[Web4lib] Outside disk usage

[travelinlibrarian.8248287 at bloglines.com]

Michelle;

As someone who travels around the country talking to and teaching
librarians about technology I can say the your library's practice is archaic
at best and very user unfriendly at worst. Why are not letting them use their
own disks? Then to not let the leave the building. That defeats the whole
concept of "portable storage". Beyond that, what about jump drives. (Or iPods,
or other forms of lfash memory for that matter.) I can't remember the last
time I actually used a floppy.

My guess is that you're worried about viruses.
I have three responses:

1. Are you running AV software and keeping it up
to date? If yes, then you're doing what you can and don't need to worry. (At
least not any significant amount of worry.

2. No virus writer today worth
their salt would stoop to writing a virus that was transmitted via a floppy
disk. (This is meant to be funny but it's based in reality and leads to...)


3. Are you letting your patrons check their e-mail (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc)?
If so, that's where your most likely to catch a virus. If you that worried
about viruses, don't let them into e-mail.

I realize that this isn't the
type os response you were looking for but I highly suggest you rethink the
whole policy instead of trying to figure out what to do with floppies that
have been left behind.

Michael Sauers
msauers at bcr.org

--- Michele Haytko
<michele.haytko at gmail.com wrote:
Hi all!  I apologize in advance for any
cross-posting.  I am
> interested in how other libraries handle outside disks.
 Our Computer
> Lab does not allow outside disks at all.  We provide disks
for a
> nominal fee and patrons may keep their disks in the Lab for later
use.
>  Once a disk is removed, it is not permitted back in the Lab.  In
the
> event that a patron is caught using an outside disk, they are formally

> warned, and on any subsequent occasion, they are banned from the Lab
>
for 30 days.  My question is this: if a patron is caught using an
> outside
disk and leaves their disk in the Lab, what are other
> libraries doing with
the abandoned diskette?
> 
> Any thoughts you have would be very appreciated!

> 
> Thanks!
> Michele
> 
> -- 
> **************)0(**************
>
Mrs. C. Michele Haytko
> Montgomery County-
>       Norristown Public Library

> MC-NPL Computer Lab
> 1001 Powell Street
> Norristown, PA 19401
> 610-278-5100
Ext. 141 
> 
> "Be the change you wish to see in the world." -Gandhi
>
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