Since Oct. 3, students printing their papers at the last minute have a shorter wait.
Union’s IT department installed new, faster Lenovo computers on the main floor of the Emma Waters Summar Library.
Duncan said the lengthy start-up time of the old computers was due in part to a software called Deep Freeze, which ran each night to wipe the computers of everything saved to their hard drives during the day. The computer’s operating system saw Deep Freeze as an illegal shutdown, “so it had to check and make sure everything was okay,” Duncan said.
Olivia Skelton, senior English major and a student worker at the library, said she appreciates the faster login time of the new computers.
“There’s also more space at the desks because the monitors are thinner,” she said. “The new keyboards also help with the space issue because they’re smaller and lighter.”
The library usually replaces its computers at regular intervals, Duncan said, but this update was overdue, coming about six years after the last.
She said the original plan was to wait until the opening of the new library to update the technology, but when construction was postponed, continuing to use the outdated computers seemed impractical.
“We’re delighted to have [new computers],” Duncan said. “Anything that makes it quicker and easier for students and for us is a good thing. We have noticed that students are always in a hurry.”
