Tech Computer Center User Consultant Handbook

The TCC is a service department whose function is to provide members of the Tech community with usable, readily available computer resources. These resources include not only the hardware and software which we have but also the knowledge and information which our staff can provide in using the hardware and software.

In order to run the TCC well we must know about problems (it's not likely we will fix a problem we don't know about). Short of things falling apart (or us checking everything all the time - which we don't have time to do) people's input is a major indicator of how well the TCC is working. Even though most of the input we get is going to be about some sort of problem we must not give people the impression that we are annoyed when they report a problem (otherwise they will not be so likely to report other problems, and we need to know about problems when they exist). Also keep in mind that, we can never afford to alienate the people who use the facilities we administer.

In short, we are hired to provide computer service to the Tech community. Most of the people you work with will be looking to you to solve a problem (either with our service, or with how to use our facilities) so that they can get back to working on what is important to them. Our job is to help them get their work done (not doing their work for them, but teaching them how to use the resources the TCC provides so they can do their work). If that view of the job is unacceptable to you then you need to let your supervisor know about it.

With that in mind it's not very difficult to see that we should be concerned about the perception of our services by the people who use them. This will come down to the person's perception of how an individual does their job. If you feel that a person's perception is flawed, and that person insists on you adjusting your performance please feel free to politely guide that person to talk with your supervisor. Also take it as a prompt to review the image you project of yourself since they are probably right to some degree (i.e. maybe you aren't doing your job right -- or your focus may be on academics, or leisure, when it should be on work).

Another important aspect of this job involves security. Your awareness of security needs to be at a high level. One compelling reason for this is that it becomes difficult to buy the software, or hardware, we need when we have to spend money on things that get lost or stolen (chairs and PCs are past examples). Your attention to what you're doing, as well as what others are doing, will go much further and be more productive than putting more locks or sensors on things.