Web access for remote dial-up patrons

[Christopher Jackson]

I'm wondering if there are any libraries out there allowing web access to 
dial-up users who do not have internet accounts.

We're considering providing such users with access to Lynx.  They'd dial 
in; login to our UNIX machine using a generic login; and upon login Lynx 
would start up on our home page.  Quitting Lynx would end the session 
and hang up the modem.

Has anyone done this?  What are the potential problems?

I would ideally like to provide such users with full web access--they 
could leave our site and go anywhere they choose.  However, some staff 
are afraid that free web access, even text-based, would result in 
endless busy signals for most users.  Any thoughts here?

We currently run a BBS site for dial up users, but maintaining that and 
a website is a real time drain.  I'd like to recreate as many of the 
BBS features as possible on the web, and then dump the BBS.
Our website, of course, points to other websites--I don't want to create a
second version that is entirely self-contained. And I don't want to deny 
remote users who do not have Internet accounts any of the resources that 
our site links to.

Any input/feedback would be appreciated.  Context: We're a medium-size 
public library.

Chris Jackson
Automation Library
Monroe County Public Library