can be reserved online by instructors. We prefer at least two days notice. We do not loan out equipment to students. Students who need technology for in-class use should have their instructor arrange equipment on their behalf.

Recording

DiLL RecordingStudent audio recordings are done in our computer lab using Adobe Audition, Audacity, Quicktime, or other online web tools such as Extempore.

Student video recordings, or “shoots,” are done in our video studios or in the assigned classroom during class time only.  The video recordings are captured as video files and added to Kaltura MyMedia.  Faculty can be trained on camera use to record students, or Geddes can provide a staff member for the recordings (based on availability).

Faculty and guest audio recordings can be done in our audio studio or on location, with or without a recording engineer, at quality levels ranging from archival to professional and in various different formats. Please contact the lab for more information.

Recording of events such as symposia,  guest lecturers, and lecture series is available.  Geddes can record events and supply equipment (such as mixers, microphones, and other  PA equipment) with advanced notice (generally 2-3 weeks) based on equipment and staff availability.  Fees may apply.

Duplication and Conversion

TTTDVDThe Language Center provides duplication at no cost for course-related instructional materials supporting College of Arts and Sciences teaching activity. Duplication options include: VHS, Cassette, CD, DVD, and Blu-Ray discs.

The Language Center is equipped to convert a range of media from one standard or format to another, the most common conversions being foreign standard (region-2/PAL) VHS tapes or DVDs to US standard (region-1/NTSC), and from audio cassette or reel to reel to MP3 or CD. There are many options and formats available.  Please contact the lab for more information.

We cannot convert or duplicate copyrighted materials without the permission of the copyright holder except where fair use allows. Additionally, we may not be able to convert materials due to technical limitations such as CSS, Macrovision, etc. Fees may apply for non-CAS departments and for materials that are not used in a current course.

Production

ProductionThe Language Center’s media production services include audio and video recording, editing, mixing, pre and post production, and instructional design assistance.

We can record audio or video lessons for your course.  Materials can be delivered via CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, Google Drive or Dropbox. Some materials can be posted on the Language Center’s website, Kaltura MyMedia, or Blackboard, depending on purpose and copyright.

We can provide assistance in creating course-related content as time and resources allow.  We can extract clips from cassette, CD, VHS, and DVD, digitize the material and stream it directly from BU’s MyMedia service.

For production projects, we employ a collaborative approach, and work closely with our clients. The complexity of production work requires substantial lead time. Fees may apply. Please contact us directly to discuss.

A Russian Course

A Russian CourseThe Geddes Language Center is the sole distributor of the audio materials that accompany the three language-learning texts, A RUSSIAN COURSE, by Alexander Lipson. The Lipson audio is sold via Dropbox or Google Drive The cost is $65. Please be sure to include your email address.

To order, send a check or money order (payable to “The Trustees of Boston University”) to:

Geddes Language Center
Boston University
685 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215

To pay by credit card, please click here.

Please allow three to five days for delivery.  For inquiries email geddes@bu.edu.