The screen is large and has touchscreen capabilities plus you can annotate and reverse annotate and the screen turns colors.
Zoom Rooms is a software-based room system for conferencing. Community Library Director Kathy Hellman, MLIS, began installing the system last October and finished in December.
“Zoom Rooms is a step up from a regular Zoom meeting. Before, when we would Zoom via computer, we would have to pass the computer around for whomever was speaking so we could see them,” she said. “Zoom Rooms capture the whole room and you can hear everyone in the room clearly from the speaker bar. Nobody is left out of the meeting and the camera even follows the speaker so if a teacher is teaching a class, it keeps Zooming over the room.”
Zoom Rooms interested the staff at Camp Verde Community Library because of the many virtual meetings taking place in recent years. “It was chaotic before and this is a more professional approach with better quality,” said Hellman. “Zoom Rooms allow us to control the outcome and participation and enable people to interact.”
Reference and PC Help Desk Library Specialist Wendy Cook-Roberts says the softwar has many features and is sensitive to movement and sound. “If you want it separated out like a normal Zoom session, it will capture everyone in the room and put them in separate windows,” she said.
To use Zoom Rooms at Camp Verde Community Library, guests need to schedule a time. “Along with our free service, we have support here at the library,” said Hellman. “Some of our grants that we received the last couple years have required us to teach classes. This has given us the ability to reach those people who live out of the area or just want to watch from home.”
“We held a Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) meeting earlier this year,” said OLLI Facilitator and Leadership Council member Sheri Hauser. “We did parameter testing and had participants go to the back of the room with masks on and we heard them perfectly. The screen is large and has touchscreen capabilities plus you can annotate and reverse annotate and the screen turns colors. We also showed a video and tested delay and there was no significant time delay. It is awesome.”
“The other benefit to this specific Zoom Room is that it is directly connected to the Zoom Room account at the library, so there is no limitation on time and you can meet with up to 100 people. That’s a really good thing, and I’m already planning a large symposium,” said Hauser.
“We have a subscription to Zoom Rooms that is part of our package, so people can host these large meetings,” said Hellman.
Community Library Adult Services Specialist Carson Ralston says the technology makes Zoom meetings easier. “You can hear everybody in the room much clearer than if they were connecting via a laptop or something like that.”
Hellman also highlighted the professional result. “If someone is doing a Zoom program that they want to share later, the recordings are much better than if you used a regular Zoom meeting.”
Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for Arizona Libraries, this project is supported by Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records with federal ARPA funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Zoom is headquartered in San Jose, California and was launched in 2013. When COVID-19 quarantine measures were adopted in early 2020, the company saw a significant global increase.
Zoom Rooms is now officially supported on Windows and Android devices, as well as macOS and iPad products. QCBN
By V. Ronnie Tierney, QCBN
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