Michelle Wong
Reporting & Writing I
Hunter College Students Experience Problems With Library Printing
It was only last year that Hunter College gave all students access to free printing in the library. The purpose was to ease the crowds at the Thomas Hunter Resource Center, but it backfired.
Lines at the library have extended massively and the demand on printing is not satisfied by the available supply of printers. The printers are constantly working, but many students are unable to print their assignments on time.
Students are asking for more machines on each and every floor, given that they exist only on the second, third, and fourth floors. Bianca Taranova, a senior, said, “… it should be on every floor not just the third and forth floor. It should be more accessible.”
Because there is a limited amount of printers, students face long waiting times. Thandi Williams, a senior, said, “Usually, the lines are pretty long, especially towards the end of the semester. I have been late to class because of printing.”
The lack of resources also frustrates Williams. She said, “Not just the lines, the actual equipment made me late to class.” She claims that the printer is constantly out of paper and ink, and library staff cannot respond fast enough to resolve the issue.
Besides accessibility, the technology needs improvement. According to sophomore Jackie Chan, the printing system “needs to work better.” One time when Chan was printing a 50-page manual, the pages came out in letter size. The pages he printed were already obsolete, so he had to print again.
Not only does the limited number of printers cause inconveniences for students, the changed closing time also affects students with night classes. Last semester, the library closed at 8 p.m. on Fridays and this semester it changed to 6 p.m. For a student like Taranova, who has a class that ends at 10 p.m. on Fridays, it puts a time burden on her. She said, “I have to make sure I print out all the things I need for my class by 6, because the library closes early.”
Other inconveniences are caused by the fact that students can only print at the library desktops. Taranova complains that the process is so tedious and long to receive her documents. Taranova said, “I would have to email my documents to myself, and go to the school computers to open it there. Then, I’d have to get in line and wait to scan my ID to print my documents.”
Some students weren’t even aware that there was free printing in the library. When asked if she uses printing at the library, Vivian So, a junior, said, “I usually use the Student Resource Center’s printing, I wasn’t even sure that we can even print for free in the library until a few days ago.” She also stresses the fact that there should be printing on every floor.
According to some students, although the option for free printing is opened, it has room for improvement.