[WEB4LIB] Re: acceptance of Internet policy

[Christine Perry]

Glenn

This is in response to your questions about why we would want to inhibit
access to the Internet from our public access machines:

>>>I guess I would be interested in hearing your goals for putting
something to inhibit access to your sites? It seems to me that such an
approach would be intimidating to the novice user and certainly
inefficient to the return user.

Our goal in creating the special entry page for our public access
terminals is to make patrons aware of our Acceptable Use Policy before
they do anything else on our computers. We will be setting it as the
default home page on our public access terminals only. I have set it up in
a directory that is not linked to any other part of our web site so that
people who access our site from outside the library need not see it at
all. We developed this page because our Board specifically requested that
we do so. We have some Board members who are extremely concerned about
Internet problems and wanted a way to make patrons aware of the rules when
they sit down at our machines. 

>>>Oh Chris, I found your implementation extremely problematic both in
it's length (no one will really read all that) and in it's full screen
takeover of my monitor. While I know how to blow up programs that I can't
get rid of the normal way, my father would be totally befuddled by such an
approach...  

The full screen takeover is intended to make it difficult for patrons to
do anything else until they click on the "accept" option at the bottom of
our list of rules. If they cannot move back or forward or click on the
"search" button, they will have no choice but to click on our "accept"
button. We know that not everyone will read the whole screen, just as not
everyone who signs up for a free email service wades through the long
legal agreement before registering, but if they break our rules now at
least we can say "you agreed to this when you clicked on the arrow." 

I also don't doubt that there are ways to get around the scripts that
cause the screen takeover, but since we have disabled a number of
functions on the computers (i.e. the right mouse button, etc.) I don't
think it will be very easy for anyone to do it. Even if they do, it is
just like in the scenario described above - we can't make them read the
guidelines but at least we can say that they should have been aware of
them.

The Reference staff is always there to assist anyone who accesses the
Internet from our computers, so I am confident that even new users will be
just fine with this process. Return users who feel comfortable with the
rules can always scroll down quickly to the bottom of the page and click
that they accept.

Besides what you and I have said, there hasn't been much response to
Elizabeth's original question on the list. I'd be curious to know if any
other libraries are considering having an entry screen like this on their
computers and what their reasons for doing so / not doing so might be . .
..

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Chris Perry

Webmaster / Reference Assistant
Massillon Public Library
http://www.massillon.lib.oh.us