Computing & Information Resources

Technology is increasingly an integral part of a student’s education. In addition, many student services and information are delivered via technology. To provide the KSU student with a quality education delivered most conveniently, technology is used as an essential part of instruction, for student access to educational materials, and for the delivery of student services.

A $25 technology fee was collected for the first time in the 1997-98 academic year to provide students with improved technological resources including: greatly enhanced on-campus and remote access to the internet; important software packages such as Microsoft Office delivered on-line; student training in use of computer technology; increased access on campus through extended laboratory hours; computer connections, and an electronics study room in the Library; upgrade of student laboratories; and, instruction in the use of advanced multimedia presentation technology in the Multimedia Development laboratory. The technology fee for 2009-2010 is $50.00.

The Kennesaw State University Website exists to assist students with course registration and reviewing of grades. In addition, the KSU Website delivers quality content to our readers. Each year brings new technology, creative uses of technology on campus, and services to meet our growing needs.

KSU generated e-mail accounts are the official means of communication with students. Instructions can be found at http://students.kennesaw.edu.

The Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer (CIO) provides leadership in the continuing advancement of information and instructional technology. This position oversees the operations of information technology which includes the Horace Sturgis Library, Information Technology Services and Enterprise Systems and Services, Online Learning Services Department, Multimedia Development Group, Department of Archives and Records Management, and the Office of Enterprise Information Management.

Horace W. Sturgis Library

Built in 1981 with over 100,000 feet of space, the library, named after the university’s first president Horace W. Sturgis, is designed to support and advance the teaching and learning activities of the greater university community.

The Sturgis Library has more than 600,000 volumes of books, E-books and government publications. There are more than 3,300 serial publications and well over 1,500,000 pieces of microforms.

KSU students and faculty have access to and borrowing privileges from the collections in all of Georgia’s public college and university libraries as well as a number of private university libraries through The Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education, GALILEO and GIL, Georgia’s virtual library system. GALILEO and GIL provide access to the collections of the finest doctoral research university libraries in the state. The comprehensive holdings of Georgia’s virtual library system include over 10 million volumes and thousands of full-text periodicals accessible through 225 electronic databases.

The Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education includes institutions such as Agnes Scott College, Emory University, University of Georgia, Clark-Atlanta University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, and the Institute of Paper Science and Technology. Use of these collections is available by an institutional access card, via five day truck delivery, institutional fax machines and through interlibrary loans.

The Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education and University Systems Libraries has unique titles that augment collection development at Kennesaw and through the Georgia Union Catalog, enhance both research and teaching. Access to these extensive catalog collections are through the on-line public catalog which is available in the library, on the campus network and via telephone from remote sites.

For research purposes, faculty and students have access to a broad array of traditional print collections and full-text and full-image digital items through GALILEO, EBSCO, ProQuest, ERIC, and Lexis/Nexis, and other online reference databases. The. The GALILEO service provides access to World Wide Web resources such as the Library of Congress, full-text journal titles, newspapers, and to document delivery services.

Users of the library also have access to four special collections:

• The Children’s Literature Collection named in honor of the late John DiFazio, professor of education at Kennesaw, houses an 8,000 volume library used for the professional preparation and training of P-12 teachers.
• The Teen Collection consisting of 1,500 works designed to meet the unique learning and reading needs of adolescence.
• The Bentley Special Collections brings together a world-class collection that spans the history of the written word in the Western World. This collection provides undergraduate students one of few opportunities in the nation to study original works firsthand.
• The Government Documents Collection houses print, microforms, CD-ROM databases and remote access to Federal Agencies. Sturgis Library, as part of the national depository system, makes books, periodicals and agency data available to the Sixth Congressional District.
• Performing Arts Library supports the specialized teaching, learning, and research needs of KSU’s School of Music and Department of Theatre, Performance Studies, and Dance. Access to the Sturgis Library’s collection of arts-oriented digital resources is available from the PAL’s computer terminals. Focused instruction is available to individuals and classes in locating and using print, electronic and media resources.

Recently added services are:

• The DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University and the Copyright Management Center. The Digital Commons is a new type of service for the university community. The Digital Commons is an institutional repository: a permanent digital archive, the intellectual and creative out put of Kennesaw State. The system is a product of Berkeley Electronic Press. With the increase of KSU’s graduate programs, the Library intends to use the system to self-publish dissertations and theses and make them available via the web.
• The Copyright Management Center is intended to assist Kennesaw faculty, staff, and students in working and complying with copyright issues, specifically in balancing the rights of copyright holders with the exercise of fair use for educational purposes.
• Ask a Librarian e-mail service is now available and is part of a whole array of virtual reference tools designed to expand delivery of information and reference help.

Library Instruction classes are provided for students and faculty. Individual research clinics are available by appointment. The library is a charter member of LYRASIS, the nation’s largest regional membership organization for libraries and information professionals and is a member of the On-line Computer Library Center, a major international library computing network with members located in the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan.

The Sturgis Library is open 100 hours during the semester and has extended hours during exams. Between semester hours are posted at library entrances, the circulation desk and on the library website. For checkout of materials, the university identification card serves as a library card.

