Library Subject Guides
Digital creativity is something that anybody can use, whether for work, research, fun, or interest. There are many activities and events at the University of York to help you explore digital creative skills and tools.
Digital Creativity Week is an event run by Library, Archives and Learning Services at the University of York as a chance for students to come together to learn and develop digital skills and explore research data and library and archive material. The week has been run three times now and you can find out more on the Digital Creativity Week site.
On Wednesdays during the academic year, Digital Wednesdays training sessions run covering a range of themes, including digital creativity, coding, and doing research. These are open to all members of the University to sign up to and attend. There are also additional training sessions throughout the year which cover digital skills and tools. Take a look at the schedule for more information and to book your place.
Within the Library we now have two creative labs - Creativity Lab and YorCreate. Within these spaces you can play, experiment and build your skills in different digital creative technologies, such as 3D printing, game development and podcasting. See the boxes below for more about these labs.
The University has an art collection and there's lots of potential for digital creativity! See @ArtAtYork on Twitter and Instagram for inspiration and to see the work going on around the University Art Collection. You can also view the online Art Collection catalogue to see what the University has or explore the art on campus, particularly sculptures..
The Creativity Lab is based in the Harry Fairhurst Library Building (LFA/103). Funded by the Screen Industries Growth Network, it's designed to be a multi-purpose space for any creative project. It offers access to a range of new and emerging technologies such as 3D modelling, Virtual Reality (VR), 360 filmmaking, media editing and much more. There's also a range of Kit Workshops and Masterclasses to help you get started with some of this technology. See the Training Page for upcoming sessions.
The Lab has workstations with high-powered computers (with dedicated graphics cards) to help with creative tools you are using. They come with software such as the full Adobe Creative Cloud (including Photoshop and Premiere), Game Engines (Unity and Unreal), along with CAD software.
Open access - Every Monday and Wednesday, 10am - 4pm, the Creativity Lab is open to all York staff and students to try out equipment, learn new skills and meet like-minded creatives. There is open access to our workstations. No experience necessary and no need to book, just drop-in.
DigiCreate Fridays - Alternate Fridays, 10am - 1pm, with the added bonus of the Lab team on hand to provide support, technical advice and help you work through your digital creativity challenges. Find dates and sign up for a slot by looking for our 'DigiCreate Fridays' sessions on the Training Pages.
Podcasting kit - For any audio recording or podcasting you'd like to record, the lab also has a separate recording space with high quality recording equipment. If you're interested, send an email to lib-creativitylab@york.ac.uk to book a time.
YorCreate is a makerspace based in the Library at the University of York and is available to all University students and staff. It offers space for physical creativity, including 3D printing and crafting, and a chance to think about the intersection of digital and physical when creating.
To get involved with YorCreate, you first need to complete an induction session to get information on Health and Safety and how to use the equipment. You can book an induction on our form and if you have any other questions about YorCreate, you can get in touch via it-training@york.ac.uk.
In YorCreate there are Ultimaker and Flashforge 3D printers - those pages have guidance on using the printers in YorCreate.
To explore the digital creativity potential of using YorCreate, see this blog post from Archaeology Data Service about when their Curatorial And Technical Staff came to find out what 3D printing could do for digital preservation:
The University of York is a key institution within the field of digital creativities research, which falls under the 'Creativity' research theme. Departments across all faculties are involved in high-profile, funded creative projects. Researchers at York have expertise in a number of areas including VR, AR, XR, AI and ethics, gaming, sound, immersive storytelling and virtual production.
The BRIC team supports the University’s ambitions to create an inclusive research culture and develop research talent. Their aim is to equip all researchers with the skills, expertise, environment and culture in which they and their research can flourish. Throughout the year they deliver training and development opportunities including support in areas of digital creativity and the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.
Take a look at the Library website for support on how to publish your research. The Open Research team is available to help.
You might also want to consider submitting to Digital Creativity which is a journal published quarterly by Taylor and Francis Online featuring articles about digital creativity across a range of fields. Areas covered have included research using or developing creativity tools, reviews of digital technology, philosophy, education and methods in digital creativity. Even if you don't submit to the journal, the articles are useful to look at and may inspire you.
If you have a digital creativity-related project yod like to share with us or have featured on this guide, please let us know!
You can contact the Digital Inclusion, Skills & Creativity (DISC) team by emailing itsupport@york.ac.uk and marking it for the attention of DISC.
You can also get in touch if you have any suggestions for this guide or would like to see any particular content or workshops in the future.