Learning Lab News

November 23, 2005 by Doug Worsham

If you haven’t visited the L&S Learning Lab (259 Van Hise) in a while, you might be surprised at all the new and exciting features we have to offer. Here are just a few of them you’ll want to stop by and check out, literally.

Thanks to recent grants from the Friends of the UW Libraries, the L&S Learning Lab has been able to expand our foreign language DVD collection. The grants have allowed LSS to purchase additional copies of widely used films in the classroom so that students can conveniently check them out overnight. More so, the grants have provided the beginnings of an entertainment foreign language DVD collection that anyone is welcome to checkout for a three-day period. Currently available are films in East Asian languages, Scandinavian, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. For the students, being able to take the materials out of the lab and view them on one’s own time greatly enhances the language learning experience. Consult the Media Catalogue and Annotated Foreign Film Guide for the latest updates.

With additional help from the Friends book sale we have also begun a small collection of books that anyone can borrow. This new collection covers subjects such as travel guides, phrase books and cartoons in different foreign languages. A few examples include: A Walking Tour of New York in Chinese, Culture Shock in Italy, and German à la Cartoon.

During the past year LSS updated a portion of the language lab/library physical space by removing audiocassette booths and replacing them with lounge study furniture. Now, students and faculty can enjoy the lab through many more activities: • Watching one of our 1000s of foreign language feature films • Having an individual or group study session • Keeping up with the latest foreign news • Consulting foreign language reference material such as dictionaries from over 25 different countries (from Arabic, Chinese, English, and French to German, Hebrew, Japanese, Polish, Russian, and Spanish.) • Accessing on line Digital course material • Listening to audio tapes in over 100 different languages • Testing one’s knowledge of foreign languages by matching the different “Hello” signs with their language We’ll keep you posted on any new features or activities that take place in the lab.

If you have any media titles that are needed to support your classes, or suggestions for titles with cultural or entertainment interest, please contact our librarian, Mary Prochniak (mary@lss.wisc.edu) Written by Jean Janecki and Mary Prochniak