Computing Services

The goal of Information Technology Services (ITS) is to provide efficient, secure and user-friendly access to technology for all students, faculty and staff, so they have the necessary tools to carryout collaboration, research, scholarship, and innovation. ITS provides the foundational infrastructure of campus computing, both installing and maintaining network connectivity, telecommunications, and campus computing hardware.

Students receive a KSU email account, personal web space, web-based file storage, and are eligible to take online training on many commonly used software programs via a single-sign-on authentication – one login ID, and one password. ITS also provides face to face technology workshops, and a student help desk, complete with walk-up services.

Within the ITS computer labs on the 4th floor of Burruss, students have access to many standard office productivity programs plus academically specific software, as well as color printing and copy services. Group labs are available for collaborative work, and trained lab assistants are on duty to answer any questions. Over 63 similar computer labs are scattered throughout the colleges, library and student center.

The rules for use of all telecommunications equipment, including telephones, computers and FAX equipment, are found the KSU Web site at: http://www.kennesaw.edu/infosec/issp.html. They can also be reached through the KSU Intranet home page by choosing the topic Issue Specific System Policies from the Computing Resources section. Use of any of these facilities implies an understanding of and compliance with these policies

Online Learning Services Department

Online Learning Services supports online learning systems for Kennesaw State University, including web-based course support, video servers, and systems for providing live and recorded classes over the Internet. Our mission includes the investigation and development of new technologies for online learning and for classroom use.

OLS supports the KSU WebCT system. WebCT is a system that can be used, at the option of the faculty, in any course at KSU. It is accessed over the Internet from on- or off-campus and provides a variety of instructional tools for use by faculty and students. Access to the WebCT materials for a course is restricted to students enrolled in the course. Each term, more than 50% of KSU students are enrolled in one or more courses supported by WebCT.

Additional information about resources for online learning and the services provided by OLS can be found at the web site: http://online.kennesaw.edu/

Multimedia Development Group (MDG)

The Multimedia Development Group (MDG) offers a wide range of multimedia services and training for faculty, staff, and students. Located on the fourth floor of the library, MDG supports audio/visual and presentation equipment on campus. In addition to maintaining KSU’s multimedia presentation classrooms, MDG specializes in multimedia training and production assistance; graphics creation, multimedia file conversion, audio/video tape duplication, video editing/compression, desktop publishing, and CD-ROM recording. MDG supports some of the most cutting edge multimedia hardware and software available.

Instructional Equipment

MDG supports a wide range of equipment for classroom use. Through designated building coordinators, MDG maintains a distributed set of equipment for faculty to request. Each building coordinator has his/her own system for reserving equipment. See your departmental secretary to obtain building
coordinator’s contract name and number. Equipment available for pickup includes: data projection systems, video playback combo, VHS camcorders, audio cassette player/recorders, audio CD players, public address systems, slide projectors, and microphones. If you have special equipment needs, consult MDG to consider options.

MDG Media Circulation Lab Hours

The MDG multimedia lab is open to faculty, staff, and students Monday - Thursday from 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The lab is closed on holidays.

Department of Archives, Rare Books, and Records Management

 The Department of Archives and Records Management was established in 2004 in order to preserve the history of Kennesaw State University and to oversee the management of University records. The Records Management division assists and provides training for faculty and staff on managing paper and electronic records. The Archives division serves the research interests of KSU students, faculty, staff and the public. Our holdings include 600 linear feet of University records, 120 linear feet of Georgia History collections, several thousand University photographs and audiovisual recordings, and digital collections. Recent acquisitions include the records of the NAACP Cobb County Branch, the Gordon Collection on workplace integration at the Lockheed Plant (Marietta, Georgia) and in the Southeastern United States, and the Walker Collection on African-American churches, plantations, and cemeteries in Georgia. The Bentley Rare Book Library, one of three museum-grade rare book libraries in Georgia, was added to the department in July 2009. The Rare Book Library offers tours, classes and seminars for the KSU community and the general public. Among the more than 15,000 volumes represented by the Bentley Library are recent acquisitions of a fourth folio Shakespeare (1685) and a first edition of the complete works of Chaucer.

Enterprise Information Management (EIM)

The Enterprise Information Management (EIM) office maintains the university’s program and institutional evaluation records, is the university’s official SACS accreditation liaison, and oversees the university’s comprehensive program review and improvement process. The offices of Enterprise Information Reporting and Enterprise Data Management and Analysis aid in facilitating the production of statistical information, data analysis, and special studies in support of institutional reporting, planning, assessment, and administrative oversight.

 The KSU Educational Technology Center (ETC) is proud to be the largest of the 13 Georgia Department of Education technology centers located throughout the state. The KSU ETC is located in the Bagwell College of Education on the second floor of Kennesaw Hall. The ETC serves educators in metro Atlanta area school systems by providing comprehensive instructional, administrative, and technical training for Georgia educators in a short course or seminar format. In addition, the ETC provides consulting and advising services, helping school systems to select, implement, and support classroom technology that provides the greatest benefit to students and teachers. The ETC seeks to disseminate information about educational technology through participation in state and national conferences, by producing blogs, podcasts, and web-based materials and by participating in classes offered as part of pre-service degree programs at KSU. Visit their website at http://edtech.kennesaw.edu for more information on available resources and services.