Students will no longer need to make the trip to Hawthorne-Longfellow library to print out papers. Information Technology (IT) has begun the process of adding printers to dorms, college houses, and other locations.
Currently there are five public locations where students can print on campus. By the end of the school year, however, students will likely be able to print for free from common spaces in their dorm.
Before IT can install more printers around campus, it needs to collect more information about the usage of each machine. Because Bowdoin plans to pay for all the necessary supplies, IT will log data to track how much paper, toner, and other general maintenance is needed for each printer.
After IT has determined how much each printer is used, it will buy the necessary supplies and distribute them appropriately. A trial run is set to begin within the next few weeks, though a location has not yet been specified.
According to Chief Information Officer Mitch Davis, since only a couple of the public printers are accessible 24 hours a day, a readily accessible printer would make a huge difference for students finishing up a paper in their rooms late at night. Instead of walking back to the library, the farthest they would have to walk would be the dorm next door.
There will be no charge for printing from any of the new locations, just as there is no charge now for printing on campus. Although this year students are asked to swipe their cards when printing, this system is only for tracking and does not actually cost students money. There is technically only enough money on each student's balance for a limited number of pages per semester. However, Rebecca Sandlin, the executive director of consulting and support for IT, assured that if students exceed that amount, they "will still be able to print and will not be charged."
Davis added that requiring a card swipe cuts down on the amount of wasted paper, in accord with Bowdoin's "green" policies.