Copy Technology Centers

The goal of this organization is to provide the community with the highest quality copier and copier-related services. We continually strive to maintain a balance of providing new technology at reasonable costs. To achieve success, we pledge to institute creative programs of efficiency and quality controls while maintaining sound business principles. We hold the customer at the center of our efforts and their satisfaction as our mission.

Accomplishments

The Copy Technology Centers spent the past year focusing on three principles; outreach, program enhancements, and initiatives. The goal was to involve our department in all aspects of community life at MIT, while remaining a cost effective, innovative service department and to show that the Copy Technology Centers are "a copy center and a whole lot more."

Outreach

In the past year, the Copy Technology Centers embarked on a number of outreach programs that further enhanced our recognition in the MIT community. Our marketing department has developed a comprehensive program of participation with numerous student, faculty, and staff events on campus. The past year saw CopyTech offering financial and/or services support to the following events:

In addition to the above, the Copy Technology Centers sponsored or supported over 30 community events including: telethons, drama and musical events, student newsletters and publications, the Technique yearbook, athletic events, and student living group fundraisers. We take pride in the scope of our involvement in all aspects of community life and look forward to continued participation in the year ahead.

In January 2003, CopyTech introduced "Coffee With CopyTech" as an opportunity to reacquaint the administrative community with our services. The program offered an invitation for CopyTech to visit departments, introduce our staff, provide coffee and snacks, and give a brief presentation of services. The response from the community was enthusiastic. During the spring 2003 semester, 11 departments, labs, and centers (DLCs) requested a "Coffee With CopyTech" visit. Presentations were made to nearly 200 staff, representing a diverse mix of departments. From the positive responses, a number of new business opportunities have evolved. The success of this program has convinced us to make it an annual offering.

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Programs

A number of new and enhanced programs were developed in the past year. Some involved improvements in services offered to the community. Others involved improvements to the business processes our department utilizes day to day. The following are the more prominent.

The past year saw the introduction of a custom-designed charge-back system for Institute customers. With help from Information Systems (IS), the new FileMaker Pro-based program was installed in July 2002. As the primary charge-back system for all of our services to Institute cost objects, the new system was as critical to our business plan as it was to our customers' needs. We are now able to process customer charges more accurately, more efficiently and in a way that is more integrated with MIT accounting systems. The involvement of the entire staff to embrace the new technology was essential to its first-year success.

The Copyright Program for course readers was also involved in a new software program this past year. The new web-based program allows for simplification of the tracking of royalties and payments in our popular course reader service. The program will automate much of the detailed record keeping that is inherent in the process. Considerable time efficiencies will be realized along with an in-depth reporting module. The second phase of the Alto Copyright Management program will allow faculty and their staff to interactively participate in the selection of course materials, stored on our databases, for each new semester's course reader. The goal will be to provide an efficient, accurate, and easy-to-use process that will free up valuable time for the teaching community.

The course reader program continues to evolve as a valuable means of delivering course content to the student population. The installation of enhanced technology has helped to make the scanning, storage, and manipulation of content a more streamlined process. The combination of copier and computer upgrades has resulted in a higher quality of documentation. The production and distribution of course materials is one of our core missions and remains a vital and ever-evolving program.

The past year saw the introduction of our Media Solutions Center in our 11-004 location. The goal of the center is to provide selected outside vendors an opportunity to showcase services that our department does not provide. By actively enlisting these partnerships, we can present a wide range of solutions to customers in one easy-to-visit location. Some of the solutions offered include: wedding and event stationery, logo and personalized retail items, business cards, thesis and bookbinding, as well as partner print providers.

The Copier Programs at MIT continue to be cost-effective solutions for departments seeking to provide copy services to their users. The highly successful program has grown to include 84 copiers in 34 DLCs. The program offers to obtain and maintain copy equipment specifically geared to the needs of the requesting department. CopyTech manages all aspects of the process, and the customers are billed for usage through a monthly SAP process. This service is expected to grow next year with the addition of new buildings on campus.

The introduction of a large-format printing program was in direct response to Institute requests. The recently acquired HP 42" large-format color plotter has opened new areas of service. With assistance from a number of community members, CopyTech implemented a much-desired program that has proven to be highly successful. The new Large-Format Program is an example of how working closely with community members can result in a win-win situation for all.

