In a neon-lit corner of the Erb Memorial Union, a convenient new service hub provides both tech support and print services to the University of Oregon community.
That hub — located in EMU Room 036, the former location of Campus Copy — reflects the combined efforts of Print Services and the Technology Service Desk to best serve the university's evolving needs for print and digital services.
The two groups will host an open house May 10-12 from 12-3 p.m., during the ASUO Spring Street Faire. UO students, staff and faculty members can meet staff from both units, enjoy refreshments, snag giveaway items, and learn about services available in the revamped ground-floor space, next to the Craft Center.
On the print side, the hub features a new self-service printer that accepts credits cards — a rarity on campus — which is available for both personal use and university business. The hub also serves as a campus contact point for Print Services, whose main location is off campus in the Baker Downtown Center.
"People love that they're able to pick up their stuff from Print Services in the EMU," said Katie Harsh, service desk manager for Information Services.
Customers can also submit their print orders, check out paper samples and review proofs at the hub as an alternative to sending things back and forth to Print Services by campus mail.
On the technology side, UO community members can get help with a wide range of software and systems on both personal and UO-owned devices. Hot topics include accounts, email, Duo two-step login, network connections, virus scanning and malware removal.
The Tech Desk serves primarily students but also supports staff and faculty members, complementing the other, more employee-focused teams of User Support Services in Information Services.
People with UO affiliations can also check out digital cameras, lapel microphones and other classroom equipment for course-related uses.
The unlikely pairing of technology and printing is a good fit, according to the two units.
For almost 40 years, Campus Copy served as the satellite production facility for Print Services, providing quick turnaround from a campus location. But the redundancy of expensive production equipment made less sense over time.
"The turnaround got just as quick from our main location," said April Nero, manager of Print Services. "And as course packets and other print needs decreased, we began thinking about shifting the Campus Copy space to be more service-oriented."
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Print Services shuttered Campus Copy altogether. A few months later, the Tech Desk moved into the computer lab next door, in EMU Room 042.
"The Tech Desk was getting lots of questions about Campus Copy. 'Where are they? When are they coming back?'" said Sara Stubbs, director of student support and the User Support Services–Administrative team in Information Services. "That's when it hit that maybe we could partner."
Planning and space preparations have been more than two years in the making. The Tech Desk staffs the hub, largely with student employees, while continuing to manage the adjacent computer lab.
Services currently available through the hub encompass more than many customers might realize and will continue to expand over time.
"Print Services has done all kinds of fun stuff, not just traditional printing: T-shirts, tassle ornaments, window displays, banners across 13th Avenue," Nero said. "Basically anything you can come up with, we can provide."
Stubbs said, "I'm looking forward to some of the things we haven't started to talk about yet, such as exploring new technologies that serve our campus community."
Next, the collaborators are working to bring an Amazon locker into the computer lab to provide a secure campus pickup location for Amazon orders.
Open hours for EMU Room 036 are typically Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Up-to-date details are available on the Tech Desk information webpage in the UO Service Portal.
The Tech Desk also offers remote support by live chat and by phone at 541-346-4357, typically 6 a.m.-midnight, seven days a week, except UO breaks and holidays.
Anyone with questions for Print Services can email uoprinting@uoregon.edu.
—By Nancy Novitski, University Communications
—Photo: The Tech Support and Print Services hub in the Erb Memorial Union