The Freedman Center for Digital Scholarship has relaunched for Fall 2025 with an entirely new experience in the redesigned Kelvin Smith Library space. CWRU faculty, students, and staff are invited to visit the updated physical footprint on the first floor of KSL and digital footprint on the library website.
The reimagined Freedman Center provides researchers and students with:
- High-end Windows desktops that enable hyper-responsive use of research software
- Additional software packages like Ollama for experimentation with generative AI and locally training language models
- Walk-in hours where staff assist with software and technology, no appointment required
- An online scheduling tool for consultations with digital scholarship specialists
- A personalized, customizable, and secure experience on lab computers
- 24/5 access to lab computers during the academic year
- New workshops (including virtual and hybrid options) and self-guided online tutorials
Furthering Capabilities for AI-Powered Research
Both tech-savvy and tech-cautious researchers will find opportunities in the redesigned technology lab. The lab provides the familiar experience of Windows desktops with the computing power of high-end GPUs and processors. These advanced machines have software packages that allow researchers to tinker with large language models (LLMs), run experiments, and develop AI-driven projects in a low-risk environment with no cost for use. Researchers who do not have the hardware capabilities to try larger processes at home or are curious about AI but want to see what is possible beyond a chatbot will find lab machines well suited to their needs.
Newly acquired generative AI and LLM software packages join a robust suite of research software, including Adobe Creative Cloud, Autodesk programs like 3DS Max and CAD, ArcGIS Pro, Agisoft Metashape, Blender, Nvivo, Python, R and RStudio, Tableau Reader, and VS Code. Updated computers have little to no lag time and support quick rendering and processing.
Personalized Experience on Shared Workstations
Through a partnership with [U]Tech, Freedman Center computers allow CWRU network ID holders to log into a secure and customizable profile. Settings, configurations, and tweaks to programs are preserved and accessible with repeated log-ins. This gives researchers an individualized experience despite using a shared resource, and it supports usage of programs like ArcGIS Pro deep learning libraries, which can be trained and fine-tuned over time.
Expanding Support for Research Software and Digital Projects
Beginning in Fall 2025, the Freedman Center offers walk-in hours where researchers and students can ask questions and get support online or in person, no appointment needed. Digital scholarship specialists assist with dozens of software packages, troubleshoot issues with a program or process, aid in operating digitization equipment, locate resources, and point researchers to reliable tutorials on common processes. Walk-in hours are in addition to specialists’ availability for consultation by appointment, which can now be booked online or by emailing FreedmanCenter@case.edu.
Continuing a Legacy of Forward Thinking
The Freedman Center’s redesign is thanks to an endowment from Samuel B. and Marian K. Freedman, which supports the ongoing acquisition and maintenance of innovative technology. As the Center enters its twentieth year, it has seen the advancement of home computers, invention of smartphones and tablets, and the advent of generative AI. CWRU faculty and students continue to benefit from the foresight of the Freedman family, which allows the Center to evolve as technology reshapes the ways we engage in research and learning.
Learn more about the Center, including a calendar of upcoming programming and the latest from the Freedman Fellows, at our website. Questions and feedback are welcome at FreedmanCenter@case.edu.