The Dewey Library Blog

The S:drive is your personal digital storage space on the UAlbany server. When you log onto a campus computer, be sure to save files to your S:drive instead of to the computer (“My Documents��?); saving a file to the computer limits access to that computer, but saving your work to your S:drive means that you can access it anywhere.

You may be asking yourself: Why would I do that?

1) Whether you are using Microsoft Word to write a paper, Dreamweaver to create a website, or simply collecting various media for a presentation, your S:drive can be used to collect, organize, store, and remotely access your files. Because you can also upload files to your S:drive from your personal computer, the accessibility works both ways. For instance, if you are working on a school computer you can transfer files from your S:drive to your personal computer. If you complete additional work on the file using your personal computer, you can then upload the newest version of the file to your S:drive so that when you return to campus, you have the latest draft at your disposal.

2) Having digital storage space means that you can do your work from multiple locations without carrying a flash-drive or other external storage device, which are vulnerable to corruption or physical damage.

3) Speaking of corruption and physical damage, try using your S:drive as a digital back-up for all of your academic work. You would never feel the despair of a computer crash during finals week, just before that semester-long research project comes due.

4) If you are an EndNote user, you can save your library to your S:drive so that any research you complete in the Information Commons, User Rooms, or Technology Classrooms can be seamlessly accessed from your personal computer (or vice versa).

5) UAlbany libraries give you access to hardware and software that you might not have available at home. Need a color print-out for a presentation? Upload the file to your S:drive at home, then access the file on campus and use a color printer. At the main campus, the Interactive Media Center, or IMC, has a wide variety of hardware and software available for students.

Okay, you’ve convinced me, but how do I use it?
You can view detailed directions that the IMC has provided to access your S:drive remotely via SSH (Secure Shell). SSH encrypts your information, which makes your files less vulnerable to snooping when you transfer them from the school server in order to access them remotely. For more information about accessing the S:drive, you can also visit the ITS webpage called “Using Your S:Drive��?

The Dewey Library has ITS consultants on duty during the week to assist with technology problems. If you have issues with using your S: drive, drop by the Dewey Library Monday thru Thursday from 2:00pm - 8:00p, Friday from 2:00pm-5:00pm, and Sunday from 2:00pm - 6:00pm, and we'll direct you to the ITS consultant.

Blog post created by Lauren Stern