Fall 2004 -  Volume 10 -  Number 2

Evolution of Technological Infrastructure in the UTA Libraries

by Bob Samson, Coordinator, Information Technologies

Libraries, in general, have evolved more and more from repositories of printed materials to digital data centers, with a heavy dependence on technological infrastructure. In the UTA Libraries, for example, one is less likely to find researchers engaged in quiet study with a stack of books open on their desk, than it is to see hundreds of students tapping away on computer keyboards as they conduct their research through the power of the Internet. The muffled whispers of the past have been replaced with the hum of computers and printers, and independent study has been superseded by collaborative research.

This evolution has created its share of issues and opportunities for the UTA Libraries as we make every effort to meet the demands of our users. Technological infrastructure is in a constant state of revision as we address new technologies and new ways of providing information services.

Melissa Dickens, a public relations sophomore, takes full advantage of the offerings of the UTA Libraries while enjoying the mild weather. The park benches on the Library Mall are well within range of the library’s wireless network.

As university enrollment continues to increase, it is all but impossible to meet the demands of users for access to the Internet. The Libraries maintains more than two hundred publicly accessible desktop and laptop computers in six different physical facilities. These computers are rebuilt three times per year, on average, so that they contain the most current software required by researchers. The PCs are protected with a variety of security measures and anti-virus software in an effort to ensure the integrity of the devices and to guarantee personal security for those who make use of the equipment. PCs and laptops are replaced every three years so that the Libraries may stay on top of new developments in PC functionality and provide our users with equipment that is more or less state-of-the-art and fully operational.

With a relatively small number of PCs and laptops available in the Libraries, we work closely with the campus Office of Information Technologies (OIT) so that additional network access can be made available. The Central Library, for example, houses a number of OIT facilities which can be used by Libraries’ users when the need for PC access exceeds our capacity. PC labs across campus can be used to access the vast majority of Libraries’ information resources and services.

In addition, the evolution of a wireless network in the Libraries, and across campus, has provided much needed increased access to network connectivity. OIT has made great efforts to enhance the campus wireless network in order to support current standards in the technology and to increase bandwidth across the wireless network. They have implemented security measures on the wireless network which ensure personal privacy while at the same time accommodate the network access required to conduct research.

Behind the scenes, the Libraries maintain an array of nearly two dozen servers, which provide all the background services needed to make our resources available to our users. These servers provide access to the Libraries catalog of local holdings. They support the management of the Libraries’ collection, as items are added to the collection and checked in and out to users. They provide support for print services, so that users can easily take with them the results of their research. They make available information resources which weren’t originally designed to be accessed by a web browser, through the use of operating systems and software applications designed for this purpose. They support the lending and borrowing of items from other libraries. They provide the functionality of new research tools, such as the recently implemented “UTALink” content linking service, and the upcoming “OneSearch” federated search engine. All of these servers are maintained, secured, and upgraded on a continuing basis so that they continue to serve their designated functions as efficiently as possible.

The UTA Libraries serves as the conduit to information regardless of where that information resides or in what format it is retained. The Libraries technological infrastructure will continue to evolve so that we may support this primary service efficiently, securely, and competently.