Farewell, sweet printer

Today, Barnard quietly announced that Print Services will be closing. And when we say “quietly,” we mean that most students weren’t informed at all. According to a tip, the closing will reallocate the space to another department during the construction of the new library in 2015/2016. This will mean drastic changes and possibly much greater new expenses in the theatre, architecture, and arts departments’ resources and printing capabilities. The following email was sent to professors this afternoon:

I am writing to inform you of upcoming changes in print services at Barnard, and to give you an idea of what to expect in the coming months as we phase out our in-house print shop and implement a new model of providing these services to the community. These changes are the result of an exhaustive review of the College’s printing needs in 2009 and careful monitoring and adjustments since then. Each year since the initial review, we have seen a steady and significant decline in the volume of printed materials produced on campus–most likely reflecting the many advances made in electronic and mobile communications–and as a result, have reached the conclusion that supporting an in-house print shop no longer makes economic sense.

The print shop will remain in operation through the start of the spring semester. We plan to complete the transition to this new model by spring break 2014.

Aaron Kinard, who has been the campus liaison for print services for many years, has been named Manager of Business Operations under Doug Maget, the Director of Business Operations. In this new role, Aaron will continue to be the contact and facilitator for faculty, staff, and students in need of printed materials. Going forward, he will use his expertise to match printing requests with outside vendors in the local area best qualified for the work. The College has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) and expects to enter into agreements with multiple vendors in January. Aaron will work closely with the campus community and the vendors to expedite your print jobs and make the transition as seamless as possible. Isaac Bisnauth, who currently serves as machine operator for the print shop, will continue to provide support for the satellite copier program.

Thank you for your patience as we transition to the new system. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to me, Doug (dmaget@barnard.edu) or Aaron (akinard@barnard.edu).

Sincerely,

Greg Brown
Chief Operating Officer

The printer via Wikimedia Commons.