Because of wasteful printing and to create more effective research done by students, the FHG Library on campus may have a pay-for-print system installed in the spring semester, if approved by the university.If approved, the library may use the Pharos Uniprint System, which is used all across the country, including at the University of Pennsylvania, Penn State, and
Clarion. If the system is installed at the library, each West Chester University student will be given a certain number of free pages a semester, which is an amount that is yet to be determined. Once a student exceeds that number of pages, he or she will have to pay for printing in the library using their Ram E-card.
The library?s pay-for-print vision has not been approved yet because the university first wants to do an evaluation of campus printing, and the evaluation has caused a delay in the pay-for-print system, according to Clayton Garthwait, the Access Services librarian on campus.
The cost per page students may have to pay at the library is yet to be determined. Yet the cost will most likely mimic the cost of printing that other colleges go by. Most colleges using a similar system charge between 5 and 10 cents a page.
Library officials want to use a pay-for-print system because of the wasteful printing occurring.
The WCU library saved wasted paper from public printers for a month, and it was discovered that more than 35 percent of all printing was waste, according to Julie France, a member of the Student Government Association.
Out of the 10 reams of paper a day that the library uses, over a third of it is waste, according to France. Students disregard what they print, or they print out nonresearch materials. The library?s computers and printers are meant to be used for research.
Library officials also believe that a new printing system will encourage students to do more focused, concise research, instead of simply coming to the library and printing out dozens of articles dealing with a subject, before narrowing the search. “What ideally will happen is students will
be able to refine their research and become better researchers,” said Clayton Garthwait.
The library also wishes to install the system because of the overflow of students that have used library printers this semester, due to networking problems across campus.
The amount of students printing from the library was a hassle to students that needed to print out research materials this semester because the printers often jammed, causing students to wait long periods of time for their printed materials.
“We want students to be able to do their research without having to wait,” said Garthwait.
The library?s pay-for-print vision has a few steps. A computer ?s user will save the documents he or she wishes to print in a print queue, a temporary electronic storage area. The user will go to the library?s print station and choose the document he or she wishes to print. Then, the documents will be printed, and the student?s Ram e-Card will be debited. Once the student exceeds the balance of free pages given a semester, that student will have to pay for pages he or she prints in the library using their Ram Ecard.
The money the library could possibly save using the pay-forprint system could be used to increase library resources, services, and materials.
Though the campus library wants to use a pay-for-print system next semester, other computer labs on campus, such as in Anderson Hall, have not looked into pay-for-print systems.
However, Brad Hollaway, the Technology Manager of the Anderson Computing Center, acknowledged that wasteful printing is a problem on campus. “We?re concerned the waste will escalate,” he said.
However, he also said that if the ACC tries harder to decrease wasteful printing, there are no plans to charge students for printing.
Hollaway said that it could be possible that the ACC will obtain software that monitors and limits how many pages Anderson?s printers and WCU students are allowed to print a day.
The pay-for-print system that the campus library wants to use in the spring semester has already drawn mixed reactions from students.
“I don?t think it?s good idea because Anderson will be more crowded,” said Dianna Lelli, a junior majoring in history.
“I think it is a good idea because too much paper is wasted at the library, and it will make people print out only what is important,” said Lauren Hutelmyer, a junior majoring in communicative disorders. There is still no word as to whether or not the university will approve the pay-for-print system for the FHG Library.