Know what you're looking for, but not what it's called? Check out this visual guide.

AV Equipment Borrowing

The library loans a wide variety of audiovisual equipment - cameras, microphones, audio recorders, video recorders, and accessories - for class use, assignments, research and teaching. All equipment is available to current AU students, faculty and staff.

Loans are by appointment. Contact - mediaservices@american.edu.

Loan periods are 1 week and subject to overdue fees. Replacement fees will be charged for items damaged, lost or stolen while checked out. Equipment must be renewed in person. There is no fee for borrowing equipment. The library makes every effort to have all equipment batteries fully charged, but with high turnover this is not always possible. Plan your project to give yourself time to charge equipment if necessary.

A note for faculty:

While AU faculty are welcome to borrow AV equipment, there are also other library services available that may be more appropriate depending on your needs. Audio/Visual Services provides classroom and event support and can set up microphones and amplification in specified areas. Academic Multimedia Services provides on-location video recording services as well as post-production editing for any classroom or on-campus event.

A note on event support:
The AV equipment loaned by Media Services is designed for audio and video recording student and faculty projects. It is not suited for recording, lighting, or audio amplification of events, conferences or panels. Events on campus are supported by Audio Visual Services. The Airlie Center does not allow outside AV equipment but provides AV support themselves.

Audiovisual Equipment

Reserve for pickup by contacting mediaservices@american.edu

Equipment - description Ease of use Video introduction Manual
Audio-Technica Omni ATR3550 Lapel Microphone - wired mic easy Video Manual
Azden WLX‐Pro Label Microphone - wireless mic advanced Video Manual
Blue Yeti - desktop microphone easy Video Manual
Canon EOS Rebel T6 with 18 - 55mm. optional macro, 75 - 300mm lenses - DSLR camera advanced Video Manual
Canon EOS Rebel SL3 with microphone input - DSLR camera advanced Video Manual
Canon Vixia HF R800 - camcorder medium Video Manual
DJI Osmo Mobile 2 - smartphone stabilizing gimbal advanced Video Manual
GH Dynamics Ring Light - fill light easy    
GoPro HD Hero 2 - video cameras advanced Video Manual
Lume Cube Panel Mini - video conference light kit easy Video Manual
Movo VRX10 - directional smartphone microphone easy Video Manual
Olympus OM‐D E‐M10 II with 14 - 42mm and 40 - 150mm lenses - DSLR camera advanced Video Manual
Shure RS230 - omnidirectional microphone easy Video Manual
Tripods - small and medium easy Video  
Vilrox VR-162T - LED light kit and tripod easy Video  
Zoom H2n - digital audio recorder medium Video Manual
For Faculty Use Only:      
Olympus WS-110 - digital voice recorder - set of 15, set of 20 medium Video Manual
Zoom Q4 Video Recorder set - HD camcorder medium Video Manual

 

Shooting Professional quality video With Your Smartphone

SOC professor, CTRL fellow and filmmaker, Larry Engel, shows how to get professional results when shooting video with just a typical smartphone.

 

 

 

 

 

Getting Started Guides

  • Video Production Primer - A comprehensive guide for planning your video project. This document gives advice and resources for all the phases of production - from storyboarding and scripting to gear and shooting tips to file types and exporting.
  • Manuals, operating instructions and tutorials for more AV equipment can be found on the Multimedia_@_AU webpage.

Contact Us

(202) 885-3229
mediaservices@american.edu
Bender Library, lower level

Make it with Media Services

Join Media Services at Bender Library for workshops on photography, videography, audio, and more!

See the Schedule

audio level meter of sound levels

Simple Studio

The Simple Studio is a reservable space for producing a wide variety of content – from professional quality videos to podcast audio recordings.

Reserve a Time Slot