Information technology facilities (computer hardware, software, networks, data and other information, etc.) are made available by Colby as shared resources intended to support and facilitate the teaching, research, and administrative functions of the College. Staff are encouraged to use these resources to their maximum benefit in these functions.

The staff of Information Technology Services (ITS) is available for consulting, and workshops are scheduled throughout the year to introduce students, faculty, and staff to the basics of information technology, including personal computers and central computer use. Advanced topics on individual programs are also available. A monthly newsletter informs the community of changes in facilities, policy discussions being conducted, innovative applications of information technology, and tips on how to use technology more effectively. Staff are encouraged to visit the ITS Web page (http://www.colby.edu/info.tech/) for more information about available services and procedures.

The College attempts to provide appropriate computer hardware and software to support employees in the performance of their work. Apple computers, using the Mac operating system, and Compaq and Dell computers, running a Microsoft Windows operating system, are the standard micro-computers used in academic and administrative offices. Each spring department directors are asked to assess their computing needs for the coming year, and hardware allocations are made by ITSS on a prioritized basis. Software is available from the ITS web page and from an extensive library located in the Lovejoy Cluster (Lovejoy 400). Special order software may be available, and interested employees should contact ITS for additional information. Macintosh and Windows computers are available in the Lovejoy Cluster and Macintosh computers are available in the Library cluster (Miller 16). Use of two other clusters is restricted to students.

The College also has a centralized administrative computing system ("EdVanta"). EdVanta is a relational database containing information on employees and students from a variety of different academic and administrative offices.

Colby's data communications network, built around a high-speed Ethernet backbone through the academic buildings, is available in all classrooms, student computer clusters, academic and administrative offices, and all student rooms. The College is a member of the New England Academic and Research Network (NEARnet), which provides access to regional, national, and international computing resources, including electronic mail, Web service, file transfer, and remote login. Hundreds of major U.S. library catalogs are available on the Internet, in addition to supercomputers, specialized data sources, and conferencing systems.

Faculty/Staff Support Center

In order to meet the support requirements of the faculty and staff, ITS created the Faculty/Staff Support Center. The Center is staffed by ITS professional staff members and professional technicians from the College's service vendor. All questions or reports of problems about Macintosh and Windows computer systems, as well as network connection and server problems (i.e., e-mail and news), should be directed to the Faculty/Staff Support Center. The Support Center may be contacted at extension 3888 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Computer Purchases by Staff The College has a computer loan program established with a local credit union for favorable loan terms on computers purchased by faculty and staff. For further information, contact Personnel Services at x3406.

Information Technology Code of Ethics

Colby has established extensive policies to guide the use and administration of information technology resources. These policies are provided to employees upon application for a computer account and are available from ITS upon request. College policies and federal and state law make certain kinds of activities involving information technology either abuse or civil or criminal offenses. Staff should be aware that violations of College information technology policies are handled through standard disciplinary processes outlined in this Handbook. Please see the Information Technology Services (ITS) web page for more information.

Electronic Mail

Electronic mail ("e-mail") is accessed through personal accounts on Colby's central computers and allows users to communicate with students, faculty, and staff at Colby and, through the network, to a wide variety of users across the country. Workshops are offered each month, and staff may request a personal account at any time by contacting ITS. Please see the Information Technology Services (ITS) web page for more information about Colby's electronic mail policy and procedures.
Telephones

The College has an integrated telephone system for all office and student telephones. The Directory of Faculty, Staff, and Students, issued each fall contains detailed information about the College's telephone system and provides the campus extensions and other contact information of faculty, staff, and students.

Official calls can be made directly over most faculty/staff extensions by dialing "9" and then the full number. The calls are charged against the account of the department in which the call originated. For Colby students and employees, personal calls should be made using a personal calling card or the College offers a personal calling program (STS). For more information, contact AdServ at extension 3580.

Voice Mail

Many students, faculty, and staff have access to a voice mailbox through the College's telephone system. For most campus extensions, calls will be diverted to voice mail when the line is busy or if the phone is not answered within four rings. To ensure that this is an effective method of communication, staff are encouraged to retrieve and then delete messages at least daily.

Facsimile

Colby has several facsimile machines for official and personal use. The primary FAX machine is located in the Eustis Service Center and the number is (207) 872-3555. Service Center staff will contact staff members who receive faxes. Faxes will be held one day for pick up and then placed in campus mail. For information about FAX procedures and costs, contact the Eustis Service Center.

Media Services

The Media Services group of ITSS, located in the Audiovisual Center in Miller Library, provides support for audiovisual resources in classrooms and elsewhere on campus. In addition to offering the traditional equipment delivery and loan services, the group also produces educational materials and provides instruction in many media-related areas. A full complement of equipment, from overhead projectors and computer projection systems to portable video recorders and video editing stations for student and faculty use, is maintained. Through its satellite downlink facilities, Media Services provides multilingual and special-interest programming to the campus via cable TV.

In addition to providing the services described above, Media Services maintains an extensive video collection. Videos may be borrowed from Media Services during regular business hours and must be returned within 48 hours.