Print

Print


----------------------------Original message----------------------------
At 05:59 PM 2/2/98 EST, Bobbie Xuereb wrote:
>We seem to have problems keeping our students "happy" with our copiers.
>
>I was wondering who is in charge of copier choice, copier problems etc.
>in other libraries or is it the responsibility of the administration or
>building facilities.

Dear Bobbie, etal.,

Our Business Office Manager (BOM) has been the one to deal directly with
Xerox and others regarding the contracting for the copier in the Library.
However, it appears that the Library staff has had at least some input as
to the choice of models, etc.[i.e. the BOM had been convinced by the
previous Librarian that the slanted "library edge" was an absolute
requirement]. This was particularly true recently, when our Library moved
to a new building, necessitating the purchase of an additional copier for
that location. I made sure that I had direct input about the purchase, even
to the point of joining the BOM for a demo of various machines at Xerox's
local sales office.

The copier that is in our Library is used by the students to copy (10
cents/page) assigned and researched readings as well as bits, pieces, and
parts of their design assigments. It is also used by the school faculty and
school, museum, and library staff to copy (with bypass key) syllabi,
bibliographies, correspondence, etc.

About what, exactly, are the students complaining? The cost of the copies?
The quality? The features of the machine (or lack thereof)?

When choosing copiers, there are a number of "trade-offs" that one ends up
making, especially if you have to work within a small and finite budget
situation. I'm sure many of us have opinions about what features should
take priority in the decision-making process. For example, I found the
recent discussion about the merits of the slanted "Library edge" to be very
beneficial when making my purchase. I opted to forego the edge in lieu of a
number of other features including a broader range of reduction and
enlargement, expanded paper capacity and choice of paper trays/sizes, and a
feature that allows both pages of a book to be copied without moving it.



Deborah L. Barlow
Head Librarian
Corcoran Gallery of Art Library
1705 H Street, NW
Washington, DC  20006-3908
ph: 202-822-1484
fx: 202-822-1486
[log in to unmask]