Submitted by Ginny Bukowski

Between May 20 and May 27, Jeff Lahaie, Brian Foley, and Petar Mitrevshi will place print release stations in the following public printing locations:

   Main Library

   Armstrong Science Library

   Music Library

   Sunderland (computing labs)

   Munroe 214

   Axinn 105

   Robert A. Jones (basement)

As always, students, faculty, and staff will be able to print to any of these printers but will be required to release the job in order for it to print.  Guests will have to pay for their printing as of June 8 and will be limited to black and white printers in the Middlebury libraries.  Guests are people not in Active Directory and include, but are not limited to, regional visitors, potential students and their families, alumni, and dependents of staff and faculty.

We are aware of a few categories of people who are not in Active Directory (not active students, faculty, staff) or guests such as teaching assistants as well as Language Schools doctoral candidates and Language Schools’ week-long guests.  For the time being, they must print via local or departmental printers.  If you know of additional groups who fall into this category, please let Ginnie know.

Carol and Doreen are creating the cards and the accompanying internal accounting system.  LIS will sell guest printing cards to the college, who will sell them at the bookstore, MiddExpress, and Wilson Café.  Through these $5 cards guests will be able to create and maintain a PaperCut printing account.  Cards will be non-refundable.  They will have a warning that the guest should treat them like cash.  The college will not be responsible for them once sold.    For those of you at customer service points, you will receive complimentary cards for people who have legitimate grievances such poor printing quality.

Departmental guests will have the option to use the host department’s printer at no charge.  If there is a guest who is in need of a public printer for an extended time, the host department will need to purchase a card or cards for that individual.

Of course, your printing to departmental or local printers will not change because they are not public printers.

Mary, Linda, Elin, Joseph, Mike, and I are working on the various communications required.  An announcement by Mike to the college is imminent.

Of course, there will be an adjustment period for those who use public printers; we hope you agree that the reduction in wasted resources will make this stage worthwhile.  Your support and understanding, especially of those who interact with users of the printers, will be appreciated.

You may be wondering, “What about student quotas?”  Mike asked Jon Isham’s economics class to assess student quotas.  Once that information has been provided along with collected usage data, quotas will be discussed in Phase 3 over the fall term.  In the meantime, Phase 2 will be an assessment of release stations and guest printing.  Phase 2.5 will be what may be done for the non-Active Directory and non-guest categories.