Wireless LAN Cards Supplement Library Cards at CSU

Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins has earned a reputation for supporting its teaching and research with the latest technology. So when the university decided that patrons needed better computer access at CSU’s Morgan Library, a wireless network became a priority.

CSU installed a 3Com wireless network, including access points and wireless PC Cards, in the recently renovated library. As part of the project, the university will lend library-owned laptops equipped with the PC Cards to students who need them for their research.

“With 3Com’s help, we’re able to provide students with the benefits of online resources flexibly, inexpensively, and regardless of whether they can afford computer equipment,” says Julie Wessling, assistant dean for public services in the CSU libraries.

Completed in March 2000, 3Com’s wireless LAN lets laptop-equipped patrons conduct research and access library resources, university services, and the Internet from almost any location in the five-story building. Users enjoy fast, easy links to the library’s 400-plus browser-accessible databases containing abstracts and full-text journal articles, as well as Books In Print, Consumer Reports, and the Associated Press newswire.

“Students, faculty, and staff now have the opportunity to maximize the potential of cutting-edge technology as they use the more than two million items in our collections,” states Wessling.