Chat on public access Internet

[Kathy Mcgreevy]

Wow. Would that our library had 100 web stations!  (Or maybe I should be
careful what I wish for...)

Our main campus library has a very limited number of public web
workstations (only 12 for a student population of 35,000 along with
another 9 dumb OPAC terminals). Our unwritten (unfortunately) policy is
that since the College coughed up the $$ and put them here so that
students and faculty could do research, that's their primary function
here. Our College's acceptable use policy for instructional computers 
(http://www.santarosa.edu/Polman/2govern/2.13.p.html See Section B) states
that the college's instructional computers are to be used in support of
our instructional programs. Also, there are *numerous* large computer labs
on campus where students are allowed to read and send e-mail and chat as
long as a class is not using the lab and no one needs the station to do a
class assignment. SO--we feel fine about having posted signs that say "No
e-mail, no chats, no games. Thanks!" on the front of *every* public web
station in the library.

Does that stop determined students from doing any of those things?
O-o-of COURSE, not. But at least we have something to point to when
we're asking them to relinquish a machine so that we can use it to help
someone with a research need. 

Since it's entirely true that a student could be reading listserv or
other e-mail related to a class assignment or even using Chat or MUDs or
MOOs at the suggestion of their instructor, I'm rather astonished that no
one has yet challenged us on these grounds. If they did and it turned out
to be an ongoing problem, I suppose I'd contact the instructor and find
out what the scoop was, just as we would for any other problematic class
assignment which showed up at the Ref Desk.

Short of a software solution I'm unaware of or an electronic cattle prod,
it doesn't seem like there's much we can do besides post the policy and
enforce it when someone else needs the machine. The problem, of course, is
that some students are too timid to ask if they see that all the machines
are busy. And when we ask students to give up a station, we
have to stand there and wait for them to back out of their e-mail even if
they do it without protest, and in the meantime, folks are piling up at
the Reference Desk. 

I sympathize with the staff members some have reported who are unwilling
to enforce existing policies in the sense that there is not enough time or
engery in my entire life, let alone my work day, to run around the public
area playing "Internet Police" any more than there is to play "Food and
Beverage Police" (nor do I have the inclination). But I have no problem
whatsoever asking someone who's drooling over the Cindy Crawford home page
to give up his station for someone who has a class assignment. (*I* know
he might be looking at the CC home page for class; so far no one's claimed
that's what he's doing.)
 
Just my 55 cents worth. (Sorry, I can't seem to stop at 2 cents.) 

...................................................................
Kathy McGreevy                     kathy at floyd.santarosa.edu
Ref. Librarian, Electronic         kathy at sonic.net
  Network Services                 http://www.santarosa.edu/~kathy

Santa Rosa Junior College          voice: 1-707-527-4547
Santa Rosa, CA 95401               fax:   1-707-527-4545
..................................................................

On Wed, 12 Feb 1997, Donald Barclay wrote:

> I find this question of appropriate use of Internet fascinating, in part
> because it is an issue we face here at University of Houston.  Our
> number-one complaint is from users who want to use databases but can't get
> to a workstation because of emailers and web users. (We have about 100
> networked workstations, and there are times when they are all in use.)
> 
> We tried giving database users priority over emailers, but it was an
> unenforceable policy.  Our solution, though not perfect, is to provide
> "sign-up"  workstations and to encourage users to sign up in advance. 
> 
> To me, there are two convincing arguments against granting "most favored
> use" status to a particular way of using a networked workstation:
> 
> 1. Who is to say that the use of email or the web is automatically trivial
>    while the use of a database automatically counts as serious research? 
> 
> 2. An analogy: Our library is crowded and it is hard to find places to
>    study.  However, we don't go around kicking people out of the good
>    study spots because they are writing letters to their friends or
>    reading comic books.  Why should we do the same thing with our
>    workstations?
> 
> Whatever people might think on this subject, I am interested in collecting
> any library policies concerning competing uses for computers.  I would
> prefer to see policies regarding web/email/chat versus catalog/database
> use rather than policies regarding obscenity, but I realize these policies
> often go hand in hand.  If members of the list send their policies to me
> (dbarclay at uh.edu), I will summarize for the entire list. If you want to go
> snail mail, my address is: 
> 
> Donald A. Barclay
> University of Houston Libraries
> Houston, TX  77024-2091
> 
> My fax number is 713-743-9778
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Donald A. Barclay
> Coordinator of Electronic Services    always the beautiful answer
> University of Houston Libraries       who asks a more beautiful question
> DBarclay at uh.edu                               --e.e. cummings
>