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Volume CXXXIII, Number 9 |
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Headaches in H-L
Aggravation pervaded H-L this week as students had more trouble than usual with the library's printers. The card-swiping system already installed in the e-classroom was extended to the first floor machines, much to students' dismay. Many discussed (and complained about) the hassles of printing. Some students abandoned their printing attempts altogether, citing overwhelming frustration with system problems.
As petty as it may seem, the printer issue affects Bowdoin students in a significant way. So many courses now rely upon e-reserves that an efficient system for printing has become absolutely necessary.
The card-swiping policy was implemented to save paper and reserve printing resources for members of the Bowdoin community. While reducing paper waste is an admirable goal, the library must to find a method that allows students to print in an time-efficient manner. That can be achieved once the kinks have been worked out.
The system has potential, but it is imperative that students be able to print without constant headaches. E-reserves are supposed to make course reading more simple, not more complicated. Professors always say that problems with technology are never an excuse for unpreparedness. Yet many voiced concern this week that the new library system will lead to more of those type of problems.
It is apparent from the lines of waiting students that more printers are needed to fulfill library needs. A clear display providing more information about which accounts are associated with each print job will help students, since the current setup is a bit ambiguous. Furthermore, if people had to log in with their Bowdoin passwords to use main floor H-L computers, the problem of unauthorized usage and printing would essentially be eliminated.
While we applaud the library's efforts to become more environmentally friendly, we hope that a less time-consuming system will soon arrive on the scene.
For information on sending a letter to the editor, please click here.
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