Changes at Tisch include printing charges

Over the summer the Tisch Library underwent numerous changes aimed at increasing the usability and efficiency of its resources.

The major changes in the library consisted of implementing Pay for Print, the new ILLiad system, and a website redesign.

The most controversial of the changes is Pay for Print, a new policy in which each student is charged ten cents per page printed. Paul Stanton, Director of Administration at Tisch, emphasizes that this is about "necessity, not profitability".

According to Stanton, the ability of the library to fund the printing has diminished over the years. He notes the example that in the last five days of the spring semester $80,000 worth of paper and toner were used. "It's a management of resources [issue]," he stated.

Stanton said that there was an extensive survey of peer institutions which led to the final decision to charge for printing.

One of the major printing issues was what Stanton called "frivolous printing." Stanton said that he has found "futon ads, ESPN baseball scores, and unnecessary article copies" in the waste bins near printers. In addition Stanton said that Tisch had become known for its free printing among Boston schools. "Students would come and print hundred page computer manuals for free. Tisch shouldn't be funding that".

One way that the library hopes to ease the burden of cost on students is by giving out prepaid printing cards. Tony Webb, Senior IT Support Specialist, noted that these cards are available to undergrads at Eaton Computer Lab any time the lab is open. Each undergrad is entitled to one card with a value of $10, or 100 pages of printing.

These cards can also be used in campus copiers, and Stanton said that the library is investigating technology to use student ID cards as a form of payment. "The library is in a learning curve with the new system" Stanton emphasized.

Stanton has only received student feedback to the idea, not to the actual system. However, he noted that he "hasn't met with anyone who doesn't see the logic of the system when presented with the facts"

Derek Fehrer, a Librarian's Assistant at Ginn Library, said that many of the graduate students are having difficulty adjusting to the new system. "Even though they're given cards, they are still frustrated by the new limitations."

In addition to the new charges, the library has also outsourced the work so that the printers, toner, and paper have all been replaced by an independent company. Conway Office Products, Inc. will now handle printing in addition to copying.

The second major change to Tisch was the implementation of the ILLiad interlibrary loan system. The system is meant to expedite the transfer of books among subscribing libraries.

Jo-Ann Michalak, Director of Tisch Library, praised the system calling it "much more efficient, it saves time for all involved." She noted that with no re-keying of information the turnaround is much quicker.

Michalak is hopeful that this will increase student usage of the resource. "The old Inter-Library Loan system was not a big sell," she said.

The idea of the system is that a student can enter his or her information into the system once, creating an account which will record all transactions and alert the student via e-mail when the awaited material arrives.

Another added benefit of the system is that it is an enormous improvement for articles, Michalak said. Many of these are now available in a .PDF format, viewable with Adobe Acrobat.

Finally the interlibrary aspect is improved with the new system. Any book in a participating ILLiad library is available to students. Michalek said that this effectively means any book one could possibly want.

The third major change to the library was a redesign of the website. After a usability study with students and faculty the website was changed "based on what users wanted access to," Michalak said.

The new website features many more links on the home page. Michalak says this is to reduce the number of "clicks" a user needs to access a given resource.

The "Research Assistance" section of the website is also new. This "provides specialized help for undergrads, graduate students and faculty." There is also a "Quick Tips" section of the website which provides users with advice on conducting research.

Several items such as "Ask the Librarian" and "Frequently Asked Questions" were also added to the "Quick Links" bar on the right of the site.