Northern Kentucky University has an abundance of computer labs on campus. Computers are in Steely Library, Founders Hall, the University Suites and many other places. All or most of these places have printing capabilities, however none of it is on a wireless system.
Starting in late November, NKU will start a demo of a wireless printing service called Norse Print in several places on campus. The new demo will begin on the first and fourth floors of the Steely Library, one computer lab in the Albright Health Center, one in the Founders Hall computer lab on the fourth floor and a computer lab in the College of Business.
“The demo will go on for the rest of this semester,” Douglas Wells, director of infrastructure, said. “Everyone can use it; we just aren’t advertising it because we don’t want people relying on it while we are still fixing a few of the bugs.”
NKU has not been promoting Norse Print to the public, however there is a select group of people the Student Government Association is selecting who can preview the demo.
“Basically anyone can be added into the new program,” Wells said. “If people want to get into the demo, they can just contact me.”
SGA came up with the idea last year and Information Technology has been working with them since January to start the program, according to Joshua Tunning, senior political science major and University Finance Committee Chair of SGA.
The wireless printing program is designed to make printing easier for students on campus. It will allow students to print from their own laptops and cellphones using NKU’s virtual lab software.
“Hopefully lines in the computer lab will be smaller; students won’t have to log on and log off and stand in line for awhile waiting for just one person to print one big file,” Wells said. “We hope it will eventually help reduce [the number of students in] computer labs on campus.”
After the demo, the IT group will survey the participants and ask them where they would like to have one of the wireless printing stations available.
“This software is not released to the market yet, and won’t be till late November,” Wells said. “It will make everyone’s life easier. The company we use is Pharos, the same company that pays for print is releasing this tool. We will stay with Pharos if the demo goes well.”
IT is hoping to fix all glitches before completely releasing it to the public and to improve documentation because the instructions on the program are extremely detailed.
“I’m excited about the new program because it’s really annoying that half of the printers on campus don’t work half of the time,” Sara Savitz, freshman education major, said. “I think it will help the university as a whole.”
Norse Print is set to release sometime next semester after surveys are evaluated and the demo is finished.
“Personally, I think it’s important, students with laptops and iPhones can print now,” Tunning said. “Beneficial for the success as a university, it will benefit the entire student body.”
For more information or to participate in the demo, email Douglas Wells at wellsdj@nku.edu.