Welcome to the Information Technology Services (ITS) Department at Albright College. Our goal is to answer your questions about computers and information technology at Albright and explain what we offer our students. While Albright College students are not required to own a personal computer, having one in an academic environment assists and enhances the learning process. Through the Albright College Ethernet network, the entire campus is wired for the Internet and student e-mail, and all buildings are connected by fiber optic cables to ensure speed and connectivity. top of page
The following software is the standard on campus for office computers (as of 3/1/2006): - Microsoft Windows XP
- Microsoft Office 2003
- Microsoft Outlook 2003
- Symantec AntiVirus
The following software is the standard on campus for lab computers: - Microsoft Windows XP Professional
- Microsoft Office 2003 Professional
- SPSS statistics software
- ProSeries tax software
- Borland C++
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Albright College has five main computer labs for general student use and twelve specific-use labs. Center for Computing and Mathematics The Center for Computing and Mathematics (CCM) building hosts the main computer labs on campus. The four general-use labs (100B, 100D, 100E, 100F) provide 58 IBM-compatible computers running Windows XP with Microsoft Office 2003, Internet access, printing and scanning capabilities. The other computer lab (100A) is reserved for the Computer Science Department. Regular semester hours for the CCM labs are: Sunday: Noon–1 a.m.
Monday–Thursday: 8 a.m.–1 a.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Science Hall Science Hall provides another general-use lab with 20 IBM-compatible computers running Windows XP with Microsoft Office 2003. These 20 machines also have Internet access and printing capabilities. Hours for the Science Hall computer lab are as follows (except when a class is in session): Sunday: Closed
Monday–Friday: 10 a.m.–6p.m.
Saturday: Closed
Additional Labs Several other buildings on campus host computer labs/classrooms. Thirteen specific-use labs exist at the following locations: - Alumni Hall - Digital Media Department - 2 labs
- Alumni Hall - Computer Science Department - 2 PDA Labs
- Alumni Hall - Fashion Merchandising & Design - 1 lab
- Alumni Hall - English as a Second Language Program - 1 lab
- Masters Hall - Physics Department - 1 lab
- MPK Chapel - Philosophy Department - 1 lab
- Selwyn Hall - Sociology Department - 1 lab
- Selwyn Hall - Commuter Students - 1 lab
- Teel Hall - Business Department - 1 lab
- Teel Hall - Psychology Department - 1 lab
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All the residence halls on campus are wired for network accessibility through an Ethernet network. This allows students to access the Internet and e-mail. Every room has an Ethernet network port for each student. No more than one device (computer) may be attached to an Ethernet port at any time. Devices that extend this function, such as hubs, switches, or wireless hubs, are strictly prohibited.
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All classrooms on campus are wired for network accessibility. This allows faculty members to access the Internet and e-mail. Every classroom has two network ports. Most classrooms have wireless access to the network.
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General Information The IT Services Help Desk is the bridge between end users and the computer support staff. - The IT Services Help Desk is the primary contact for all computing and telecommunication issues encountered by faculty, staff and students at Albright College.
- Network and e-mail account information and passwords are obtained at the IT Services Help Desk.
- All calls to report problems or requests for support are channeled through the IT Services Help Desk for evaluation.
- Information provided by the caller determines the category and priority of the request.
- If the request cannot be resolved immediately, that information is routed to an appropriate computer technician
Contacting the HELP DESK Hours:
The IT Services Help Desk operates from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. on Friday. By phone:
The phone number is 610-921-7676 from off campus or 7676 on the Reading campus. By electronic mail:
The e-mail address is helpdesk@alb.edu. By mail:
The IT Services Help Desk
Albright College
13th & Bern Streets, P.O. Box 15234
Reading, PA 19612-5234 In person:
Center for Computing and Mathematics (CCM) Building, Room 227
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Every student enrolled at Albright College is assigned an e-mail address with a personal password. This account is pre-generated for every freshman student. To obtain this account information, please stop by the Information Technology Services table at freshman orientation. If you are unable to pick up your account at orientation, please stop by the Albright College Help Desk. You will need to show your student ID and sign the Ethical and Legal Practices Agreement. Access to e-mail is available through the Internet by going to http://www.albright.edu and clicking on the Albright College Webmail link. Webmail is remote access to your Albright College e-mail account. Albright College students should check their Albright College e-mail account on a regular basis for official College student announcements. If a student wishes to use a different e-mail account, they should place a forward on their Albright College e-mail account so they can receive these Albright College announcements. Instructions on how to place this forward can be picked up at the Albright College Help Desk on the second floor of the Center for Computing and Mathematics (CCM) building between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Internet access is provided through the campus network and is accessible through the labs and dorms.
