Not too long ago, college tour guides could be heard touting campus computing power in the library, the student union and even in some residence halls. But with the popularity of highly portable computing devices like Netbooks, iPads and even school-sanctioned laptops, some colleges and universities’ computer labs are turning into virtual ghost towns after hours.

While some schools have made the decision to eliminate some lab space, others are constructing new ones, citing that the mission of 21st-century computer labs continues to evolve.

“Computer labs are becoming more specialized,” observes Scott Coopee, assistant vice president for information technology at Western New England College in Springfield, Mass. “Although students will not use labs for general purposes — like email access — anymore, they do use specialized labs for software availability. So labs aren’t diminishing, but rather evolving.”

WNEC has a special Electrical, Industrial, Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering Lab dedicated for use by engineering majors, a Math Lab for mathematics and computer science students and a special SAP lab for business students.

Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., like Western New England College, has specialized labs for specific majors. There’s an Apple lab in the art building for graphic design and art students and a specific CAD lab for interior design students.

Meredith, however, has reduced the number of computer labs on campus because new laptops are given to incoming freshmen. Those closed labs have become classroom space or meeting space for students.

Computer labs at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa. still get heavy use. “That’s where students go to do their printing,” says Paul Krzywicki, associate director of marketing and communications. The university implemented a new printing policy last fall to save paper — students get 500 free sheets per semester (with unused paper carrying over) and are charged $.05 per page beyond that allotment.

While computer lab use is steady at Messiah College, Berte Thompson, director of academic technology services, says that he is seeing students using residence hall computer labs mainly for printer access. Thompson says that as the college makes campus printers available for students’ personal equipment, the demand for lab printing will drastically fall.

In 2009, Mansfield University in Pennsylvania built two new computer labs and Saint Leo University in Florida built two new computer labs last year.

Les Lloyd, Saint Leo’s chief information officer, and Connie Beckman, Mansfield’s director of campus technologies, say their respective schools built new labs because professors need to have computer lab space in which to conduct classes. Lloyd and Beckman also stress that students need to have space to work on group projects in more of a social environment.

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