Library Services to users outside of the library

Drew, Bill drewwe at morrisville.EDU
Thu Mar 2 12:36:32 EST 2000



My question or issue concerns this.  Our college is now a "ThinkPad
University."  We are fast approaching the point where over half of our
students will have laptops (IBM ThinkPads) both wired and wireless.  The
library will be getting wireless networking for the students by the end of
March.  I have been trying to research what university and college libraries
are doing to provide services or identify unique services to such roaming
users.  There is virtually nothing of any real significance in the
literature (at least via Library Lit. and ERIC).

We have instituted a service that uses AOL Instant Manager to allow remote
users on their home computers or laptops to contact the reference desk.  I
am conducting a survey in one of the programs that is almost 100% laptop
students to see if there are better or other preferred ways for those users
to reach us.

What services are libraries providing to such remote or mobile users?  We
are now testing EZProxy for remote off campus access to our databases and
college intranet.  What else should we be doing?  

-----
Wilfred (Bill) Drew
Associate Librarian, Systems and Reference
SUNY Morrisville College Library
drewwe at morrisville.edu
Home: http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe
Not Just Cows: http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/njc/
Library: http://www.morrisville.edu/library/
VOTE -- March 7,  New York Primary



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