Public Ethernet Connections

[smarcin]

        At The New York Public Library Center for the Humanities, we are in 
     the midst of a major renovation of our Main Reading Room.  When we 
     reopen, one service that we plan on offering to our readers is the 
     ability to access the Internet via their own laptops by plugging 
     into ethernet connections.  Do any of you have experience with this 
     at your institutions?  Any help in answering any parts of the 
     following questions would greatly help in planning our patterns of 
     service in this area.
     
     - We would like to know what people have access to:  
     Can library users simply access the Internet or can they also access 
     Library databases simply by plugging into the ethernet connection?
     
     - What are the hardware requirements
     
     - What are the software requirements (do they have to have Windows95 
     and Netscape installed?)
     
     - What are the procedures:
        Who in the library is responsible for the configuration of the readers' 
     machines:  librarian, systems office, paraprofessional, the readers 
     themselves?
     Is there access on demand as soon as the reader expresses a desire to 
     connect, and is the reader's laptop configured while they wait?  
     Does the reader make an appointment for this service if they need help? 
     Is there a written statement for service?
     
     - Is there a problem with overiding the original configuration of the 
     library user's laptop when it is configured for the library ethernet 
     connection?
     
     - Do you have STATIC or DYNAMIC IP addresses (meaning is their one 
     number for each outlet/computer where they plug their laptop in or are 
     the IPs changing depending on the availability).