E-mail in libraries

[Burt, David]

JOSEPH MAXIMILLIAN MURPHY wrote:

>It seems to me that 2 different scenarios are being discussed in this
>thread, and I wanted to try briefly to untangle them.

>The broadest question is whether libraries should be "providing e-mail
>access." If we define "providing" as acting like an ISP (i.e. piggybacking
>personal e-mail accounts with the library's Internet access), then I think
>the answer is generally not.
>On the other hand, I thought this conversation started by asking about
>recommending sites like HotMail or Rocketmail: free, web-based e-mail. I
>maintain that the problems in this situation are entirely different than
>the problems of actively maintaining user accounts.

Thank you Joseph, for helping to put things back on track.  These really
are two fundamentally different things.

Recently, a few public libraries have invested large amounts of money to
set themselves up as ISPs.  I personally feel that this is an
inappropriate use of library funds.  People who can afford a cheap
Internet account from the library own a computer and a modem, and can in
almost every case afford the $19.95 a month for an AOL account.  If a
library wants to put money into addressing the needs of the information
poor, which *all public libraries should be doing*, this money is much
better spent on providing public Internet terminals in the library.

Now, the issues surrounding whether or not a library wants to allow
patrons to telnet into e-mail accounts are quite a bit different.
Telnet is a sticky wicket: you have to have it because it provides
access to too many important resources, but it opens up security holes
and all kinds of other problems.  Some libraries have rules against
"sending e-mail from the library".  The issue here is whether or not you
really want to spend the staff time enforcing it.  Most people seem to
think that time limits do a better job of addressing this.  Who was it
that has a "Mud Pit" of old 386s for telnetting, e-mail, and MOOs?  Now
*that* is a clever idea.

My gripe is not that we must eliminate all communication to the outside
world from the library (although, I once had a supervisor who ...), but
that WE SHOULD NOT FEEL OBLIGATED TO INVEST A LOT OF STAFF TIME AND
RESOURCES TO IT.
There defiantly are librarians who are saying we must now do this.

Another point is that once again, there seems to be a culture difference
between academic and public librarians here.  I get the impression that
providing communications *is* considered a vital function by many
academic libraries, where it generally is not by public librarians.

 ***********************************************************
          David Burt, Information Technology Librarian 
          The Lake Oswego Public Library 
          706 Fourth Street, Lake Oswego, OR 97034
          URL:          http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/library/library.htm
          Phone:     (503) 675-2537 
          Fax:           (503) 635-4171 
          E-mail:      dburt at ci.oswego.or.us