Wireless Now Available Throughout Library

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wireless Network Now Available Throughout the W.E.B. Du Bois Library

Amherst, MA - February 17, 2009

Whether hunkering down for a long night of studying in the Learning Commons, or doing research on the 24th floor, UMass Amherst students can now be seen, laptops in tow, with smiles on their faces. Thanks to expanded coverage, students, faculty, and staff with OIT Accounts can now access the wireless network on every floor of the W.E.B. Du Bois Library.

The wireless network installation in the Library is part of an ongoing initiative sponsored by the Office of Information Technologies (OIT) to expand wireless coverage on campus. "Given the large portion of the campus community that visits the library each day, and their need to access the Internet and other networked services, it just made sense to install wireless throughout the building," says John Dubach, Chief Information Officer. "We're happy that we can provide students with a service they've been asking for."

According to Jay Schafer, Director of Libraries, "The Learning Commons, a collaborative project between the Provost's Office, the Library, OIT, and other academic support groups on campus, has been so popular with students that we literally ran out of room for them. By providing wireless coverage on all 26 floors of the Du Bois Library and the Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library, OIT has assured that hundreds of study carrels and other individual quiet study spaces, as well as additional group study spaces, meet the needs of today's technology-savvy students."

To access the campus wireless network, users must choose ‘UMASS' from the list of available networks, open a browser, and then log in with their NetID (OIT Account user name) and password.

For help connecting or general questions about wireless in the Library, users can go to the Learning Commons & Technical Support Desk on the Lower Level of the Library any time the Library is open or call the OIT Help Desk (413-545-9400, M-F, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).

More information about wireless at UMass Amherst, including a complete list of wireless coverage areas on campus, can be found on the OIT Web site: http://www.oit.umass.edu/network/wireless/

Contact: Kerry Shaw, OIT Communications Manager, (413) 545-4858, kshaw@oit.umass.edu

Last Edited: 19 February 2009