Requiring a login for Internet use

[Dennis VanArsdale]

Please excuse cross-posting, but I am using archived messages 
from both IUG and Web4Lib for other help and perhaps you can 
advise on this:

We need to allow allow everyone to use databases through the 
Internet (from menus and links) but prevent _some_ users from 
surfing the Web at large.

I would appreciate suggestions from other libraries on how they 
handle this kind of problem, with or without Innopac WAM.  (For 
details, see below)

Background:
We are an academic library which is also open for use by the 
public.  However, to prevent Internet abuse, we prefer to allow 
Internet use only by students/faculty/staff and forbid open use by 
the general public (including the children of our students while the
students are busy studying in the library).

Open Internet is available at the public library branches; we are not
depriving anyone of access, just trying to limit abuse and avoid 
demands
for filters on our PCs.  It would also cut down on the "policing" 
function
of staff and preserve the "research" function of the workstations. 
(So, no
debates, please, as this is a limited-time matter rather than a
civil-rights matter.)

The catch is, we want the public to be able to use the OPAC and 
the databases we license (which is permitted _within_ the library), 
but require some kind of logon protection so that the public cannot 
use the Netscape 4.x location bar (and, if possible, links at the 
database sites) to "escape" to surf the Web.  

We have Windows 95 on our workstations (Pentium IIs and IIIs), a 
campus Novell network, INNOPAC Release 12 and the Web 
Access Management which only handles asking for authorization 
to use the databases.  It does not cover the rest of the Web.  We 
have WINSelect 3.32 (now upgrading to 3.33) Kiosk and Policy (but 
unfortunately, their Logoff program does not agree with our Novell 
system, as opposed to NT, it seems -- results vary, but too often 
lead to lockup and having to reboot).

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Dennis G. Van Arsdale, Technical Services Librarian
Boreham Library, Westark College*********
P.O. Box 3649  Fort Smith ARkansas 72913-3649
(501) 788-7206  -- dvanarsd at systema.westark.edu
http://www.westark.edu
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