[WEB4LIB] Services to wireless patrons?

[morganj at iupui.edu]

Our dentistry students all received laptops a couple years ago.  Since
many of them use our medical library, we've wired some power and
network outlets in the library so they can study here. The campus had just
begun to provide DHCP service at the time, so we could randomly assign an
IP number to the portable when it was plugged in.

The University security office regards these open network outlets as a
problem, since they provide anonymous access to the Internet.  Some
public access areas on one of our other campuses have been working on a
way to force the user to sign in with a campus ID before receiving an IP
number, but I don't know how successfully.  If your number of IDs is
limited to 700 you might be able to give them all fixed IP numbers.

We wrote a simple note on our web pages
(http://www.medlib.iupui.edu/techsupport/pubip.html) to explain the
outlets and how to  configure a portable to use them, and posted a similar
document near the outlets.

We've had a few other students complain about the clicking of the keys of
the portables, and we've set up some barriers to reduce sound in areas
that were previously open.  But otherwise there have been no problems.

Jim Morgan
morganj at iupui.edu



On Fri, 20 Aug 1999, Bill Drew wrote:

> Our college is a IBM Thinkpad University.  We will (as of the end of
> business today) have over 700 students with IBM Thinkpads.  The campus is
> fully wired (at 10 MB shared capacity) in the academic buildings with
> internet cafes and lounges in several buildings around campus including the
> library.  The dorms will be fully "wireless" by the end of the month with
> access via a wireless Raytheon network card for each laptop(at 2MB shared
> capacity).
> Is anyone else doing this and what special library services are being
> offered to such wireless users?
> 
> --
> Wilfred Drew (Call me "Bill"); Associate Librarian (Systems, Reference)
> Past President, SUNY Librarians Association (SUNYLA)
> SUNY College of Ag. & Tech.;   P.O. Box 902;  Morrisville, NY 13408-0902
> E-mail: drewwe at morrisville.edu
> Phone: (315)684-6055 or 684-6060 Fax: (315)684-6115
> Homepage: <http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/>
> Not Just Cows: <http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/njc/>
> LibraryLinks: <http://www.morrisville.edu/pages/library/>
> SUNYLA: <http://www.albany.edu/library/sunyla/>
> "It's All About Where You're Goin' -- SUNY Morrisville"
> --
>