The same wireless technology that has put the Bryan Center and Krzyzewskiville at the forefront of Duke's technological capabilities is coming to Perkins Library.
"We can envision a day where scholars access books in the stacks while taking notes and performing wireless digital searches of the card catalog and other network-based resources on a portable digital device," said Michael Pickett, who is the provost's special assistant for academic technology.
The project, which costs about $2,000 per transmitter, was extended to Perkins after the Office of Information Technology received positive feedback from students who had used the technology in the Bryan Center and at K-ville.
Students with laptop computers will be the most immediate beneficiaries of the new technology. "Users with wireless PCMCIA cards can connect to the network just as if they were plugged into a regular data port. Speeds are slower, but you can wander about the area," said Bob Currier, director of data communications at OIT.
Wireless technology eliminates the constraints that the necessity of physical data ports puts on a user. Pickett, OIT associate chief information officer, said that the move is particularly timely as Perkins readies itself for a multi-million-dollar renovation. "Perkins is an obvious choice because that's where many students choose to work," said junior Ben Allen, Duke Student Government co-director of computing. "Having wireless access will make it easier for them to work."
The concept behind wireless technology is fairly simple. Wireless communication is made possible via an access point. The shoe-box size access point acts as a transmitter, emitting radio signals over a range of about 500 feet.
The addition of wireless technology to specific areas on campus has gone remarkably smoothly thus far. OIT officials say they deploy the new systems with great caution and confidently predict only minimal problems.
A larger concern is whether students will use the new system. Though few complain about the working of the Bryan Center system, general awareness and use remains fairly low.
Freshman Katherine Thorpe said she did not even know wireless technology was available. "Of course, since I don't have a laptop, it doesn't really matter," she said.
For those that do have laptops, a wireless card will cost them about $150.
"While our sense is that we will continue to need our wired access to the network, many portable devices will be able to take advantage of wireless access in the near future," Pickett said.
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