Ind. Bill McGinnis, director of Facilities Management and Services Department, California State University, Chico. Also, the replacement of historical books with computer disk data will take a long time to complete. The periodical area is where I would expect technology to have the biggest impact as the articles are relatively short, can be read quickly and, if necessary, can be printed out. Books are here to stay for the foreseeable future. Ind. Bill McGinnis , director of Facilities Management and Services Department, California State University, Chico.
Initial costs are nearly double, but usage life is more than doubled to tripled.
Also, lighting fixtures and some light bulbs have a higher cost per unit, but the life of equipment and materials more than covers itself within a few years. Changes in the public sector purchasing process are difficult to make for fear of improper spending of the public's money. I look for more life-cycle purchasing to occur within the next year or two and full implementation to occur in the next five years. This methodology is gaining more acceptance every year with the various governing agencies, like boards of trustees, governing boards and departments of education. However, sometimes regardless of the life cycle cost, you have to have the product right now, and the amount of funds available is limited, so you make the best possible purchase.