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Information Centers and Scholarly Resources
Computing and Information Services (CIS)
Computing and Information Services (CIS) provides support for instruction and research; delivers services to meet the University's computer, information processing, and telecommunications needs; provides leadership and assistance in developing policy and planning for the effective use of technology; and offers extensive University computer services. For a complete listing of the services provided by CIS, connect to the CIS Web site at www.pitt.edu/~cis.
PittNet. The University's network, which connects offices, computing labs, timesharing services, personal computers, and the Internet, is called PittNet. With a Network Authorization Account, students, faculty, and staff have access to the World Wide Web, electronic mail, Internet services, time-sharing services available on VMS and UNIX, University databases, and other computing services. PittHome, the University Web site located at www.pitt.edu, provides students with a vast array of information about Pitt's departments and procedures, from class schedules to administrative policies.
Access to Computing Resources. The University operates eight public computing labs in various locations throughout the campus. Computers and printers in the labs are regularly upgraded to maintain a high level of performance. All lab machines provide access to E-mail and the Internet, the latest versions of operating systems, and an extensive number of software applications.
Three of the eight public computing labs are 24-hour facilities. The labs have been renovated to provide a high quality work environment. The lab located in 230 David Lawrence Hall was renovated and equipped to serve as the premier computing lab offering a showcase for new services and equipment. It is also the site of all major student consulting services. Three computing labs are equipped with computer classrooms. Faculty and teaching assistants can reserve these rooms to provide handson instruction to complement their lecture sessions. For more information about the computing labs, go to www.pitt.edu/~cislabs.
CIS supports specialized "adaptive" computing technology for students who are physically or visually disabled. Adaptive computing equipment is available in most labs. Specialized facilities include the Hillman Library Adaptive Reading Room and the Adaptive Computing Training Lab in 725 William Pitt Union. For more information on adaptive computing services, call (412) 648-7658.
All undergraduate residence halls are equipped with ethernet ports, one port per pillow through a ResNet Program, to enable all residence hall students to access PittNet quickly and efficiently. ResNet is supported through a comprehensive support program that includes a staff of on-site Residential Consultants. Off-campus students benefit from the expansion of the modem pool; the number of modems was recently increased by 43 percent. The modem pool can be reached by dialing in to (412) 297- PITT (7488).
To further enhance access, plans are being developed that will permit the installation and secure use of ports in public areas and classrooms on campus. A project to install JavaStations for E-mail and Web access in various locations on campus is underway.
The University encourages personal ownership of computing equipment through the e-Store, a Web based online computer store that offers students, faculty, and staff access to University discounts on hardware and software products. Through a partnership with VeriSign, individuals are able to obtain a digital certificate to ensure secure transactions with the e-Store.
Members of the University community can acquire a free CD-ROM, called a "Software Toolkit," which contains unrestricted software including web browsers, communications software, anti-virus applications, and help documentation. Software Licensing Services provides individuals and departments with popular software at discounted prices.
Consulting, Support, and Training. Consulting and Training Services (CTS) provides a wide range of software and hardware support for University students, faculty, staff, and departments. A Help Desk service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to resolve problems and answer questions. One can access the Help Desk via the Web (www.pitt.edu/~helpdesk), over E-mail (helpdesk+@pitt.edu), by telephone (412-624-HELP [4357]), or in person (230 David Lawrence Hall).
CIS provides several resources to help individuals resolve their own questions and problems. An online knowledge base called UPLINK has been introduced to offer alternatives to students interested in troubleshooting and resolving their own computer problems. In addition, CIS has written an extensive library of help sheets covering a wide variety of topics. Most help sheets can be found on the Web at www.pitt.edu/~document/html.html or in the labs. All are available on the University's UNIX server.
Departmental consulting services include hardware and software consultations, needs analyses, written recommendations, purchase requisition reviews, installations, customized training, and on-site troubleshooting and problem resolution.
