Limiting public web access

[Elizabeth Felt]

On Mon, 10 Feb 1997, Betty Morganstern wrote:

> I'm not sure why you want to separate the Internet from periodicals.  It has
> been confusing for our patrons when you have to say well this workstation
> has this service, and that one has something else.  Signs alone are not
> sufficient. 

I find this a very interesting topic of discussion.  When I teach the
45-minute 
library orientation to freshman, the one thing I stress above all else is
that when they walk up to one of our computers, they need to think about
why they want to use the computer, and then decide which system is open
on the computer.

Then, we move into the computer lab and students sit down at a terminal
and start searching for a book in an index or periodical articles in our
catalog....

I think many library users find it confusing that a computer will do more
than one thing.  We recently changed to a windows interface to our catalog
that uses the same interface with some locally-loaded full text periodical
indexes.  People find this horribly confusing.  Are other people finding
the same thing?

Elizabeth

************************
Elizabeth Caulfield Felt
Reference Librarian
Washington State University
Pullman, WA  99164-5610
509-335-8957
felt at wsu.edu
http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/faculty/felthp.htm
*********************************************



> We have both full Internet access and access to UMI fulltext periodicals as
> well as databases such as Gale's Encyclopedia of Associations, Contemporary
> Authors on all of our workstations.  Our catalog is a web-based one as well.
> 
> While not always financially possible with every database, we have aimed
> towards having our catalog, periodicals, databases and the Web on all of our
> workstations.  
>  
> 
> Our library system is county based, consisting of 15 branches, 4 of those
> branches have 20 workstations for the public, other branches average about 8
> workstations.  All machines are busy at peak times, but I think what we're
> finding is to aim towards more workstations overall, rather than designating
> some for this database, and some for the web.  
> 
> At 04:52 AM 2/8/97 -0800, Richard A. Speer wrote:
> >We would like to begin offering web access to selected databases like 
> >Wilson Web or the Information Access products, however we are 
> >concerned that if we put general web browsers on all of our public 
> >machines (of which we have a limited number) then our users will tie 
> >them up surfing the web and we will not be able to offer the 
> >periodical database access that we currently offer through our cdrom 
> >products.  Are there ways that we can offer access only to selected 
> >web sites and block users from going to any other sites?
> >
> >We do have other pc's where general web cruising is allowed, but they 
> >are often full during the day and always full from 2:30 until we 
> >close.
> >
> >*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
> >Rick Speer                         rspeer at LPL.avcnet.org
> >Lewiston Public Library
> >200 Lisbon Street                  Voice: (207) 784-0136
> >Lewiston, Maine 04240              Fax:   (207) 784-3011
> >*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
> >
> Betty Morganstern				
> Information, Programming and Outreach Librarian
> Anne Arundel County Public Library		bmorgans at web.aacpl.lib.md.us
> 5 Harry S. Truman Pkwy				Voice: 410-222-7371
> Annapolis MD 21401				Fax:	410-222-7863
> 
>