18 Library and Information Technology

Matt Gardzina, Vice President for Information Services and Librarian of the College

Library & IT

At Connecticut College libraries and technology services are merged as Library & Information Technology  under the leadership and guidance of Matt Gardzina, Vice President for Information Services and Librarian of the College.

Shain Library and Library Collections

Shain Library is the main repository for the College’s print and media collections. The library holds a collection of some 445,000 print books, 1.2 million electronic books, the complete content of more than 82,000 electronic journals, 23,000 music scores, more than 200 databases, some 100,000 government documents, 24,000 sound recordings, and more than 9,000 DVDs. Rare books and manuscripts are housed in the Linda Lear Center for Special Collections and Archives, located on the second floor of Shain Library. Shain Library also houses the IT Service Desk, the Digital Scholarship Center (DSCC), Research Services, Media Services, and the Academic Resource Center (ARC).

The library liaison program is especially important for new faculty in learning about the library’s resources and services. Liaisons can help you become familiar with library resources and services, whether it’s requesting the purchase of a book or film or directing you to the right people for course reserves. Liaisons assist faculty with their own personal research needs; Scholarship Support Services provides a catalog of services and resources we offer. As subject specialists, liaisons work with you to develop collections that serve the needs of the College’s academic departments.

Research support  librarians offer many services to undergraduates. The library instruction program nurtures students’ curiosity and exploration of resources while building research skills and awareness of the intellectual and social issues surrounding information. Librarians assist students  through  individualized consultations tailored to their research needs.  To partner with a librarian, email Ashley Hanson, Research, Instruction, and Information Literacy Librarian at abpow@conncoll.edu.

Digital Scholarship

The Digital Scholarship & Curriculum Center (3rd Floor) provides tools for scanning and video capture, and services such as digital project development, digital publishing, and grant funding. A Recording Studio is reservable for faculty, staff, and student use.

Media Services

Media Services, located in Shain Library Room 206, provides the Connecticut College community with equipment and technical support for classes and events. Once your classroom is assigned by the Office of the Registrar, contact us (mediaservices@conncoll.edu) to schedule a classroom technology consultation. EMS includes a list of AV technology in your assigned classroom, photos, and room layouts. If you have an AV issue during class, call 860-439-2698 or 2698 for immediate assistance.

Moodle

Connecticut College uses Moodle as a Learning Management System (LMS). Most regularly-scheduled courses are assigned a Moodle site each semester. Some types of courses (e.g. honors and independent studies, music lessons) are not automatically assigned a Moodle site, although one can be generated upon request. Moodle course sites are retained for a minimum of four academic years. For assistance with using Moodle, contact teachtech@conncoll.edu.

Computer Labs

Shain Library is home to two computer labs available for class use – one lab with 20 Mac workstations and one with 16 PC workstations. Additionally, the Diane Y. Williams ’59 Visualization Wall provides for a range of wide-screen interactive visualization applications in the Technology Commons area with flexible-seating. To reserve the use of a computer lab, contact Sharon Brouillard at sbrouilla@conncoll.edu.

Google Workspace

Connecticut College is a Google Workspace for Education institution. Email and calendaring is provided through Google’s Gmail and Calendar apps and network storage is provided through individual Google Drives and Google Shared Drive. Faculty are allotted 50GB of storage in their individual Google Drive. Google Shared Drives for departments or academic research projects, available upon request, have higher storage limits.

Computer Support

The following is some useful information regarding computing:

• The IT Service Desk is located on the first floor of Shain Library and is the first point of contact for computer hardware, software, or network issues, etc.  You can reach the staff by calling (860) 439-HELP (ext. 4357), opening an IT Service Ticket or emailing help@conncoll.edu.
• The IT Service Desk is staffed during campus business hours (9:00 am  – 4 pm during the summer and 9:00 am – 5 pm during the semester).
• CamelWeb is the College’s Intranet system; it offers access to the College directory; announcements and events, updated daily; links to email, Moodle, and Self-Service; information on campus services; documents and policies; and Human Resources Information. You need to have your email and network account activated before you can access CamelWeb. It takes one to three days to create your email and network account after the Dean of the Faculty’s office initiates the process.
• Access to the college network and the Internet is via either a wired Ethernet connection in your office or via wireless, with access points in all academic, administrative, and residential buildings. Every residence hall, including student rooms and common rooms, now has robust wireless access.  More information on wireless access is available on the College web site.
• Access to many college electronic resources from off campus requires a Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) connection. ZTNA is a more secure, modern remote access framework that is an alternative to a VPN. ZTNA software is installed on college-issued computers. For access to specific services available through ZTNA, you will need to request access via an IT Service ticket