For departments that require dedicated, customized computer and network support, CIS offers dedicated contract analysts. Because CIS recognizes the benefits in building strong relationships with departmental technical support staff, the Expert Partners program was created. Expert Partners is designed to increase communication, share technical resources, provide advanced training, and share vendor contacts.
Training services include non-credit, one- and three-hour workshops that cover a wide variety of topics at introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels. Classes are offered free of charge to students, faculty and staff, while departments are entitled to two free workshops per semester to address specific departmental training needs. Recent enhancements to the training program have included a Web based training pilot program, an increased number of QuickStart classes, and an emphasis on offering training for advanced software packages.
CIS has also developed a number of student staffing and apprentice programs to provide students with a structured employment and training experience. These programs include mentoring, apprenticeships and internships, and a formal employment structure. Student employment is available in a number of CIS areas.
Information Systems Support. CIS Information Systems serves the University community in the development and implementation of University information database services, such as ISIS and PRISM, among others. Analysts from Information Systems are also involved in report production and distribution, data security, and support of many of the University's assorted information systems, including World Wide Web services.
Students can access their grades and other student information over the Web through the Student Information ONLINE service (student-info.pitt.edu). Currently, students can access their class schedules and grades on-line. Development is underway to provide students with access to billing and other financial aid information, while prospective students will be able to check on the status of the applications for admission or financial aid.
Telecommunications. CIS Telecommunications, located in 6K01 Forbes Quadrangle, operates the University's telephone systems and provides a variety of services, including:
- On-campus, local and long-distance telephone services, including itemized, individual billing
- Switchboard and operator services
- Voicemail services (Audix); telegraph services, and telephone credit cards
- Telephone equipment, and the installation, activation, repair and service of equipment
- Ethernet/data port installations and maintenance
Telecommunications also provides assistance in ordering telephone equipment, obtaining phone directories, adding or changing listings, and resolving billing questions. For more information, please call (412) 648-5900 Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 5pm, or visit www.pitt.edu/~telecom/telser.
Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC)
LRDC scholars study human and machine cognition, learning, and effective schooling and training. Research findings are applied to the reform and improvement of instruction and training in schools and workplaces. LRDC's 24 faculty include education researchers, cognitive scientists, computer scientists, developmental and social psychologists, psycholinguists, evaluation and measurement specialists, organizational behavior researchers, and education policy analysts. Collaborations with other students and faculty in the University are encouraged and welcomed. LRDC-sponsored projects include about 50 graduate students, over 30 undergraduates, 20 post-doctoral fellows and other young researchers, and over 40 paraprofessionals. Former students and post-doctoral fellows now work in many major universities and research laboratories. LRDC faculty serve or have served as leaders in the National Academy of Education; the American Educational Research Association; the Federation of Behavioral, Psychological and Cognitive Scientists; the Society for Research in Child Development; several divisions of the American Psychological Association, and several boards and committees of the National Research Council. See the LRDC Web site at http://www.lrdc.pitt.edu.
The University Center for International Studies (UCIS)
The University Center for International Studies is the central coordinating and support mechanism for the international activities of the University of Pittsburgh. As a University-wide center, UCIS supports multidisciplinary programs of research and instruction in international and Area Studies, linking departments and schools of the University. It connects the University and private and public sector institutions, other universities, and institutions in other countries to strengthen the University's international dimension of teaching, research, and public service. It aids students in their acquisition of international knowledge through certificate programs, study abroad, curriculum development, and seminars; assists faculty in their international research, teaching, and service; and develops and manages international programs and projects.
