During the fall 2021 semester, the library will be making it easier than ever to access our services and resources. Over the course of the semester we will launch new #LibraryConveniencePoints and update this article with information as new spaces, systems and resources come online. Whether you need a computer, a printer, library materials or services, we want to make it easy for you to access what they need. If you want to join in the conversation about these new conveniences or have ideas for future improvements, follow the hashtag #LibraryConveniencePoints on Twitter and Instagram and share your thoughts.
Alkek Library is offering workshops in new locations!
Large format printing workshop to be held at ASB South on Nov. 29
It isn’t always easy for people to get to the Alkek Library, so we’re taking our helpful workshops on the road. In an effort to give more people easy access to the services we offer, we’re taking our workshops to new locations. Earlier this fall, we brought some of Alkek One’s awesome technology workshops to the students in Round Rock. Now, we’re leveraging our newly renovated TechSpot in the Academic Services Building (ASB) to share our expertise in a location on the other side of campus and help introduce people to the new space.
If you want to learn about how to make your large format posters, maps or other creations print ready, be sure to mark your calendars for Nov. 29th and join us in ASB-South room 201 (next to the Den dining area). The Large Format Printing workshop will be from 1-2 pm and will teach you how to prepare your Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator or Publisher documents for printing. No registration is necessary for the workshop which will be held in the Quiet Study Room inside the TechSpot. Those who attend will receive a $5 coupon toward a large format print job in the Alkek Print Shop.
Send&Print kiosks are popping up all over! New printers make it easy for you to print on campus.
Have you noticed? There are Send&Print printers popping up around the San Marcos campus. The new stand-alone printing kiosks are just like the printers you are used to in the Alkek Library. Simply submit your document through from a computer anywhere on campus that is connected to TXST-Bobcat wifi, swipe your university ID card on the printer and print your document.
These printers will automatically deduct your printed pages from your campus printing allotment of 2,500 black and white sheets per semester. Locations where the Send&Print kiosks are up and running include the Music Building, LBJ Student Center (2nd and 3rd floors), Student Recreation Center, Evans Liberal Arts building, Ingram Hall, Flowers Hall, and the Hines Academic Center. Additional printers will hopefully be coming soon to Centennial Hall and the Comal building. There are also Send&Print printers in the TechSpots (formerly campus computer labs) in McCoy 338, Family Consumer Science building 140, Jowers 201, and ASB South 201.
The new printing kiosks are part of an effort to make library resources and services more accessible. No need to memorize all those printing kiosk locations, use the TXST Mobile App Find a Printer feature to locate a printer that is most convenient to your location or destination. As new printers come online, they will automatically be added to the app feature (see New TXST Mobile app features... below for more on this).
Update! as well. The Send&Print kiosks will print black and white, letter and legal sized documents in either portrait or landscape orientations. You can also choose whether you want your document to be printed on one or two sides.
Self-checkout stations enable you to skip the lines and check out library materials yourself!
We’ve added four easy-to-use self-checkout stations in the Alkek Library so that library patrons can easily access and check out library materials without having to wait in line at the third-floor desk. Most library materials can be checked out from these stations with just a swipe of a university ID card and a scan of the barcode on the item being checked out. A few specialty items and materials put on reserve by faculty must still be checked out from the Checkout Desk on the third floor.
The new self-checkout stations are conveniently located on floors 2, 3, 5 and 6 near the elevators. Patrons can also check items in at the stations if they wish or they can view their library account to check to see whether they have materials that need to be returned. You must have your student ID with you to use the self-check stations.
If you can do self-checkout in the grocery store, you can do this. It’s easy! Follow these steps:
- On the display screen, select checkout materials.
- Ignore the message that tells you to place your ID on the scanner and instead swipe your ID on the card swipe attached to machine.
- When prompted, scan the barcode for the item you want to checkout (these can be found on the front cover or inside front cover of most items).
- If the screen flashes green, you are good to go. If it flashes red, it will instruct you about whether the item must be checked out from the third floor Checkout Desk.
New TXST Mobile App features help you find a printer, find a computer
Finding an available printer or computer on campus just got easier for TXST Mobile App users. Our friends on the TXST Mobile IT team have added two new features that help users easily search for the printer or computer that is closest to their location or planned campus destination. The Find a Printer feature locates the nearest printer or print kiosk on the which includes printers found in the Alkek and RRC Library, RR campus computer labs, San Marcos campus TechSpots and new stand-alone print kiosks. These printers are available to all students and are associated with the user’s printing allotment of $25 per semester. The new app let’s you designate whether you are looking for a black and white or color printer. The addition of this feature is very timely as new stand-alone print kiosks are being added in a variety of locations across the San Marcos campus. The most recent additions are found in the Music Building, the LBJ Student Center and the Student Recreation Center. As new printers come online they will automatically be added to the app feature.
Open computers can be also be found using the Find a Computer feature. Library-managed computers on the San Marcos campus (Alkek and TechSpots) and ITAC-supported workstations in Round Rock (library, Avery 303 & 305) are included in those found through the app feature. Computers in labs operated by university academic departments and other units on campus, and those in Alkek One are not currently included. You can search by campus, computer type (Mac or Windows) or specific software need. The app will let you know how many workstations are open and available in each location at the time of the search.
Aren’t a TXST Mobile app user, yet? No problem, visit the website to find out how to download and learn more about all the great things you can learn and do with its many features.
