Blocking web-based mail/chat/game

[Jaap.Verbaas at ubn.kun.nl]

L.S.,

Would it be a viable way of thinking of mailing, chatting, gaming as 
'coffeeroom functions'? In the cofferoom/canteen of a library the patrons can 
talk about everything (about scientific interesting subjects, about the soaps 
on television etc).
You could then talk about the 'library/search for information functions' and 
about the 'coffeeroom functions'.
Then you could think about placing blocks to mail/chat/game-functions (like 
Dan Lester is mentioning) on a certain amount of PCs you would like to reserve 
for searching (scientific or not).
A certain amount of other PCs you could reserve for the 'coffeeroom 
functions'.
You could place them in the same room as the other ones (with a different sign 
above them) or place them in another room (perhaps in the coffeeroom?).
That would be a viable way to please library personnel and patrons alike?
Persons who say they have to mail for scientific reasons have a place to do 
it. In fact, it is of no interest to the library personnel if it is for a 
scientific reason.
I am ventilating the thoughts, because in the central library we have at the 
moment 2 PC's dedicated to CD-ROM on network (but clients are knowing how to 
go mailing from these PC's) and 2 PCs for Internet. Those 2 are used heavily 
for mailing and have poor security (the techies are searching for the ultimate 
solution...).
So, the reference department is now thinking about how the future should be, 
when in the foreseeable future the plans of the director for some 30-40 
Internet-PCs in the central library wil be become effective.
Would it be advisable to dedicate:
- a group of PC's for only the web-based catalogs of the own library 
  (and the other affiliated Dutch OPACS/databases accessible through 
  opc.ubn.kun.nl / www.picarta.nl / www.pica.nl/obn)
  for the real catalog searches
- a group with blocking of mail/chat/game functions
- a (little) group with all functions (incl mail etc)
Would that almost near to a perfect solution?  

Greetings,

Jaap Verbaas
University library Nijmegen
the Netherlands
J.Verbaas at ubn.kun.nl