The Area Studies programs in Asian, Latin American, Russian and East European, and West European Studies provide frameworks for the systematic and comprehensive study of their respective regions. In addition to the study of the history, culture, society, economy, and politics of these regions, there are opportunities for the study of business, science, and technology in these world areas. Certificate programs are available in each of the programs as described in Interdisciplinary Programs, and a joint MBA/MA in Area Studies has been developed in cooperation with the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business. All four Area Studies programs receive foreign language and Area Studies fellowships for students from the U.S. Department of Education. The Center for Latin American Studies, the Center for Russian and East European Studies, and East Asian Studies in the Asian Studies Program have been designated national resource centers by the U.S. Department of Education.
Other programs focus on themes cutting across all world regions and are sponsored by UCIS in collaboration with a professional school, another center, or the state government. The International Business Center (IBC), also a national resource center, is a joint venture of the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and UCIS. The Matthew B. Ridgway Center for International Security Studies links the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and UCIS. Certificate programs are offered by both IBC and the Ridgway Center. Other jointly sponsored centers include the Center for International Legal Education (with the School of Law) and the Institute for International Studies in Education (School of Education). UCIS also works closely with the School of Engineering and most other professional schools at the University of Pittsburgh, as well as with the University Center for Social and Urban Research. The Pennsylvania Ethnic Heritage Studies Center, supported by the Pennsylvania State Government, emphasizes the international context in its work on Pennsylvania's multicultural heritage.
UCIS houses the University's Study Abroad Program and is the home of the Pennsylvania Governor's School for International Studies. It is also the point of affiliation for four organizations whose international work is linked with the University: the Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors, Semester at Sea, the European Community Studies Association, and the Latin American Studies Association. UCIS public service programs link the international resources of the University to the various public constituencies at the national, regional, and local levels, including the educational system, government, the business community, labor unions, the media, and community groups. See the UCIS Web site at http://www.ucis.pitt.edu.
The University of Pittsburgh Libraries
In fiscal year 1998, the collections of the University Library System totaled more than 3.9 million volumes and 3.8 million pieces of microforms, and nearly 24,375 serials were received. The system is centered in the Hillman Library, which houses the major collections for most of the disciplines of the Humanities and Social Sciences. The research collections of the Departments of Economics, History of Art and Architecture, Music, and all of the departments of the Natural Sciences are housed in branch libraries located in the individual departments. Many of the professional schools maintain libraries useful to Arts and Sciences faculty and students, such as the Falk Library of the Health Sciences; the libraries of the Schools of Engineering, Law, and Information Sciences; the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business; the Graduate Schools of Public Health and Public and International Affairs; and the library of the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. A student with a validated identification card is entitled to privileges at all libraries.
Information about books and serials available at the University of Pittsburgh libraries can be found in two places: PITTCAT, the on-line catalog, and the card catalog. PITTCAT currently contains bibliographic information for millions of book and periodical titles. Approximately 8,500 titles per month will be added to the PITTCAT database. PITTCAT terminals are located in all libraries. PITTCAT may also be accessed from computers on or off campus at http://www.library.pitt.edu.
Hillman Library. The Hillman Library has been designated a depository of U.S. government publications, as well as documents from Pennsylvania and Canada. It also receives most of the publications of the United Nations and associated international agencies. These are housed in the Documents Room on the ground floor. Access to an ever-increasing number of databases is available in most libraries in the system. The reference librarian in each library should be contacted for information.
On the ground floor are located most of the general service departments such as Reference and Lending Services, Documents, Maps, and the Reserve Book Collection. The first floor houses the African-American Library; the Alldred Browsing Room, which contains a collection to serve the extracurricular reading interests of the entire University community; the Buhl Social Work Library; the Stark Listening Center, with recordings and tapes of the spoken word and selected music; and one of the largest computer labs on campus.
The second floor includes the microtext facilities including the complete microfilm series of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC). Also on the second floor is the East Asian Library that chiefly supports the Area Studies on China and Japan.
The third and fourth floors contain the major research collections in the social sciences and humanities. Carrels are provided here for graduate students and may be reserved each term at the ground floor lending desk. The Special Collections Department and Archival Services Center are also located on the third floor. The fourth floor houses the current periodical collection.
