[WEB4LIB] Re: E-mail in libraries

[Theodore E. Drake]

At 3:09 PM -0700 10/13/98, Richard A. Edwards wrote:

>The real question seems to me to be that since we're spending the money to
>provide the equipment for other uses and since it doesn't cost anything
>MORE to allow its use for email, why not do so when it's possible?
...
>
>Why not have a policy which gives academic use first priority,
>recreational use second, and email last? Then if they are all busy, bump
>the email users.

IMHO Rich is correct -- at least in educational settings. We have 15
workstations for 7,000 students and have a 'research first' e-mail second
policy which has worked well for over a year now. When students are waiting
for a machine to do research we ask all who are using e-mail or 'just
surfing' to please wrap up their activities within 5 minutes. The students
appreciate this and have been very cooperative.




t.e.d.
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Theodore E. Drake, Ed.D.                 tdrake at tcjc.cc.tx.us
Director of Library Services            Voice (817) 515-4513
Jenkins Garrett Library                      Fax   (817) 515-5726
Tarrant County Junior College
Ft. Worth, TX 76119
http://www.tcjc.cc.tx.us/south/library/
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