Ohio University students will have to wait another year for new computers on the second floor of Alden Library.
Library administrators planned to replace the computers in the Learning Commons in December, but an analysis of the machines showed that they could last for one more year.
“They’re 36 months old and out of warranty,” said Scott Seaman, dean of the Ohio University Libraries. “We’re going to run them for another year again to stretch the budget. … I don’t think we’ll have any choice but to replace them next year.”
The computers on the second floor do not usually last more than four years because the central processing units slow down and will not run current versions of software, Seaman said.
“We keep thinking there’s going to be a time when students use these computers less and less because, perhaps, they’ll be bringing their own laptops, but that hasn’t happened,” he said.
Computers throughout the library received software updates during Winter Intersession and are now running new versions of Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite and AutoCAD, said Randy Stewart, a technical support staff member for the library.
Although new computers will have to wait, the second floor does have new monitors this year.
Alden paid $19,785 for 138 monitors to use in the Learning Commons area of the library. The 22-inch Viewsonic monitors replaced the second floor’s 3-year-old screens.
“The 3-year-old monitors were failing pretty quickly,” Seaman said. “The new monitors radically reduce energy consumption. We’ve been looking at ways to reduce our carbon footprint and save on electricity.”
The monitors on the second floor were installed in August. Alden was not able to replace the monitors on other floors throughout the library.
“We’re keeping (the old second-floor monitors) as backups to use throughout the rest of the building in case any of the other ones fail,” said Deborah Daniels, budget unit manager for Ohio University Libraries.
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