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Indiana University installs campus-wide digital signage system

Scala has announced that it has launched a 30-channel digital signage network at Indiana University’s main campus in Bloomington, Ind. Scala, in partnership with integrator Digital AV, assisted the school Auxiliary IT group with installing 30 40-unch LCD monitors in all 12 campus dormitories, food service areas and dining halls, parking operations and the IU Memorial Union (IMU) building.

There is also a dedicated channel for the hotel located inside the IMU for meeting and conference announcements.

After a year of planning and installation, the network became fully operational in Spring 2009.

“Digital media is not only modern and eye-catching to students, but it’s less of a hassle than printed materials,” said Aaron Sudduth, senior system administrator of IU’s Auxiliary IT Services. “It’s evident that the marketing departments have been able to reduce the cost of printing, and the real return has been on getting information to students and staff much faster.”

Sudduth remains the “internal champion” and controller of the network from the IT side, but can give selected employees in different departments access to the content management system to upload their own custom content. There is still an approval process, but Sudduth said that since it is “effectively outsourced from IT, external specialized information can be distributed and approved more quickly than ever.”

Students can also have access to the digital signage network for their own announcements, albeit a bit more indirectly. Students can request content to be included by filling out an online form within the software containing the information they wish to broadcast at various locations. Pending approval, the system uploads the information onto the university templates and schedules it to play at various times.

Sudduth said the response to the new digital network has been positive. “It’s evident that the marketing departments have been able to reduce the cost of printing, and the real return has been on getting information to students and staff much faster,”  he said.
It is interesting to note that despite the reach of the 30 screens across campus, IU chose not to include emergency alert functionality, and instead stick with its text and email system. Many other universities are installing networks with emergency alert as the primary reason for the network.
IU said that moving forward, Auxiliary IT would like to integrate digital signage with the existing emergency alert system. Additionally, IU plans to investigate ways to harness this technology as a digital wayfinding system for the IMU.

digital signage system