As the community has been informed, the offset printing, photographic and illustration services of Graphic Arts will be shut down as of August 31, and Design Services will be phased out of operation this fall. The Quick Copy Centers and Audio-Visual Services will continue as MIT departments within the Operations area.
Sixteen employees of Graphic Arts and four in Design Services received their layoff notices on July 9. These employees are currently receiving assistance in job search techniques from Personnel and from Manchester, Inc., MIT's outplacement firm.
The letter about these changes from Senior Vice President William R. Dickson to all employees on campus gave an overview of the new Publishing Bureau, which will be established later this year as well as some information on getting publications produced during the transition period. This article will give more details in a question-and-answer format.
The Publishing Services reengineering team has a Web site at
Q: Can I still send printing orders down to Graphic Arts in Building N42?
A: Yes; a transition team made up of employees from Graphic Arts and Purchasing will handle your order. You can reach them by calling the same phone number as before (x3-4765). The job will either be produced in Building N42 if that is possible, or it will be given to an appropriate vendor outside MIT. If your job is a reprint of an item like letterhead, it would be helpful if you included in your requisition the old job number from the last time you ordered, which is on the carton or box.
Q: I give a lot of work to the Quick Copy Centers. How will that be handled now?
A: There are really no changes in the way you'll do business with the Copy Centers. They will continue as an MIT department, though they will change their name to Copy Technology Centers. They will remain in the same locations, Rm 11-004 and E52-045. The DocuTech print-on-demand services, copyright clearance program and copier leasing program will all be moved from Building N42 to Rm 11-004.
Q: When will the new Publishing Bureau be in operation?
A: The job listing for the director of the bureau has been posted, and interviews will begin later this month. After the director is hired, he or she will help to interview and select the brokers and others who will staff the bureau.
Q: The letter said the services of the new Publishing Bureau are free. Does that mean I won't be billed for the printing?
A: No. You won't be charged for the advice and help you receive from the brokers in the bureau, but you will have to pay for the direct materials and services, like printing, bindery work, or the design of a publication or Web page.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on July 24, 1996.
