Universities find new ways to eliminate paper

With paperless document management, universities can better organize their records, streamline information management and improve services to students and staff. From the registrar's office to the classroom, colleges around the world are increasingly opting for electronic data management systems. 

Elon University recently switched their mail services system to a digital platform. According to the Elon Pendulum, while students were once alerted about the arrival of a package with a slip of paper in their mailbox, the school is cutting costs and improving organization by sending out mail notices online. 

The new system tracks packages by scanning them and assigning them a unique barcode. The system then automatically tells students that a package has arrived with an email in their university account. 

Mail clerk Brent Hill noted that the electronic system will help the school streamline its delivery process, hopefully reducing the backup of packages that occurs during the holidays and the weeks after move-in.

"I'm not sure that [the software] will eliminate the wait times for packages, but it's definitely going to be more convenient and make things go more smoothly," he told the Pendulum.

Additionally, the University of Free State just became the first medical school in South Africa to cut down on paper usage by presenting all first-year students with a personal laptop, The New Age reported. The school was able to make the move to a digital system quickly, as the first steps toward eliminating paper were taken in July. 

Students at the university will have access to Wi-Fi across the campus, and will be expected to use their laptops during each class session. The devices should help students cut down on printing costs for students, as these can add up over the course of their undergraduate careers, and will prepare them to interact with medical records that are increasingly stored digitally. 

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