Today, we are updating the library home page with a redesigned search box that offers easier and more intuitive access to key library resources students and faculty want. Featuring a more modern, clean look, this new design draws on insights gained from a year’s worth of research into the preferences and habits of our users. With their participation in three rounds of usability testing, Baruch students played a central role in shaping the look and feel of the search box.

Old Design (2011 – 2016)

New Design (2017)

A drop-down menu in the new design offers a clearer set of search options (as well as a few new choices):

We hope you’ll give it a try and share with us any feedback you have about the new look.

The Project

Baruch College is undertaking a complete renovation and upgrade of the main student computer lab on the sixth floor of the Information and Technology Building at 151 East 25th Street. Work will begin on Wednesday, November 16, and is expected to last through Summer 2017. Our goal is to have the entire facility renovated by the start of classes in Fall 2017.  Although we regret the inconvenience students will experience during the renovation period, the College looks forward to providing an outstanding, new student-centered facility.

The new features of the lab will include:

• An expansion of the total area of the lab with student seating extending to the windows through the removal of the interior wall on the north side of the floor
• Easy access to the help desk, relocated to the entrance hall area
• 6 new student collaboration rooms with special presentation and conferencing equipment
• New computers at every seat plus new printers, scanners, and other equipment for student use
• New furnishings— tables, chairs, and lounge seating— to support group work as well as individual work
• Electrical outlets at every table
• A bring-your-own-device area

Schedules and Accommodations: What to Expect

The renovation will be accomplished in two phases.

Phase one will start with the construction of a temporary wall to separate the lab’s north and south sides. Full-scale construction will then begin on the south side, while the north side remains open. Once the south side renovation is completed, the south side will reopen.

Phase two of the work will focus on the north side.

Note: While each side is under construction, lab computers will be relocated and available on various floors of the Newman Library. To accommodate extra use of the library, temporary additional seats will be available on each floor for the duration of the project.

The architectural renderings of the renovated lab are provided below.

South side of the lab including collaboration rooms

South side of the lab showing the help desk

South side of the lab from above showing help desk and entrance

North side of the lab with lounge seating and individual work stations from above

Printer alcove and bring-your-own-device area

The 15th Annual CUNY IT Conference will be held on December 1 and 2 at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

The full conference program and registration information are available on the conference web site.  Listed below are the sessions that include presentations by Baruch College faculty and staff.

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Thursday, December 1 at 1:00

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Thursday, December 1 at 2:15

Baruch College faculty and staff are making four presentations at the 13th Annual CUNY IT Conference, which will be held on December 4 and 5, 2014.  The information regarding those sessions is provided below.  The full conference program and registration information may be found on the conference web site.

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E Pluribus Unum: Coordinating Digital Programs at Baruch College

(Federated Systems Track) – 12/4 @ 1:00 p.m.

Baruch College Library’s Digital Initiative builds bridges to connect disparate digital assets management solutions across campus. Faculty librarians outline their approach to establishing a campus-wide policy and workflow to collect, digitize, and ingest digital materials for user access and long-term preservation. Pioneers from the Office of Communications and Marketing discuss the challenges of this collaborative process, changes in practices, and the upcoming transformation of their photo library.

Speakers:
Arthur Downing, Vice President for Information Services and Dean of the Library, Baruch College
Kimmy Szeto, Assistant Professor – Metadata Librarian, Newman Library, Baruch College
Jessica Wagner, Assistant Professor – Digital Initiatives Librarian, Newman Library, Baruch College
Jean Strong, Digital Communications Manager, Office of Communications, Marketing & Public Affairs, Baruch College
Amalia Reinhardt, Graphic Designer, Office of Communications, Marketing & Public Affairs, Baruch College

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Building Pedagogically-Sound and Technologically-Smart Hybrid Courses

(Pedagogies Track) – 12/5 @ 9:30 a.m.

Baruch’s Center for Teaching and Learning supports the College’s effort to bolster its online and hybrid course offerings with seminars that guide faculty through the process of transitioning from a face-to-face to a hybrid mode of instruction. Faculty members from multiple disciplines think, write, and talk through how hybridization may augment existing learning goals, the ideal architecture of online spaces, and how assignments and assessments should be reshaped.

Speakers:
Luke Waltzer, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Baruch College
Kate O’Donoghue, Hybrid Coordinator, Center for Teaching and Learning, Baruch College
Debra Caplan, Assistant Professor of Theatre, Baruch College
Antonietta D’Amelio, Lecturer, Department of Modern Languages & Comparative Literature, Baruch College
Kannan Mohan, Associate Professor of Computer Information Systems, Baruch College

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Utilizing Technology to Foster and Empower Student Entrepreneurship Across CUNY

(Networking Track) – 12/5 @ 1:00 p.m.

The CUNY Center for Student Entrepreneurship (CSE) is a Baruch College led University-wide network to support/ encourage student entrepreneurship. The student Incubator “kicked-off” July 1, 2014. More broadly, technology is essential to link campus-based outposts with CSE to inform and engage interested students and faculty, culminating in an incubator/accelerator experience. This session will present convening, supporting and servicing elements, forming an emerging entrepreneurship technology platform across CUNY.

Speakers:
John Clark, CUNY Central Office, Acting Executive Director, CUNY Center for Student Entrepreneurship, (CSE).
Edward Rogoff, Baruch College, Co-Academic Director, CSE
Stuart Schulman, Baruch College, Co-Academic Director, CSE
Christoph Winkler, Baruch College, Director, Technology, Innovation and Research, CSE
Edgar Troudt, Kingsborough Community College, Director, Technology, CUNY Institute for Virtual Enterprise (IVE)

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Vocat 3.0: Ongoing Use and Future Development

(Tools Track) – 12/5 @ 2:15 p.m.

Since the release of the rebuilt Vocat in Spring 2014, evaluators have used the tool’s time-stamped annotations, peer review, server-side video processing, and video embeds in exciting ways. In this presentation, current Vocat users will share their innovative projects, and Center for Teaching and Learning staff will detail how current use is shaping ongoing development.

Speakers:
Luke Waltzer, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, Baruch College
Craig Stone, Educational Technology Specialist, Center for Teaching and Learning, Baruch College
Anderson Evans, Vocat Coordinator, Center for Teaching and Learning, Baruch College
Dennis Dolack, Writing and Communications Tutorial Coordinator, Student Academic Consulting Center, Baruch College
Julia Goldstein, Adjunct Professor, Communication Studies / Communication Fellow, Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute, Baruch College
Debra Hilborn, Adjunct Professor, Communication Studies; Communication Fellow / Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute, Baruch College

In response to a request from Undergraduate Student Government the Library is testing the addition of electrical outlets to the large study tables.  Each unit has 3 electrical outlets plus 2 USB ports for re-charging mobile devices.  The first unit has been installed on a table on the North side of the second floor (see photo below).  If the test is successful and users are satisfied, units will be installed on tables throughout the library.