Recently, Manheim Township High School (MTHS) added a pair of media production studios to the library with the goal of further enhancing the education experience. The new media production studios will provide students greater opportunities to produce podcasts, generate clearer and crisper sound and overall be more creative.

"No other building in our district has this equipment, so it's something new and exciting to use," said Karen Leisey, who's been MTHS' librarian for six years. "We wanted it in the library because it's a central location and available to everyone. I think there's an entire layer of jobs related to content creation that these kids are going to have access to. Giving them experience is going to potentially help them plan for their futures."

Included in the media production studios are podcasting equipment, a sound board, microphones and headphones, mounted sound panels on the wall, a computer for editing and a television monitor. With planning, construction and finishing touches like permits and electrical work, the new media production studios took about a year to complete before becoming functional in the early days of March.

"I'm excited about the library becoming a hub of the school," said Leisey. "Our administration is excited about the changes we've made. We want to stay current and become more modern. It draws kids and that's what we want to do. Our students know that when they come to our library, they can get tech help."

A large portion of the funding for the media production studio was covered by a $50,000 grant from the Manheim Township Education Foundation.

"I think my favorite thing about the whole thing is the excitement by the students," said Leisey. "They think it's the neatest thing. It's very easy to use and I can teach them in minutes. It's been so neat to see them exposed to something they can use to create."

The origins of MTHS' media production studios can be traced to a time when Leisey first began prioritizing and condensing books in order to fill shelves. Ultimately, the gained space became home to the media production studios.

"It's open for everyone to use," said Leisey. "Does that mean every student will use it? Absolutely not. At this point, the kids know it's available. Some kids might just ask to use it on their own. It might be for a class project. Some classes sign up for it."

"It can be used for creating podcasts or to produce sound effects or to record voiceovers or to edit audio sound," she added. "We're providing them a quieter place to record."