The ACCC Public Labs

Use of the ACCC computer labs is free and available to all UIC students, faculty, and staff who have a current valid phonebook entry. If you already have a UIC email account, chances are you also have an account for logging in to the lab computers. Just use your netid and ACCC common password to log in. If you do not yet have a lab account you can easily create one at a Windows XP machine in one of the labs by following instructions posted next to the monitor. Your lab account will be available for use within minutes.

Information about the ACCC public computer labs is available on the ACCC Web site at http://www.accc.uic.edu/. Click the purple Facilities button. The pages describing the labs are in the section at the top, "Public Computer Labs."

Click Public Labs - Hours and Locations for a list of labs; click on the lab name to see detailed specs on machines for the lab. Most labs have Pentium III or IV machines running Windows XP. Mac G4 and G3 machines are also available in some labs; most are currently running OS X and the rest are being converted. Zip drives and CD-ROM drives are standard, and some labs have machines with CD-RW and DVD drives. There are labs on both sides of campus that are always open. (See ACCC Lab Locations.)

Many of the labs can be reserved for classes that would benefit from hands-on instruction.

Lab users are allotted $15 worth of free printing each academic term through the U-Print system. If you use all of your free pages, you may continue to print for a per-page fee by putting money on your i-card or add to or purchase a UIC Flames card at a Card-add Value Station (CVS). Card-add Value Stations are located in or near most computer labs.

You can check your print quota and usage online by selecting the link Printing - the U-Print System on the Facilities Web page. Print quotas are reset one week before each new term and do not carry over; however, monetary value on a card does.

Another nice feature of the U-Print system is that you may select any printer on the system to retrieve your output, and you have up to 12 hours to do so. You are not charged for the print job until you log in to a Pharos station and print it.

Software available in the labs ranges from general-purpose applications, such as word processors and Web browsers, to specialized applications installed for specific classes. Click Public Labs - Software on the Facilities page for a complete list of installed applications. Instructors can request that additional software be installed -- the ACCC will do the installation, provided that the application can be made to work in the lab environment. The request must be made four weeks in advance and must be accompanied by proof of licensing. Instructions and forms for requesting software installation as well as for reserving labs are also on the Facilities page.

The ACCC works hard to keep the labs in good shape for the UIC community. Lab machines are serviced as needed and are cleaned thoroughly during break periods. Your cooperation is essential for keeping the labs clean and usable for all. And, as always, protect your account by making sure you log out before you leave the lab.