e-mail in libraries

[John Gresham]

I'm one of the anti-email crowd ;-) -- we are a 2000 student university with 8 workstations in the library specifically for research (there is also a lab for word processing email etc ) The research computers link to the web and all the databases that we link to over the web, they also serve as stand-alone CD-ROM workstations --- we found that so many students were using these computers for web based email (hotmail etc ), other students couldn't get to them to search EbscoHost etc  to find articles for their assignments -- we tried signs saying
researchers had precedence over emailers, but it didn't work, so we now use a filter to block the web-based email sites. I understand some "could" use email for research, but that is not the reality. Most students have been understanding and can usually get a computer in the lab -- though they might have to wait.
(Now the NEXT problem is students who can't get a computer in the lab to type their paper!)
John Gresham / Francisan University of Steubenville / Ohio