Data Visualization Studio

• A PC computer loaded with popular data visualization and graphic design software
• Interactive touch screen display
• Collaborative workstations with monitors
• Surround sound capabilities
• A large wall-mounted monitor

• Adobe Creative Cloud
• Tableau
• Gephi
• And more!

Data Visualization Guides

• Tableau Prep Guide
• Tableau Desktop Guide
• Gephi Guide

Collections of Tools

• Visualising Data – Resources (over 300 data viz and design tools listed!)
• médialab – Tools (collection of tools created by Paris (FR) based SciencesPo – Médialab
  

Freeware and Subscription-based visualization and graphics editing software, apps, and APIs

• Tableau (for students) (for instructors)
• Gephi – Gephi is the leading visualization and exploration software for all kinds of graphs and networks. Gephi is open-source and free.
• TIBCO Spotfire for Education
• Maya® | Computer Animation & 3D Modeling Software | Free Software for Students & Educators
• Inkscape (Similar to Adobe Illustrator©)
• GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) (Similar to Adobe Photoshop©)
• Google Chart Tools
• D3.js – Data-Driven Documents
• Sci2 Tool : A Tool for Science of Science Research and Practice
• VIZSweet
• Periscope Data
• The R Project
• Web GL (Also see the Web3D Consortium)
• Processing
• Google Maps APIs
• ESRI
• MATLAB
• Wordle – Create

Websites about Data Visualization

• FlowingData
• Information is Beautiful
• Visualizing Data
• The Functional Art
• Reddit – Visualization

Data Viz in the News

• Washington Post
• Bloomberg
• New York Times

Citation Networks

• Zotero
• VOSviewer
• ReadCube
• CitNetExplorer

Color Pickers (Quantitative and Qualitative palettes)

• Color Blender
• Colorbrewer

Popular Tutorials

• Tableau Training and Tutorial Videos (and sample files)
• Learn how to use Gephi
• IVMOOC (Information Visualization Massive Online Open Course

Infographic Templates (free and paid options)

• Visme
• Venngage
• Visualize.me
• Easel.ly
• Infogr.am
• Piktochart
• Plot.ly
• Vecteezy (vector files)

Patrons and users in the Studio are responsible for the following:

• Upon arrival, inform the student worker that you have a scheduled booking.
• Arrive within 30 minutes of your booking time or the reservation is forfeited, and the room becomes available for others on a first-come, first-served basis for the remainder of the reservation period.
• Leave the room in good condition for the next patrons, including resetting the room and placing trash in trash bins.
• You will be billed for repair or replacement for broken, lost, or stolen equipment. Amount of replacement costs are available upon request. Equipment will be assessed upon completion of booking to determine if these costs are necessary.
• Report any problems or issues with the space or equipment a Studio staff member immediately.
• Don’t leave your personal property unattended, including library materials that have been checked out. The Library is not liable for loss/damage to personal property.

Personal Data and Information

• Studios equipment is preloaded with available applications, and temporary storage space is available during your booking. Long-term storage is not guaranteed. We are not responsible for, nor can we recover, lost data.

General Policies

• Reservations are limited to 2 hours total per person, per day but could be extended with special permission from management.
• Equipment owned by the University Libraries should not be removed from the Studio without prior approval from management.
• Studios are not intended to provide privacy. Library staff may enter the rooms as needed for security, maintenance, or other reasons.
• Library Management reserves the right to resolve schedule problems by adjusting reservations or schedules.
• To cancel a reservation, login to bookings.lib.vt.edu.

Repeated violations of these policies could result in administrative action, including – but not limited to – deletion of reservations or removal of an individual’s ability to make Studios reservations.

Please note, Studios’ management does not guarantee the availability of all advertised hardware or software due to unforeseen maintenance. Some advanced equipment may require consultation with the Studio manager before it will be made available.

Please read, as failure to follow these terms could mean forfeiture of your access to the University Libraries Studios Network. 

All patrons in the library will be required to wear a face covering of some sort at all times while in the building (those users who cannot wear a cloth mask for health reasons will need to wear a face shield). Removing your face covering can be grounds for forfeiture of services provided to you and you will be asked to leave the building. In order to protect public health, the University Libraries reserves the right to shut down the building in the case that compliance with the mask mandate is not being met by patrons.

Patrons need to vacate the bookable Studios promptly at the end of their booking, even if no one is waiting to use the space. A buffer is built into the system to help avoid close contact between patrons and allow for the student worker to clean the Studio before their booking starts.

Patrons may not move furniture. All furniture is placed in such a way to ensure safety protocols from the state and the University are followed. All seats, tables, and power towers are linked in our booking system and must not be moved.

The bookable spaces (Media Design Studio B, Virtual Environments Studio, and lecture capture services in the Data Viz Studio) are only available by appointment. Walk-ins will not be accepted. Please note that these spaces have limited room capacities as well and groups larger than 1-2 people will not be admitted. 

Patrons must follow all directives from library staff, including orders to leave the building in the situation in which the library needs to close early.

In the event that one or multiple of these terms are broken, any or all of the following actions can be taken:

• Patron receives a warning from library staff
• Patron’s booking is forfeited
• Patron is asked to leave the building
• Patron’s access to the booking system is revoked
• A Student Code of Conduct violation is filed with the Office of Student Affairs