4: Technology
Upgrade Technology Other Information:
Students use the library’s desktop computers for a variety of purposes including e-mail, web surfing, WebCT, word processing,
scanning, and web page creation in addition to accessing library resources. While students also use the library laptops for
these purposes there are times when the laptops are all being used for instruction or patrons prefer the desktop computers
as a matter of convenience, location, or interaction with staff. Because the library is open to the general public it is important
to maintain these workstations in order to provide service to patrons who are often alumni, donors, and friends. Additionally
the library should increase its total number of laptops available by six to maximize the capacity of the recharging carts
and meet the needs of our users. A plan to replace half of the laptops on alternating years has been negotiated with IT staff.
Finally, the library needs to plan for upgrading its public printing capabilities and its wireless infrastructure. The library
has seen student and faculty use of video editing technology increase dramatically in the past five years. Faculty are encouraging
and students are engaging in multimedia projects as course completion options. We need to plan for systematic upgrades of
our existing video editing hardware to keep pace with growing student and faculty needs and expectations. As the library has
become increasing reliant on the campus network for provision of services, the need for dedicated library servers has become
evident. We would like to move EZ Proxy from a shared server to a dedicated server so that librarians can access and maintain
our proxy mechanism in a more timely fashion. In addition, as the library explores creating digital libraries of Augustana-specific
information, we need to purchase both a dedicated content server and a data acquisition server (in addition to workstations)
to support these activities. These servers could be housed in the library or in the ITS server room, depending on the level
of access needed. The college owns an analog satellite downlink system. As more programs discontinue broadcasting in analog
format, we will need to replace it with a digital receiver and dish.
Objective(s):
|