Library Resources. In addition to Hillman Library, departmental and associated libraries at the University serve the various graduate schools and their departments. The Allegheny Observatory Library concentrates on astronomy and astrometry; it contains an outstanding collection of star photographs. The Chemistry/Computer Science Library in Alumni Hall reflects the research interests of those departments. The Economics Library contains published and unpublished data in regional and urban economics and demography. The Darlington Memorial Library is largely devoted to the Colonial period in America through the Revolution and the War of 1812, with emphasis on Western Pennsylvania. Many rare books and fine atlases from the 15th century through the 20th century are here. The Henry Clay Frick Fine Arts Library collections in art, architecture, and sculpture support research in art history. Of particular interest are Oriental books and replicas of scrolls and materials covering the Byzantine, early Christian, Medieval, and Renaissance periods. Langley Biological Sciences/Psychology Library serves those departments. The Mathematics Library is primarily a graduate study and research collection for advanced mathematics. The Theodore M. Finney Music Library is a research facility containing reference works, printed music, manuscripts, periodicals, microfilm, and recordings. The Physics Library contains books and journals in physics, astrophysics, and earth and planetary sciences.
Besides the preceding facilities, the following professional schools and groups maintain libraries: Engineering, Business, Information Sciences, Public and International Affairs, Law, the Nursing Learning Resources Center, and the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic.
Library Resources Outside the University. In general, the University has sufficient resources to satisfy the needs of graduate students and faculty. However, if needed material cannot be found, the Interlibrary Loan Services, located in G-27, ground floor of Hillman, assists students and faculty in obtaining it from other libraries. The University is a member of the Center for Research Libraries that makes available uncommon materials on many subjects. Through membership in the Pittsburgh Regional Library Center, cooperative arrangements have been developed between the University and neighboring academic institutions such as Carnegie Mellon University, Mellon Institute, Duquesne University, and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, to provide supplementary borrowing and research privileges. Many Pittsburgh-area libraries are open to scholars, including those of Allegheny County (Law), the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Bureau of Mines.
The graduate programs of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences are greatly enriched by close faculty ties with the various professional schools. The School of Medicine, with its biomedical research departments and its clinical areas, stimulates fruitful interactions for graduate students and faculty in departments such as Neuroscience, Biological Sciences, Psychology, Communication, and History and Philosophy of Science. The School of Education faculty work with psychologists and English composition faculty; the Graduate School of Public Health with anthropologists, economists, and statisticians; and the School of Engineering with physicists, chemists, computer scientists, applied mathematicians, and sociologists, to name just some of the links.
Resources of individual departments are described briefly under the departmental sections, and more completely in the departmental brochures. Many departments sponsor joint seminars and lecture series or share research equipment and libraries.
Other centers exist in several areas of the University to serve as focal points for faculty and graduate student interactions. The University Center for Social and Urban Research, started in 1972, is designed to serve the research needs of faculty with an interest in urban phenomena. The Center for Philosophy of Science fosters and disseminates high quality research in the philosophical and historical investigation of science. Its Visiting Fellows' program supports the research of scholars from around the world, while its Resident and Associate Fellows are drawn from the Departments of Philosophy, History and Philosophy of Science, and other departments of the University of Pittsburgh, as well as the faculty of other colleges and universities in the region. The Space Research Coordination Center houses the research laboratories of faculty and graduate students from the Departments of Physics and Astronomy, Chemistry, and Geology and Planetary Science. The research ranges from studies of atomic reaction processes, to the study of the aurora borealis, to meteor finds in Antarctica. The Materials Research Center comprises faculty, staff, and students engaged in interdisciplinary research on the structure, properties, processing, and performance of materials such as advanced structural, optoelectronic, catalytic, and biomedical materials. The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute is an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center for treatment, research, and education that fosters multidisciplinary collaborations among scientists and clinicians to develop more effective approaches to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
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