Claire Cahoon
NCSU Libraries Fellow
North Carolina State University
Colin Nickels
Experiential Learning Services Librarian
North Carolina State University
The seismic shift of services to online delivery formats resulting from the pandemic has revealed a gap in the libraries’ ability to casually reach students through serendipitous means such as pop-up events in the lobbies, programming in public spaces, or consultant hours in hands-on learning spaces like the Digital Media Lab, Makerspace, and VR Studio. This talk details how we are extending our experiential learning to better reach online and hybrid classes through Twitch. Using this interactive live broadcasting service we create a virtual space with multiple levels of interactions: screen sharing, camera capture, and accompanying chatroom. Unlike video conferencing tools like Zoom, Twitch and similar sites allow for quick drop-ins and casual interactions: students can be themselves in this less mediated space. We will discuss logistics, technology, content creation, and early outcomes of our foray into this online service.