Chat on public access Internet

[JQ Johnson]

Donald Barclay <dbarclay at Bayou.UH.EDU> wrote:

>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?

I find these arguments fairly compelling.  Although we may due to
resource constraints in fact need to impose limits, we should always
keep in mind that our job is to serve the patrons, and that they are at
least as likely to know what they want/need from the library as we are.

Three additional thoughts:

1/ there are approaches to guiding usage that don't involve making
explicit appropriate use rules.  For example, creating reference
workstations at standup height without chairs strongly encourages brief
sessions.  If you believe that an important use of the workstations is
OPAC access (typically a fast query), then (a few) such stations are a
very good thing to provide.

2/ different workstations in a library may have very different missions.
The workstation behind the reference desk is different from the one in
front of it, and both are different from the stations in the computer
lab upstairs.  Usage policies tend for simplicity's sake to be overly
uniform.

3/ in an academic library setting, it is important to consult with the
teaching faculty before making policy.  If faculty are requiring that
students do research by signing up for Carl UnCover, then receiving
e-mail is going to be a critical part of their research.  If some
faculty are using chat rooms as part of their instructional technology,
then disallowing chat may not be acceptable on workstations that have an
instructional support mission in addition to their reference services
mission.  Etc.

JQ Johnson                      Office: 115F Knight Library
Academic Education Coordinator  Internet: jqj at darkwing.uoregon.edu
1299 University of Oregon       voice: 1-541-346-1746
Eugene, OR  97403-1299          fax: 1-541-346-3485