E-mail/Chat on library Internet terminals

[Tom Perrin]

Robert J Tiess wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> Question:  Do you believe this [email] is a valid, natural extension of
> Internet access in a library, a right for the patron to have,
> 
> The second part of my query is this:  What about chats?

Email via rocketmail or hotmail doesn't take up any hard drive space. It
doesn't cost the library anything.  I receive a significant amount of
information via some 2 or 3 hundred emails a day. From time to time,
they turn into chat.  Were my hard drive to crash, and put me out of
commission for a few weeks, I would want my library to provide me with
access to both.  If I was too financially challenged to buy my own
computer and access, I would very much want my library to provide me
with the same kinds of access to electronic information as it has
traditionally provided with print media. For the life of me, I don't
understand why this situation bothers so many different library
administrators.  Do they really care what kinds of information I get? I
never heard of an Interlibrary loan person restricting the kinds of
information obtained by a patron.  Why should electronic media be any
different?

Tom Perrin
>