Student Computing Support

Print From Your Computer !

1. The Addlestone Library and Information Technology are testing a new service where you can print from your computer and pick up the print job in the Addlestone Library computer lab.  You will need to download the client software for your computer in order to do this, but there are some restrictions on this service that you need to be aware of.

• Use the on-campus secure networks. (Not from cofc-guest)
• It works on Windows computers, but it does not currently support OSX Lion (10.7) .  It does work for Snow Leopard (10.6) on intel based macs
  
• You can print from anywhere on campus where you can get wireless signal — The library, a classroom, Rivers Green, your dorm room via resnet because that is part of the on-campus network
• It only supports computers, so no printing from your phones and/or tablets
• You must be an administrator on the computer

Test your current location’s availability by clicking this link

(Clicking above should open a window with a graphic in it.  If you can see the graphic, you should be able to print.)

The way the process works is that you download the client software below.   Save this file to the desktop, and then each time you want to print using our printers, simply double click on this file.  This will open a connection to our server, download the printer information to your computer and install a printer on your computer.  Simply use this printer and it will prompt you for your MyCharleston username and password just like when you are in the computer lab. After you have printed what you need to print, click on the “Stop Print Client” button in the LPT One window and it will remove the printer from your computer.

Once you have submitted a job, you have 24 hours to release your print job to the library printers.  If you don’t pick it up during that time, it is automatically deleted.

Download the Windows Client

1. We recommend you download the file to your desktop by right clicking on the above link and choosing ‘save as’ from the menu.  The filename you are looking for to start LPT One will be “ClientLauncher“

Download the Mac Client

1. We recommend you download the file to your desktop by right clicking on the above link and choosing ‘save as’ from the menu. The filename you are looking for is “LPT One Mobile Print Client“.  You can find it easily by clicking the search icon in the upper right hand menu bar and type in ‘LPT One‘

Print Quota Reset Date

Just a quick message to let everyone know that the 300 page allotment that students are given reset back to 300 on May 13th.

Any printing done after this date will count as part of the Summer sessions.

EBSCO Discovery Service Trial

The library is evaluating a new discovery service for searching our catalog and multiple databases simultaneously.

Check it out:

To login, use the following:
User: cofc
Pass: ebsco 

Web Address:
Click to Access

Don’t forget to tell us what you think!  Decisions to purchase this are based on feedback from the users, so if you find it helpful, please let us know.

Quiet in the Library

Is a library supposed to be a quiet place? I’m sure there are as many arguments against the library being a “quiet place” as I can come up with in support of the library being a quiet place and there are several forums online where this is debated.  I was surprised (showing my age) that there is a show on MTV called the “Silent Library.”  While I won’t debate this point I will point out a few changes in recent years.

Most library research is now initiated via computer and information is printed via a printer.  The clicking keyboards and motorized printers certainly add to the noise in a library.  Books and journals are now in eFormat and are accessed via the Internet using a myriad of devices.  Nearly everyone on the planet has an Android, Blackberry, iPhone or cell phone and they’re not afraid to use them.  Apple users please don’t be offended as I placed them in alphabetical order.  I exaggerate here but you get my point.  Use of these devices certainly adds to the noise level in the library.  Also either the work, the students or both are more collaborative than in past years.  Maybe its social networking but students tend to be in groups more often.

While I won’t directly say whether or not libraries “should” be quiet, I will speak to students’ right to a quiet study environment.  We all learn and study in different ways, some of us need quiet to avoid distractions, others of us need additional stimuli like music in order to work more productively.  There are areas of the library where noise is permitted, (the first floor) and areas that are designated as quiet areas (the second and third floors).  The library with the help of Public Safety tries very hard to keep the noise down in the quiet areas of the library and we will continue do this.  But I must say that this is really a patron and more so a student issue.  Students should respect other students’ right to study in a quiet environment.  At almost every academic library I’ve visited and the closest one I can cite is Daniel Library at the Citadel, students will give you “the look” if you talk above a whisper.  In most of the libraries I’ve visited, students have no problem asking you to keep it down, they’re trying to study.  The environment is quiet when you walk in and the quiet is maintained. Students actively participate in preserving and exercising their right to study and learn in a quiet atmosphere.

Unfortunately, our library seems to be different.  Students will often sit at a table in a quiet area and proceed to talk.  When asked to hold their voices down, students feel as if they are being harassed as one response noted on the library survey. Students will take a phone call to the hallway or the restroom but then proceed to talk openly with others in the quiet areas. Well what do we do, what can we do?

First let me say that “we want students to be here!”  This is your library. There is limited seating on the first floor where talking is permitted; however, if the library were twice it’s current size it still wouldn’t be able to seat half of the entire student body at one time.  So, we need to learn how to respect the rights of others as we coexist as well as we learn how to defend our own rights.  Most of our students ask for the library to be a quiet place for scholarly pursuits and they deserve this.

