Access to computer technology and printing on campus is vital to the success of Texas State students and faculty. On the San Marcos campus, most of these resources are managed by a University Libraries team led by “Bobcat Lifer” Matt Greengold.
His team, which includes student workers and full-time staff, manages all of the computer and printing resources in the Alkek Library (with the exception of the resources in Alkek One), as well as the campus computer labs located in the Family Computer Sciences building, McCoy Hall, Jowers Center and the Academic Services Building South (ASBS). These labs are open to anyone in the Texas State community from any major and are equipped with a wide array of software options to meet student and faculty academic needs.
Greengold also manages campus printing including SendNPrint and the print stations associated with this service. He oversees the operations of the new Alkek Print Shop, a low-cost, specialty printing service located on the first floor of the library.
“Everywhere we have computers we have printing. Students get a $25 allotment for printing and can purchase additional print dollars if they need to. We are working on expanding that model to open up printing stations around campus in places where we don’t have computers,” he said.
Greengold has not only spent his entire career at the university, his did his academic work at Texas State as well. He earned his bachelor’s in creative writing and master’s degrees in English literature. That’s right. The vast network of computers, software and printers on the San Marcos campus is managed by an English major, a career path that surprised even him.
“Technology was always something I did for fun,” he said. “My dad was in the industry and I grew up building computers with him. I was tinkering around inside of computers from the age of 11 or 12. It was always a skillset that I had that I used for fun, but never anything I actually intended to pursue professionally.”
Yet, it is the career that found him. He started as a student worker in the English department’s computer lab and moved his way up the chain as a full-time employee as he progressed through his degree programs. Last year, he joined the University Libraries staff and has found his niche tackling the challenges of overseeing these campus technology resources and keeping them updated and in good working order for the campus community.
“I get to solve problems, and that’s always been the underlying thing that I enjoy,” said Greengold. “Even on the literature and writing side, it always involved a method of problem solving, and that’s what kind of jazzes me. Being presented with things that somebody else didn’t know how to fix and I get to be the one to find a solution.”
Recently, these solutions have included: sourcing and installing software that faculty request to help their students succeed, adding a campus computer locator to the TXST Mobile App, ordering and loading software on new laptops available for checkout in the library, overseeing the design and renovations of the ASBS computer lab (currently underway), and preparing to launch a new system of stand-alone printers to be placed around campus to make it more convenient to print documents.
A busy father of three boys, ages 8, 6 and 6 months, Greengold still finds time for his passions. He enjoys reading and builds high-end gaming computers for friends. He wants the Texas State community to know that he and his team are here to support them.
“We’re always looking for ways to better meet the needs of students and the faculty that are serving those students,” Greengold said. “So, if there are needs or configurations in computer spaces that would be better suited to courses, that we don’t have, don’t assume that we can’t have it. Our business is providing things at the university level that are hard for students to obtain individually. If you need something, request it from us, chances are we can figure out a way to make it happen.”
This article was contributed by Debbie Pitts, University Libraries Marketing and Communications Coordinator.