Torreyson Library offers students free printing

Students have obtained $5 on their university I.D. cards to use the printing services of Torreyson Library as of Jan. 26.
This add-on, which comes from the library fee of $3 per credit hour per semester, was authorized by the board of trustees in May 2010. Students did not begin paying the fee until fall 2010 in order to accumulate a pool of money to be used for various library resources and services, Library Director Art Lichtenstein said. These resources and services include subsidized printing, extended library hours, books, databases, computers among others.
Because of the specialized system used, Faros, the $5 add-on can only be used for printing and not as Bearbucks for food or other services.
The library fee is separate from other fees, such as student activity fee and is designed to bring students better services from Torreyson Library.
Lichtenstein said the library budget had not increased significantly since he became director of Torreyson in 2003.
“It’s money that was really needed. Every year that went by I was able to do less for our students because things were getting more expensive,” he said.
The idea to initiate a library fee that would provide more services was created through a collaboration of the 2009-2010 Student Government Association president Cody Wilson, Lichtenstein and board of trustees’ member Rush Harding which was supported by Lance Grahn of Provost.
Senior class president T.J. Beringer said $50,000 was transferred to the OneCard system.
“I’m really excited this will happen because students have been asking for this for years,” Beringer said. “This semester is a trial program for us to see if students actually use it or if they will need more printing. The $50,000 isn’t set, it’s just a trial run.”
Beringer said emails would be sent to all students to notify them of the supplement onto their cards.
“If you get $5 on your card and you’re a student that never prints anything, it doesn’t mean the money is wasted” Lichtenstein said. “The plan is either we decide for it to carry over until you graduate or it goes back into the pool of money.”
Junior Yazzmin Del Toro said she thinks the extra $5 in her card is a great idea.
“Considering we pay a library fee every semester I think we should be entitled to take advantage of it,” Del Toro said.
Lichtenstein said he is working on a new project this semester to extend the library hours of the first floor where computers, the reference desk and the main service desk are present. Currently, the hours of the first floor run from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m. and the idea, he said, is to have the first floor available Sunday to Thursday from midnight to 7 a.m.
“We met with President Courtway, students and [the] Provost and we decided to go for the first floor,” Lichtenstein said. “We got an estimate to construct partitions so that at midnight the stairways can be closed shutting off the second floor.”
Currently, the library fee has already been put to use with the purchase of new chairs, furniture, databases, signage and to revamp an area in the first floor with computers, booth seating and such.
The fee will also be used to compensate four new staff members that will supervise and assist students during these extended hours.
Plans to finalize this project are set for fall 2012.