[WEB4LIB] E-mail in libraries

[Floyd Ingram]

I am with Dan Lester on this issue.  IT IS NOT narrow-mindedness...it is
good management and the assurance that no one get deprived of their time to
do research on a computer.  E-mail and chat users occupy TOO MUCH time on a
PC.  They have folks standing around waiting.  THAT IS FRUSTRATING!  Our ERC
(Electronic Reference Center) does not allow e-mail and chat usage.  WE HAVE
LABS for that!  In those labs, there is no time limit and the user can sit
and use e-mail and chat as well as word processors, etc. as long as they
want as long as the lab is open.  It does not matter how many PCs you
have...e-mail and chat users will use the PCs in the Library as though they
are at home in their living room.  Librarians are too d-mn liberal and try
to be too MANY things to everybody.  It is fine for public libraries to
provide e-mail and chat services since they have that purpose to provide
services to the community (e-mail to those who do not have access to it
elsewhere such as home, etc.).

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Floyd Ingram
Columbia, South Carolina
E-mail: <mailto:fingram at mindspring.com>
Homepage: <http://fingram.home.mindspring.com>
"'Tis better to be flamed and burn than to drown in the deep waters of
silence."
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> Your attempt to block/filter patrons' use of e-mail is very
> narrow-minded and does nothing to address the real problem, which
> is the lack of adequate Internet resources/terminals for your
> library community. Your attempt to categorize your library's
> patrons as bozos is demeaning to the library profession.
>
> Brenda (Bozo) Tyler
>
> (Who would be unable to post this message from your library)