On Aug. 22, the newly renovated Main Library SINC Site on the first floor of the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library opened for the fall 2022 semester.
An acronym for Students in Need of Computers, the SINC site now includes a public computer lab with access to both Windows and Mac desktop computers, as well as lounge areas and a tech station.
There are five public SINC sites around campus: at the Melville Library, the Health Science Center (HSC) Coller Computer Lab, the Fine Arts eMedia site, the Fine Arts Hybrid site and the Earth & Space Sciences (ESS) site.
According to Rose Alessi, the operations manager of Academic Technology Learning Spaces in the Main Library SINC Site, students also now have full access to four new all-in-one printers, scanners and copiers, a tech station and an improved Laptop Loaner Program. A printing quota is applied if students are printing and copying.
“The old SINC sites were somewhat redundant,” Greta Halollari, a sophomore technology systems management major and SINC site consultant, said about the changes. “SINC stands for students in need of computers, but because of COVID, everyone has computers now. Therefore, having a huge room full of computers was pointless and wasn’t being used enough.”
“We thought about this pre-COVID, but said, you know, we can’t do this, not if the student has a laptop. But COVID changed that. Every student has a laptop, and those who don’t can come here for our Laptop Loaner Program,” Alessi said.
According to Alessi, students now have “total administrative privileges” when it comes to the new Laptop Loaner Program. Students can loan out a laptop for 60 days, and if they need it for a longer period of time, they can loan it for another 60 days before returning it to the SINC Site for a routine checkup.
Another change includes the new Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) area. Before the renovations, the Main Library SINC Site had rows of computers in what is now known as the BYOD lounge.
According to Alessi, students didn’t want these computers to be placed in the main lounging area. Instead, they wanted chairs, desks and other places to sit. To accommodate these preferences, the BYOD area now includes a brand new lounge with group and individual study areas.
“I like the incorporation of a tech station and circular tables, to allow people to come do work with their friends, while also giving them the option of using university computers next door,” Halollari said.
DoIT, the Division of Information Technology, also has Windows, PCs, printers, scanners and copiers located in the Main Library SINC Site, Levine Library Reading Rooms and HSC Commons.
“For any technology assistance, this is the place to start first,” Katie Chen, a senior majoring in computer engineering said. Chen is a senior consultant in the Main Library SINC Site.
According to Chen, the SINC Site computers at the Fine Arts eMedia site and Main Library now offer Adobe Creative Cloud. Faculty can request a license for their classes and offer a temporary code that will give students access to Adobe Creative Cloud. For students, the Creative Cloud discount price is $19.99 per month, compared to the standard price of $54.99 per month.
According to the Stony Brook University catalog, the SINC Site also offers Adobe Acrobat Pro X, Adobe After Effects and Adobe Creative Cloud. The programs give students free Adobe IDs and login information that can be used in the Main Library SINC Site.
Chen noted that the Mac-only site — Fine Arts eMedia and Hybrid — offers the same applications available at the other SINC Sites.
Regardless of site locations, the goal remains constant.
“We want this to be a one stop shop for all technology stuff,” Alessi said, encouraging students to make use of these new renovations.
