From the Suggestion Box
- Problems with online journal access? Thank you for reporting various problems. The first step to fixing the problems is to hear about them from you! You may want to review the problems we are working on.
- When will we have wireless access in the biology library? Wireless access is available throughout the Biology Library, except for the extreme northwest corner of the main floor. For additional information see About Computer Services - Wireless section
- Where did the old Medline search go? We decided to save the money we were spending on the OCLC interface to Medline and use it for other needed resources in the library. But in November, 2003, the "old" OCLC Firstsearch interface was restored. We just received too many complaints from non-biology folks who liked that interface better than PubMed.
The biology department needs a color printer that is accessible to students and is hooked up to a computer that can edit files. This would allow biology students to print coursework in the form of Microsoft Word files with colored figures.
There is currently one color printer that I know of in the biology department that is available to students, located in the biology library. However, this printer is only accessible by the the computers in the biology library, which do not allow students to edit files. One cannot simply create a Word file with color figures on a different computer, put it on the internet, and print it from the bio library computers, because the programs that open Word files on these computers (i.e. Word Viewer 97) distort the layout and configuration of files created by newer versions of Microsoft Word.
The artsci computer lab is not a viable solution to the problem, because they ask an outlandish price for printing colored files ($1 per page). The Engineering School and the Business School already have free color printing from computers that can edit files for their students.[snip]
Most users would prefer free over fee-based printing and other services and we do offer many free services. Printing of library materials (ejournal articles, ereserve materials, etc.) is free, so far, as are Interlibrary Loan and many other services for which some libraries charge. I'm afraid free color printing for all purposes would set us quickly on the road to charging for all printing. My guess is that ArtSci color printing charges are set by "cost-recovery" aims, so our charges would probably be along those lines. Anyway, that road would not be a response you would find useful.
Yes, web-savvy students can work-around our attempts to limit printing to library materials. When our printers could be addressed from anywhere on the network, we had students print multiple copies of their dissertations on our printers and much other such abuse. For most users, our workstations are appropriate for the level of service we want to provide and restrict use appropriately. While we cannot offer free printing to all users for all purposes, the major reason that we have chosen not to offer editing software on biology library workstations is to ensure that workstations are available for library materials users. Other workstations, such as in the Arc or ASCC, offer editing space. In the summer this is not true of course, but during the school year our workstations are busy much of the time for library and course reserve work.
We have discussed your suggestion with Dennis Martin who is in charge of ASCC. His response was that such non-library printing issues need to be decided and supported by the various departments and schools. As you mention, Engineering and Business have chosen to do this. Arts & Sciences and the Biology Dept. have chosen not to. I doubt the Biology Department will be any more able to support free color printing for all users or even just for biology majors than the Biology Library is, however we have relayed the suggestion to the NSLC also. The Biology Dept. does have other color printing facilities for biology dept. personnel, but in all cases those are subject to internal charge mechanisms and are not free.