Computer Laboratory Renovations
and Beyond

Those of you here during the summer may have noticed the work and activity going on behind closed doors on the fourth floor of the LSU Health Sciences Center Library. We weren't trying to be secretive, and we are excited to announce the re-opening of our renovated computer lab.

We have added fourteen brand new Gateway PC's to our lab, bringing the total number of available computers to 30. These new computers have some spirit to them as well. "Comparing these new computers to the old is like comparing a Ferrari to a bicycle", says Bryant Faust of Academic Affairs. He's not guilty of hyperbole either. Equipped with 450 MHz Pentium III processors and 128 MB of RAM, the days of tapping your foot impatiently while waiting for images to load are a thing of the past. Equally exciting are the new 19" monitors, offering 40 extra square inches of viewing space. The improvements and innovations are not limited simply to individual computers. To further improve the classes on database searching given by the library, the new lab is equipped with a 48 square foot projection screen, and a new teaching PC station.

For those in need of more fundamental programs, we have equipped all the lab computers with Microsoft Office 2000 premium edition. This package includes not only the latest versions of staples such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but also Photo Draw, Publisher, and Access. Right now, you may be thinking, "Well this is all dandy, but files for Publisher are so gigantic, I can't fit them on a disk." Ah, but you can fit them on a zip disk. In response to this need, all the new computers are equipped with 100MB zip drives, capable of holding the complete works of your favorite author (in the public domain) and an MP-3 of the latest hit band all on one disk.

Those of you doing book or journal searches have no doubt noticed the four new computers on the 4th and 5th floor. These are located near the study rooms on the 4th floor, and in the stacks on the 5th floor. This means no more running back and forth to track down the latest issue of Renal Failure. Saving all this time and energy may have allowed you to notice some changes in our public access terminals. They are in the process of being converted to Windows NT. Moving to a Windows NT platform will offer a more stable working environment for out Library users.

-- Gene Meneray
gmener@lsumc.edu link removed