The Copy Technology Centers faced an I/T crisis during the past year. Aging computer systems and an overloaded infrastructure were taking their toll on many of our business processes. During the year, we saw the upgrade to new network communication lines installed in our two main centers in 11-004 and E52-045. In addition, we applied for and were granted the installation of new desktop computer systems throughout our department. Through this upgrade/replacement program offered by the IS department, 16 new Mac G4 desktop systems were installed across the department. For the first time, CopyTech is operating with new, state-of-the-art computer systems at the same time. All of these upgrades and installations are critical to our business processes today and in the future.

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Initiatives

The Copy Technology Centers were involved in a number of initiatives this past year. Some were completed while others are in progress. Some of the more high profile initiatives include the following:

Stata Project

CopyTech has been asked to provide copier services to a number of departments moving in to the new Stata complex next year. The Copier Program plans on overseeing the installation of copy devices, and CopyTech has a proposal to offer a manned copy production room in the new facility.

Space Project

CopyTech has been working with other Enterprise groups in researching possible new space opportunities to consolidate services in a central location. This ongoing process seeks to bring like services under a one-stop location to the benefit of Institute customers.

Recycle Project

CopyTech continues to improve in the acquisition of recycled paper products. As the largest Institute paper purchaser, nearly 98 percent of all paper purchased has recycled content. The introduction of a comprehensive recycled toner cartridge program is also under way. The Copy Technology Centers are committed to active participation in community recycling programs and green initiatives.

Partnership Projects: CopyTech developed cost-effective print solutions for the Human Resources department and the MIT Libraries. Both initiatives involve storing preprinted letterheads, articles, and electronic files. The departments then issue electronic requests for fulfillment of orders that are delivered to various locations across the campus. This has solved storage issues, lowered costly print purchases, and has developed an efficient "provide on demand" service.

Shared Space Project

The past year, CopyTech offered centralized distribution space in the 11-004 center for two departments seeking to improve on their delivery of occasional services. The MIT Activities Committee (MITAC) Office tested offering MITAC services from CopyTech on Fridays for a two-month period. The Parking Office also is utilizing space to offer MBTA Pass distribution to the community. In both cases, a secure, convenient, centralized space was made available to them. CopyTech in turn benefited by the increased foot traffic to its 11-004 location.

Content Delivery Project

CopyTech continues to develop contacts with like providers across the Institute to explore a uniform delivery of course content to the student population. One goal is to eliminate similar services that drain department resources and impact the quality of the service. Seeking partnerships with other initiatives such as OpenCourseWare, Sloanspace, DSpace, and the Open Knowledge Initiative have the potential to lower costs and simplify processes.

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Future Goals

The future goals of the Copy Technology Centers are diverse and innovative. Customer needs and technology will profoundly affect our direction. From an operational viewpoint, there are three primary future goals that are prominent.

The first is methods of content delivery. The Copy Technology Centers seek to utilize current and breaking technologies in this rapidly evolving service. No longer is our mission to simply print images on paper but to explore and redefine the delivery of those images in multiple media. Within this goal of creative solutions comes a need to enlist the partnership of various Institute departments and initiatives. Individuality creates redundancies and overlapping systems. Identifying similar goals and working in partnership can help create a more cost-effective and streamlined process. Our goal is to continue to identify these potential partnerships and to utilize our strong history of content delivery to provide the highest quality processes for the benefit of the teaching and administrative communities.

The second goal is to research the potential of CopyTech moving more aggressively into the color production service. No trend in our business has become more pronounced than the movement away from traditional black and white images to color. We have seen it in our own color copy service. The future of copy/print service providers will be tested by decisions made in this regard. The Copy Technology Centers have laid the groundwork for those decisions. A continued exploration of current technologies as well as an awareness of breaking technologies will be essential to service decisions to come. The ultimate goal is to provide state-of-the-art color services that meet the current needs of the community and prepare us for the breaking needs that are sure to come. The excellence of the community we serve demands nothing less.

The third goal will be to explore opportunities for expansion of services. The goal of expansion is not confined to issues of space and size. It focuses on a continual evaluation of our service base and being prepared to make necessary changes. In the past few years, we have become flexible to the changing needs of the MIT community. Our services are diverse, creative, and change annually. We are positioned well to continue this flexibility into the future whether it involves additional manned centers or requested services that are currently unavailable. The Copy Technology Centers are pledged to prove we are indeed "a copy center and a whole lot more."

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Acknowledgements

A special note of recognition to the following people for their work on these specific initiatives:

At the Enterprise Services Rewards and Recognition event:

Steven M. Dimond
Manager

More information about the Copy Technology Centers can be found on the web at http://web.mit.edu/ctc/www/.

 

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