ABSTRACT
The selection of an administrative computer for any educational institution can be a frustrating experience. For the small college, which many times have limited resources but unlimited computer demands, the selection process is often traumatic. Administrators fear that new technology will render the new system obsolete by the time contracts for purchasing the new computer are signed. In order to estimate computer demand, one must take one of two routes. Either institutional needs can be assumed and a selection made on the basis of how closely the computer considered meets the requirements of the institution, or institutional requirements may be determined systematically and a computer selected on the basis of that research. A survey to determine future uses must necessarily begin with current use. Care should be taken, however, to plan for expansion of services to units that will eventually realize the advantages of the new system and will desire to make use of the new facility.
