The Health Sciences Library & Informatics Center (HSLIC) is undergoing a technological makeover.
Student fees for the library have been raised to $260 annually to finance new exam preparation materials, expand the number of e-books, provide access to more library resources and maintain quality computer equipment in heavily used, student-oriented areas.
The most exciting addition is iPad rentals, said Jim Bynum, manager of HSLIC.
“We have three iPads that can be checked out in the library,” he said. “They can be checked out by any UNM student, faculty or staff for four hours at a time.”
Holly Buchanan, director of HSLIC, said providing iPads is part of UNM’s initiative to expand technological education.
Student feedback is crucial to integrating technology into UNM curriculum, Buchanan said.
“The iPad is an example of new technology on the market,” she said. “We are giving students the opportunity to try it out for a little bit and get their feedback about the new technology.”
Issuing iPads is only one component of the HSLIC’s effort to keep UNM on par with the electronic market, said Owen Ellard, director of Technology Support Services.
“There is an initiative going on here,” he said. “The website made exclusively to be viewed on a “smart phone” is a part of the same initiative as having iPads available. We want to support people with mobile technologies.”
The HSLIC is taking advantage of having sophisticated technical human resources available by developing a “smart-phone” compatible system, Buchanan said.
“More and more students are getting ‘smart phones,’ so more of us want to be able to access resources on them,” she said. “It was difficult because we had to modify how the info is delivered out to make changes in the web applications so that it can be read on smaller displays. We believe it is important for our students to have access wherever they may be because students are portable.”
Buchanan said the growing use of technology at UNM is paying off, with UNM climbing the national ranks for its efforts.
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“You are always hearing about how UNM is at bottom of national rankings,” she said. “But in the use of electronic reserve materials for our students, we are fifth in country. I think that is pretty impressive. We are 10th in the nation for the use of electronic books.”
Buchanan said student should expect technological opportunities to grow in the future possibly alleviating textbook costs.
“Not only are our students very technology savvy, but they want more materials that are in electronic form,” she said. “The increase in student technology fee is really to allow us to potentially license all e-books instead of having everyone buy them. In the end, the cost is much less through a technology fee than if they bought print textbooks individually.”
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For more information on iPad rental visit- http://hsc.unm.edu/library*
