On Dec. 1, Georgetown University introduced wireless printing in the second floor of Lauinger Library and in the Blommer Science Library after working with the Faculty Library Advisory Committee to initiate the new features.

“The library had been planning for some time to introduce wireless printing and now, with some new staff in our Library Information Technology Department, the plan is a reality,” university librarian Artemis Kirk said.

Wireless printing will allow students, faculty and staff members to send print jobs from their laptops to public printers on the second floor of Lauinger Library and in Blommer Science Library. The new service is available for Mac or Windows laptops and requires the installation of free printing software available on the GU Library’s Web site.

Those sending print jobs do not have to be in the library to send the jobs. They must, however, be connected to the Georgetown University network.

“The goal of wireless printing is to enable people to send print output to remote printers from their laptops,” Kirk said. “It helps maximize our computer resources by not requiring the use of a workstation just to print an item.”

Ashley Bradford (COL ’12) and other students who often print in the library are excited about the ability to send print jobs wirelessly.

“I think that it will really help expedite printing and enable students to select a slightly more eco-friendly option,” Bradford said. “It was always frustrating to have to find a spot in Gelardin when it’s really crowded in order to print or queuing outside one of the quad computer labs, just to print something out.”

Created to replace the earlier Main Campus Library Committee, the FLAC is a committee of faculty and undergraduate and graduate student representatives, as well as staff members from the GU library, the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship and University Information Services. Members meet to discuss and suggest changes to improve the campus libraries.

According to Kirk, students on the FLAC have suggested adding duplex, or double-sided printing. The GU Library hopes to add the new feature in the spring semester.

“The goal for duplex printing is to save paper, save on printing costs and to complement the university’s `green’ initiatives,” Kirk said.

According to Kirk, the GU Library staff is working with the FLAC to resolve certain questions about duplex printing before implementing it, including whether duplex printing should always be the default. They are also determining whether duplex printing will shorten the life of the printers, thus resulting in higher costs and more waste, despite saving paper.

Bradford believes duplex printing will reduce Georgetown’s negative effects on the environment.

“If you think about how many pages each student prints each year, especially if they choose to print out online resources, it is clear that reducing this number by half will significantly reduce the amount of paper by each student, and help Georgetown in its efforts to be a greener community,” she said.”