Establishing your Eden account * SC&I listservs * Getting an RUconnection ID card * Transportation and Parking * Textbooks, software and computers * Library tutorials * Computer skills requirements
Once you are registered for courses and have paid your tuition bill, you should establish your Rutgers Computer Services Eden account. All of the information that you need about establishing and using your Eden account can be found at http://www.eden.rutgers.edu/index.php. The NetID and password that you choose will give you access to your email account as well as all other electronic services at Rutgers (course registration, paying tuition bills, using Rutgers University Libraries electronic resources, access to course websites, etc.).
If you already have an e-mail account that you check frequently at home or work, you can change the settings in your Rutgers email account to automatically forward all mail to another email adress. Click on the icon for "Webtools," then on "forward" under the Setup section. This will ensure that you receive important messages that the University occasionally sends to all students (e.g., traffic or weather emergency information). Instructors at the Technology Workshop on "Computing at SC&Iamp;," continuing students, or lab assistants, (732-932-7500 x8999; help@comminfo.rutgers.edu) will be happy to answer questions and to help you when you get stuck.
Subscribe to the Library and Information Science Student Association (LISSA) listserv as soon as you have established your email account. The LISSA listserv provides a lot of valuable information from your fellow students, professors, and the administration about courses, field internships, jobs, and important SC&I information such as emergency campus closings, health alerts, and safety alerts. To subscribe, go to https://email.rutgers.edu/mailman/listinfo and click on the "Comminfo_lissa" link. Other lists that you may want to consider include Comminfo_paperpeople (archives-related information) and Comminfo_rusla (messages from the Rutgers University Special Libraries Association).
Your RU/ID card also serves as your library card. Check your admissions packet for information on how to get it, refer to the RUconnection Website, http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~ruconxn, or call 732-445-6949. For new students, IDs are being issued in RUconnection Card Offices, as long as you are registered for classes. You will need to present a form of photo ID. Then, stop by Alexander or any other Rutgers library to establish a pin number so that you can be recognized as a registered library user. You can also do this online via the Libraries' Website at http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/forms/reg_pin.shtml, but it may take up to 48 hours to receive your PIN.
The University's Department of Transportation Services has detailed information about how to get to campus by car, train, bus, bike, or on foot. If you plan to drive to campus, try to beat the crowds by applying for a parking permit as soon as possible.
RideShare is a carpool program open to all Rutgers Faculty and Staff on all campuses. RideShare is facilitated by University Human Resources to help you connect with others who share the same interest in conserving energy and saving on their commuting expenses.
You will usually not find out whether your courses have required textbooks until you get the syllabus at the first class meeting. New (and occasionally some used) copies of textbooks can be purchased at the Rutgers University Bookstore at Ferren Mall. Parking for brief periods is free in the deck next to the Bookstore, if you remember to get your ticket stamped by a Bookstore clerk. Those interested in buying used copies of books from previous semesters (make sure it's the right edition!) should monitor the LISSA listserv or post a message indicating which books you are looking to buy. Some textbooks may also be available from online booksellers such as Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com.
If you don't already have a computer, there's a helpful site "What type of computer to buy for Rutgers?" at http://rucs-nbp.rutgers.edu/newcomputers.php. This includes a link to findTech Connections which helps find computers at "academic pricing," though of course you will want to shop around.
The New Brunswick/Piscataway Computing Services (NBCS) website has all the information you'll need to find the campus computing labs, download software, sign onto the campus wireless network, manage your email account, and more. When in doubt, call or email the help desk.
To get a head start on learning to use the Rutgers Libraries resources, take time to complete some online tutorials, beginning with Searchpath at http://searchpath.libraries.rutgers.edu/. You may also want to check out the "Welcome to the Rutgers Libraries" http://newarkwww.rutgers.edu/ecollege/index.html video for a more general overview of the RUL system. The "Learning Tools" menu on the RUL homepage, http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu, has many helpful resources related to library services and the research process. Working your way through some of these webpages and tutorials is especially important for students who do not attend the appropriate technology workshop and will be good reinforcement for those who do.
Below is a list of what faculty require you to have prior to taking courses at SC&I. These are basics without which you will not succeed as a student or as a library/information professional. You can acquire these skills through courses at a community college or a computer training center, or through books, or online tutorials (e.g., http://www.comminfo.rutgers.edu/~ruasis/help.htm. Some of them are covered briefly at the technology workshops offered by our MLIS students shortly before classes begin, but if you are a novice computer user, you will be wise to start learning before then.
To check on your readiness to start at SC&I, use the following checklist to assess your skills and knowledge (grade each one on a scale of none-minimal-fair-good-excellent)*:
Basic hardware/software:
Document processing:
Internet
Moving files around:
Additional skills good to have:
You should be able to give yourself all good to excellent grades! If any instructor finds that you do not have the required skills and knowledge, you will be asked to withdraw from the course.
The above requirements have not changed in a long time and are truly minimal. You should be aware that an expanded set of pre-requisites for course 550 Information Technologies for Libraries and Information Agencies will go into effect next year. In addition to the current skills, you will be expected to be familiar with networking and security concepts.