Matt Rubin
Washington University Libraries will institute printing fees beginning Oct. 20, 2006. The Libraries expect the new pay-per-page policy to reduce the volume of printing in the Libraries by 50 percent and defray related expenditures on printer paper and toner, estimated to cost over $130,000 during the 2005-2006 academic year alone.
University officials initially met in the fall of 2005 to investigate the current printing problem and propose a viable solution. As an alternative to charging, the committee recommended posting signs encouraging conservation and duplex printing. Judy Fox, associate dean of libraries, said that the displays unfortunately “had little effect.”
“To continue to support free printing, we would have to significantly reduce our spending on library collections,” said Fox. “The library budget is not inexhaustible; we simply could not handle the volume of printing.”
Shirley Baker, dean of University libraries, said that the Libraries had intended to provide a quota of free printing for each student, but found it could not afford to do so. The library will charge patrons 8 cents per single page, 12 cents per double-sided black-and-white print jobs and a 50 cent fee per color page.
“Even at 8 cents per page, we will not be making a profit. We reluctantly abandoned the idea of a quota,” said Baker. “At best, we will break even on the cost of printing; we will certainly reduce the magnitude of the losses to the Libraries.”
Between 2001 and 2005, library administrators have seen the printing volume quadruple. Fox attributes the surge in printing to University members’ abuse of E-Res and online journals.
“As more and more resources have become electronically available, students have started to indiscriminately print research material from online references, rather than photocopy selected material.”
Washington University is not alone in instituting fees to deal with exorbitant printing. The University’s peer institutions, on average, already charge 5 to 10 cents for black-and-white print jobs, including the University of Chicago, Northwestern, Emory, Duke and Vanderbilt.
“Before last spring, when we started charging our students for printing, we would go through so many reams of paper,” said Larentina Gray, supervisor at Vanderbilt’s circulation desk. “Now that everyone is forced to be conscientious, paper usage has declined dramatically.”
Although library officials met with Student Union leaders last spring to discuss the new printing policy, the first mass communication to students was received via email in early august. Fox and Baker both noted that “students have been unhappy about the planned charges.”
“I think the new printing fee is egregious and over the top – it’s too expensive,” said junior Zack Steinert-Threlkeld, creator of the Facebook group “I wish I could still print for free,” which boasts 246 members as of yesterday, Aug. 29. “I feel that the decision should have been made through a more democratic process. We want to show our dissatisfaction in hopes of reverting back to the status quo, although that seems unlikely.”
Aside from assuaging students, library officials are concerned that printing traffic may be diverted to dorm and department labs still supporting free printing. Marcia Mannen, associate director and client support for Arts & Sciences Computing Lab, said she anticipates a spike in users, including students outside of Arts & Sciences, who are technically without printing privileges to the lab. Up until 2004, printing at the lab was increasing by 20 to 25 percent per year.
“We have had crowds and been able to accommodate them before,” said Mannen. “It has been our policy that we want printing to be easy and open for students. However, we are going to keep a very close eye on the numbers.”
The software the library is using to implement the printing fee, Pharos, has been up and running since summer. “We realize that the print may take less time than the logon process,” said Scott Britton, head of access. To avoid long lines, students may choose to send their request to print stations, and print up to four hours later at any one of the Libraries’ printing stations.
To pay for printing, users can purchase a copy card from a vending machine in Olin Library’s photocopy room on Level 1 or at one of the University’s six other libraries. For more information about the changes in Library printing policy visit www.library.wustl.edu/printing.