Thinkspace Archives - Library News

Welcome Week, Semester 2: the Library can’t wait to meet you!

Posted on 23 July 2021 by Library Communications

Have you ever wondered what 5 million Library resources look like? The best way to get familiar with the services and facilities we have to offer is Welcome Week, Semester 2.

From Monday 2 August to Week 1 of Semester 2, we have a jam-packed schedule of awesome activities for you to take part in.

Learn about what study looks like at Uni with Welcome to your Library

Finding information at uni will probably be a bit different from what you’ve done in the past. At uni, you’re part of the scholarly conversation. Find out more about what that means, your responsibilities as a contributor, and how you can get the most out of it.

Get to know our friendly team at Meet the Library Online

The Library is a safe and inclusive community looking forward to welcoming you. Join us for an online Q&A session with Meet the Library Online. Our friendly team is here to answer all your questions about our services and how we can best support you to succeed at uni.

Meet your peers at Plan Your Semester & Think.Create.Innovate

Starting uni is exciting, but it can also be a little overwhelming. Peer Learning Advisors are current students who will share with you their tips on how to manage your time, refine your study skills, or just look after yourself. Come along to Plan Your Semester to organise your semester well ahead and Think.Create.Innovate to discover the coolest and most innovative spaces on campus!

Make new friends at Uni with Speed Meet & Chat and Ni Hao Mate

One of the most exciting things about starting uni is meeting cool and interesting people! Come along to Speed Meet & Chat get a chance to meet heaps of people in this fast-paced session and Ni Hao Mate to learn about Chinese and Australian culture!

Check out our full program of events of the Welcome Week website.

We can’t wait to meet you!

Level up your tech skills during the semester break

Posted on 24 June 2021 by Library Communications

3d printing objects created at ThinkSpace

Level up your technology skills during the semester break at our makerspace Winter Technology Workout! Join in to explore and experiment with new creative technologies, and find the inspiration for your next creative project, all for free!

ThinkSpace and CreateSpace are open all semester break. We have workshops for all interests and skill levels, whether you want to learn more about 3D printing, or work on your at-home video editing skills, we have a huge range of events happening all through July, both on campus (when regulations allow) and online! Always check the event details closer to the day to see if regulations allow us to have in person options, or only online.

Week beginning 5 July: Open-source editing software exploring

We kick off Week 1 with exploring the potential of open-source software! Unlock your media editing skills with our series of workshops where we teach your audio editing, video editing and photo editing with free, open-source software you can use anywhere!

Week beginning 12 July: Making your 3D World

Week 2 is about all things 3D! Dive into the world of creating and crafting 3D objects with workshops on using our 3D scanner and 3D printer and designing your own 3D model for printing!

Week beginning 19 July: Bringing your designs to life

In Week 3 you’ll get the chance to channel your creative design skills across a variety of different platforms! Discover what you need to create your own podcast, design and make your own vinyl decal.

Week beginning 26 July: Adobe Creative program

In the final week of our Winter Technology Workout we introduce you to two of the staple creative software available through Adobe Creative Cloud: Photoshop and Premier Pro. Come along to learn how to edit photos and videos using professional, industry-standard software.

We’ll also be hosting drop-in sessions for our Video Recording studios at ThinkSpace and CreateSpace, every Friday in July (when regulations allow).

Find out more by visiting the Library Event Calendar, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @sydney_library_pla

Click here to see workshop details and book your place!

Enhancing cultural safety with digital placemaking

Posted on 8 March 2021 by Library Communications

Title screen of short film YILABARA by Jazz Money

As part of its strategic focus on cultural competence, the University of Sydney Library has been working to improve the sense of cultural safety experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in its spaces.

One of these initiatives is the digital placemaking artwork that has just been installed on the display on screens in the Library’s foyers, and the video wall in ThinkSpace. It can also be viewed on YouTube.

