Technology & Equipment

Technology & Equipment

Located on the second floor of J. Murrey Atkins Library, Area 49 encompasses the Technology Support Desk, Visualization Lab, EZ Video Studio, Gaming Lab, Multimedia Lab, Makerspace, and the Teaching and Technology Theater. Area 49 is designed to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration, experimentation, and exploration. These spaces provide students and researchers access to specialized equipment that enables Area 49 to serve as the catalyst for ideation, innovation, and entrepreneurial research and development.

The primary service point for Area 49 is the Technology Support Desk which is open from 7:30am–10:00pm, Monday–Friday and 11:00am-7:00pm, Saturday and Sunday. The desk also provides support for Microform and the second floor print/copy/scan stations and VTS machine.

Whether it is to uncover the mechanics of something small or to use emerging technologies to explain an idea, these technology-rich spaces offer all kinds of opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to think, create, and innovate. These spaces are for the curious and the determined, but also for those who are just beginning to learn the value of positive failure and experimentation.  Here, users push the boundaries of discovery and creativity and engage with ideas in new ways by collaborating with peers from other disciplines.

Area 49 extends the classroom by providing tools and resources that enable students to engage in design thinking and cultivate lifelong learning skills. While users are welcome to work in the spaces on their own, there is no shortage of support for the kinds of work that happen here. Library faculty and staff offer a variety of workshops, trainings, ideation sessions, and classes. These help students think about familiar concepts in unconventional ways, and aim to help cultivate students’ heightened awareness of how ideas form and how learning occurs.

For questions, contact the Technology Support Desk at 704.687.6028 or AtkinsTechSupport@uncc.edu.