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Local telephone services are provided to residence hall rooms upon student request only. For emergency purposes and College business, this service is provided to resident assistants' rooms, common areas and the following residence hall rooms: Albright Court rooms B-1 through B-3, Krause Hall rooms 1 through 17, and Walton Hall rooms 1 through 14. If you do not have a cell phone or have a limited cell phone plan and would like to request this service, please contact Telecommunications at 610-921-7676 or helpdesk@alb.edu. Please note that only local telephone service will be provided upon request; this does not include long distance service or voice mail. Students must bring their own phones and answering machines and should purchase a calling card if necessary. Students who have local phone service in their room will have an individual extension based on the student's campus mailbox per the chart below. To reach students from outside the Albright campus, callers would dial (610) 921-7200. When the Albright announcement starts to play, the caller would dial the student's extension number. Student Mailbox Number | Extension / Voicemail | 1-999 | 5001-5999 | 1000-1999 | 1000-1999 |
Examples: mailbox 7 = ext. 5007; mailbox 123 = ext. 5123; mailbox 1024 = ext. 1024
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Albright College students are not required to own a PC. However, having one in an academic environment assists and enhances the learning process. Albright does not endorse any brand or favor one type of computer over another. We encourage you to comparison shop locally and through the Internet. Some suggested manufacturers are as follows: Manufacturer's Web Sites Connectivity to the Albright network requires: - Installation of a compatible Ethernet/Network Interface Card (NIC) and a cable referred to as a 10baseT patch cable.
- Registration of the computer's MAC, or hardware address
- Installation of College-supplied anti-virus software
(*NOTE: Information Technology Services does not support Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Windows ME). This operating system is made for home use and is not compatible with the Albright College network.) IBM Compatible System | Apple Macintosh System (Mac) | Pentium IV processor or better | Power Macintosh G4 or better | 512 MB (Megabytes) of System Memory (RAM) or more | 512 MB (Megabytes) of System Memory (RAM) or more | Windows XP Operating System (IT Services will NOT support Windows 95/98/ Me) | OS 10.4 Operating System or higher (IT Services will NOT support OS 10.2 and lower ) | CD-Rom Drive , 256 USB Flash Storage | CD-Rom Drive , 256 USB Flash Storage | Ethernet Network Card | Ethernet Network Card | Microsoft Word (MS Office 2003) | Microsoft Word (MS Office 2004) |
The following minimum requirements must be met or exceeded in order to connect a personal computer to the Albright campus network for student use: Connectivity to the Albright network requires: - Installation of a compatible Ethernet/Network Interface Card (NIC) and cable.
- Registration of the computer's MAC, or hardware address
- Installation of College-supplied anti-virus software
*NOTE: Information Technology Services does not support Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME. IBM Compatible System (PC)
Pentium - 1.2 GHz (Gigahertz) processor or comparable
128 MB (Megabytes) of System Memory (RAM) or more
Windows 2000/XP Operating System (IT Services will NOT support Windows 95/98/ME)
CD-Rom Drive
Ethernet Network Card*
Microsoft Word (MS Office 2000, XP, 2003) Apple Macintosh System (Mac)
Power Macintosh G3 or better - 400 MHz (Megahertz) processor or better
128 MB (Megabytes) of System Memory (RAM) or more
O/S 10.3 Operating System or higher (IT Services will NOT support OS 10.2 and lower)
CD-Rom Drive
Ethernet Network Card*
Microsoft Word (MS Office 2001 or MS Office X) Approved Network Interface Cards Ethernet 10/100/1000 base TX
Desktop - 3Com 10/100BaseTX Etherlink PCI
Laptop - 3Com 10/100BaseTX Megahertz PC Card (3CXFE574BT) NOTE: Computers with Ethernet cards made by manufacturers other than 3Com (for IBM Compatible) and Apple (for Apple Macintosh) may or may not work on the Albright Network.
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