floppy disk access on public access

[Volker Henze]

> We are becoming more aware that users may have legitimate reasons to download 
> files to their floppy discs - but we don't want to compromise our network 
> security by allowing the potential of recalcitrant users  uploading a virus to 
> our network or re booting the pc and running programs from a discette..
> 
> How have other libraries handled this ?

Our public access PC in our reading room are linked to a special 
diskette station to which so called export files can be sent for 
downloading on floppy discs provided by us. So while we disabled the 
all floppy disc drives of the public access PC's as well we offer our 
users the chance of downloading any file on a virtual disc first. In 
a second step this or these file may be sent to the diskette station 
and downloaded on diskette(s) that can then be taken home, for a 
small fee, by the way. 
********************************************************
                      Volker Henze
                Die Deutsche Bibliothek
                    Datenverarbeitung
                      Adickesallee 1
               D-60322 Frankfurt am Main
                        GERMANY
                Email: henze at dbf.ddb.de
                 Tel.:  +49-69-1525-1703
                 Fax:   +49-69-1525-1799
********************************************************