Commissioned via a competitive Expression of Interest (EOI) process, the work was produced by Jazz Money, a Wiradjuri woman, poet and artist who practises across film, installation, audio and web. Jazz is the 2020 winner of the David Unaipon Award from the State Library of Queensland. Her first collection of poetry will be published by UQP in 2021.

Jazz’s beautiful silent video piece is titled YILABARA (‘now’ in Gadigal language). Conceptually, this short film is a dialogue with Gadigal Country, contrasting the University campus with the landscape of Ku-ring-gai National Park. The film elicits the relationship between the contemporary built environment and the landscape that existed for millennia before colonisation. The footage is overlaid with an Acknowledgment of Country poem written by Jazz, that appears both in Gadigal and English.

The overarching message is that no matter what interventions occupy the surface, the land on which the libraries are situated always was and always will be Gadigal Country.

Please take the time to reflect on and enjoy Jazz’s beautiful work.

Title screen of Digital Placemaking video by Jazz Money

Art & Technology Now: Gestural Robotics Workshop

Posted on 16 February 2020 by Library Communications

With Vaughan Wozniak O’Connor in collaboration with ThinkSpace presents: Art & Technology Now: Gestural Robotics Workshop.

*Vaughan Wozniak O’Connor, Fitbit Studies (detail). Laser etched site materials. 2020*

How can robots draw? Could this change the way we think about the handmade? Join artist Vaughan Wozniak O’Connor, in a workshop that discusses art, technology and the blurry line between digital and physical. In this one hour lunchtime workshop, Wozniak O’Connor will discuss his use of biometric and geospatial tracking technologies to produce artworks.

Held across the University of Sydney’s Think Space and USU’s Verge Gallery this workshop will provide background to Wozniak O’Connor’s research and entail a demonstration of emerging approaches to drawing, across robotics and digital fabrication.

Vaughan Wozniak-O’Connor’s exhibition Geospatial Atlas will be on display at Verge Gallery from 13 February-20 March 2020

Join the Art & Technology Now: Gestural Robotics Workshop Wednesday 11 March, 1-2pm at ThinkSpace.

Places are limited, register online to secure a place.

Peerpod!

Posted on 13 November 2019 by Library Communications

‘Peerpod’ is your go-to podcast for all the insider knowledge on how to navigate uni life.

Hosted by our very own Peer Learning Advisors, the podcast is all about increasing a deeper sense of connectivity and belonging at Uni via a bi-monthly topical podcast.

We’ll be sharing stories, providing advice, and answering all the questions you have about Uni.

Listen to the podcast today!

The Peer Learning Advisors aka PLAs are all experienced students with their fingers on the pulse of student needs in real time and are best places to represent, speak to and share space with the student body. They have been trained in being a point of referral to students, offering tips on everything from where to find the best coffee on campus, to overcoming feeling isolated to using tech to support student initiatives and goals.

Drop in for a chat with our PLAs at ThinkSpace, Bosch Commons, the Quarter, Dentistry Library, or Camden Commons.

‘Who is Sydney?’ ThinkSpace Film Showcase

Posted on 12 November 2019 by Library Communications

Earlier this year, as part of the ‘Who is Sydney?’ Competition, domestic and international students were asked to collaborate together on a short film that explored life as a student, in particular the cultural experiences of Sydney.

From a strong field of 18 diverse films, a judging panel of academics and students chose three top films:

Still from *‘Freedom is a home called Sydney’* , 2019

First Place: ‘Freedom is a home called Sydney’ By Sota Maehara (Bachelor of Applied Science) and Martin Phabmixay (Bachelor of Commerce)

Second Place: ‘積分’ By Daniel Merson (Bachelor of Civil Engineering and Bachelor of Arts), Dandan Zhao (Master of International Law) and Fergus Martin (Bachelor of Political economics)

Third Place: ‘Homesick’, By Jiatong Wang (Master of Media Pratice), Wuruo Xu (Master of Media Pratice), and Xiangying Song (Master of Media Pratice)

These three films will be showcased at on the ThinkSpace digital wall from 2nd – 13th December 2019.