Libary due for revamp
The computer lab will be reorganizing itself to offer a “less boxy office” and more of a relaxed atmosphere, according to Joe Windish, lead technical specialist for instructional support.
According to Wade Johnston, a Technical Support Associate, this was a planned replacement funded from the Technology Fee paid by students.
“The Macs and PCs were here were from 2004, and I think any computer person would know that a five-year gap is huge for technological advances, (needs improvement in) memory, video cards and all that stuff,” Johnston said.
According to a preliminary budget for the revamp, the total cost should be around $30,000 which includes new computer desks and new stools for the desks. Windish stressed that neither the new computers nor the redesign would lead to an increase in the Technology Fee.
The new computers will give students increased speed, as well as more convenient USB ports for jumpdrives.
“A lot of the complaints that we had from the old machines were that the jumpdrive slots were very, very hard to get into,” Johnson said. “We got new monitors and new PCs, and the PCs have jumpdrive slots on the front, and the monitors have jumpdrive slots on the side. The Macs also got new monitors, and those also have a lot more USB ports for everyone.”
The original plan, Windish said, was to retain the older monitors for use with the new computers.
“I’m not sure that everyone noticed when they were sitting down here, that they had new computers, but what we found is that although the monitors’ life cycle was not done, the new computers had higher resolutions than the old monitors could handle, so people were having trouble seeing the screen,” Windish said. “So what we did is we applied to the Student Tech Fee Committee through the grant procedure, to get new monitors.”
The next big thing to come to the computer labs, according to Windish, is a major renovation of one of the PC labs. The renovation, which will hopefully take place this summer, will open Lab 124 to the Books and Brew lounge outside. It will involve a major redesign of the space to make it more inviting and group-friendly.
“It has been my observation,” Windish said, “that a lot of students work together. And if you come through the labs, especially in the evening, you’ll see a laptop open and a group of students working together around it. So they’re working together in a desk designed for single people, and really works at odds.”
As part of the proposal, the Student Tech Fee Committee asked Windish to first solicit feedback from students before planning the room. So the staff posted their concepts in the lab, along with spaces for students to make suggestions for the design.
“That turned out to be a wonderful thing, and it was not my idea, it was the Student Tech Fee Committee who said ‘Stick things up on the windows, give them something to write on,’ and it was just great,” Windish said.
Windish welcomed any feedback and suggestions that students might offer for the lab.
“Something happened recently, when I said students should put requests in the suggestion box. And they said, ‘Ah, nothing ever happens with that.’ And I thought, I really should start putting up a sign that says ‘This came as a result of student suggestions.’ The soda machines are there because people suggested it. The large-scale planner in the media lab was a suggestion. We really do respond to student suggestions,” Windish said.
When asked about future projects, Windish said that they are working to bring wireless printing to the computer labs.
“People asked, ‘Why can’t we have wireless printing from our laptops?’ So this is something I raised with IT, and IT is looking at it, and we anticipate that it will be ready for the fall,” Windish said.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Apr 17 2009. Filed under News.
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