Next, students should feel comfortable “kindly” asking others to refrain from talking in quiet areas of the library.  Again this is your space and these are your fellow students.  If a student doesn’t feel comfortable asking others to refrain from talking, students can report the problem to any of the service desks in the library, email Circulation or the Research Desk, call 843.953.8000 or 843.953.8001 or chat with a librarian using the Ask Us feature.  Please be sure to give an accurate description of the area you are in so that we may correctly address the situation.  I don’t like asking students to refrain from talking as much as they don’t like me asking them to refrain but I have no problem doing so to protect the quiet study environment.  I also suggest asking student organizations to help.  Tell your fraternity, sorority, club, group, SGA, committee members and friends to help preserve the academic atmosphere in the library. This library belongs to all of us, let’s work together so that it helps and benefits all of us.

Thanks.

Internet services have been restored.

Internet service has been restored to normal.

A brief explanation of what happened is provided below:

Last week an Engineer at an upstream Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Atlanta introduced a new circuit between devices that ultimately serve the College of Charleston. Engineers at one of the College’s local Internet providers were unaware of the changes made in Atlanta and the conflict that had been created regarding how messages should be optimally directed toward the College of Charleston. As a result, there was conflict about how best to route information over the Internet to and from the College.  This resulted in the delay in receipt of our Internet transmissions or in some cases the non-delivery of the transmission.

Once the issue was identified and corrected, it then took approximately 36 hours for the corrective routing to become effective throughout the Internet.

Compounding the effect, the College is generally utilizing its available Internet resources to the max.  Information Technology has two major projects underway to double our Internet capacity and to replace the campus core switches as well as those devices providing Internet connectivity to the campus.  IT targets completion of both of these projects by the start of the Fall 2012 semester.

You can read more about how internet paths are decided on a technical level at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bgp.

Internet Connectivity Problems

We are currently experiencing internet problems with our primary internet service provider. We are aware of the slowdowns you are experiencing and are working with the provider to resolve them as quickly as we can.

Thank you for your patience while we resolve this issue.

Print Quota Reset Date

Just a quick message to let everyone know that the 300 page allotment that students are given reset back to 300 on January 1st.

Any printing done after this date will count as part of the Spring semester.

iPod / iPad / iPhone setup

For iPhone / iPad / iPod, see the instructions below:

• Click this link for iPhone/iPad configuration.  -  This configures both your email and wireless network on the phone.  You will be prompted twice for your username and password.  The first time is for the wireless network , the second time is for your Cmail account.  It is very important that when you enter your username for the Cmail account, you enter your domain and username in one line as g.cofc.edu\username.  If you don’t do this, it won’t work.

Print Quota Reset Date

Just a quick message to let everyone know that the 300 page allotment that students are given will be reset back to 300 on August 11th, which is after Summer sessions are over.

Any printing done after this date will count as part of the Fall semester.

Mac OS X Lion!

If you haven’t heard the news yet, the latest edition of the Mac OS has been released, Mac OS X Lion. There are a number of upgrades and tweaks Apple have made this time, many of which early adopters will enjoy, but is upgrading the right decision for you? Often in the world of computers, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it! While there is a wealth of information covering the new features, lets go over some of the reasons you might not want to upgrade at this time.

1) For starters, you need to make sure you have the appropriate hardware for this upgrade. This means processor, memory, and a previous version of the Mac OS. To be eligible, you need to have an Intel Core2 Duo processor or better, and at least 2GB of ram. You will also require an existing edition of Snow Leopard (10.6.8) to download the upgrade.

2) Software compatibility. A number of programs you have might not work properly in this version of the Mac OS. Some of the more prominent programs are listed below. You can click on the links to find out more.

Microsoft Office
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Flash Player
Adobe Photoshop
Java
Various printers

Depending upon your configuration, some of the above programs may work inconsistently, or not at all. If you have other programs you are uncertain of, the website Roaring Apps provides daily updates to numerous programs which you may have questions about.

Now on to the good stuff.

You may be wondering what the upgrade will offer you. Many of the improvements are simply aesthetic, things like slightly smaller buttons and scroll bars, to changes to the color hue here and there. Others are more dramatic such as Apple’s AirDrop, multi-touch gestures, and the entire desktop layout.

Check out the following sites to learn more -> Reghardware & AnandTech.

Lion looks to mark the beginning of Apple’s convergence between their mobile OS and their desktop OS. This update is especially interesting for laptop users, integrating many of the concepts and strategies that have made iOS so successful on the iPhone. Apple has been keen to consider what features would really improve the mobile experience, and at $30 it is definitely worth your while to investigate whether or not this update is useful for you.