Recent updates at Tisch Library have drastically improved the technological capabilities in the facility, crucial at a time when the Eaton computer lab is out of service while under construction. These include a shift to online and electronic resources, as well as several hardware and software improvements. Also, after years of waiting, the Internet ports in the study carrels will be ready for use by next semester.
The wiring system for this connection has been in place since the library was built in 1996, but was not used due to a complicated authentication problem between Information Technology Services and the Systems department, according to Charlotte Keys, Assistant Director for Systems. These ports were not considered secure connections, and the University would not have been able to tell whether they were being used by Tufts affiliates or an average person on the street connecting to the Web via the library.
Keys said that the kinks in security have been worked out, and the Internet ports will be ready for use soon.
All of the computer stations in the library were upgraded and replaced over the summer, and additional e-mail stations will be installed this semester. Last year, two public laser printers were added to the library resources.
These changes represent an effort by library administrators to use technology to increase the resources the library offers to students and faculty. "Ten years ago, most of our holdings were on the shelves. Now that is no longer the case," said Director of Administration, Information Technology, and Libraries Paul Stanton.
Surveys conducted by library administrators indicate that people have a higher regard for the Tisch library than they did nearly a decade ago, when Tufts was considered inadequate among its counterparts in terms of holdings and resources.
"For a library of our type, we are at the head of our class," Head of Reference and Collections Laura Walters said.
The library prides itself on being a subscriber to over 1,200 literary and scientific journals and having the full text versions of these subscriptions available to all students. A new user-friendly website was recently introduced, and a basic workshop that teaches users how to search and apply these resources will be held. With these improvements, library administrators maintain that, although Tisch lags behind other universities in actual holdings, it is now leaps and bounds ahead of other schools who are not as advanced technologically.
"We can never make up for the years we lagged behind other libraries in terms of what we actually had on our shelves," acknowledged Walters. "But in the past ten years we have earned a very good reputation. We have chosen to put our money into online resources, and we are now considered one of the premier research libraries in the country, even though we are not technically a research facility."
None of this would have been possible without access to large amounts of money, of course. Millions of dollars have been spent in the last ten years on revamping the Tufts' library system, culminating in the actual construction of Tisch. Whereas years ago only a few thousand dollars were put into CD-ROMs, Stanton said that almost half a million dollars were spent on them last year alone. Walters added that demand for new technology means that there is a tremendous increase in the cost of operating a library each year.
The subscriptions to search engines and online journals each cost several thousand dollars, and the library has also been faced with the cost of accommodating the high level of electronic resources with hardware to support it. Additionally, the fast pace of technology means that this hardware has to be updated on a regular basis.
When making decisions, library administrators are always looking to see what enhancements would benefit the students and faculty of the University the most. "We are very concerned with creating strong access points to students," Stanton said.
Stanton also pointed out that the technology boom has not been limited to the library, as improvements are being made to Internet connections and computer labs campus-wide.
