[Web4lib] Re: ]Web4lib] Public Computers and iTunes

[Sharon Foster]

All but one of our public computers are Mac minis and have iTunes.
We've had one or two patrons who were dismayed to see that synching
their iPod with the public Mac had the effect of wiping out anything
they had loaded the iPod with from another computer. But that's not a
disaster. Most of them understand how to use it better than I do. As
long as they understand that it's a public computer, and that what
they load on it today won't be there tomorrow, there are no surprises.

They can rip CDs. The biggest problem there is that occasionally
they'll bring in a CD with a bad track, and iTunes gets stuck trying
to read it and never gives up. The only way to get out is a Force
Quit. (Seems like a bug that Apple might want to fix one of these
days.)


> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 16:34:08 -0600
> From: "Jane Frasier" <jfrasier at jefferson.lib.co.us>
> Subject: [Web4lib] Public Computers and iTunes
> To: <web4lib at webjunction.org>
> Message-ID:
>         <96C29D8BA4DC794CB9B43CA09ADD6A3601CE7A5B at amber.jeffco-lib.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain;       charset="us-ascii"
>
> We are having increasing numbers of requests from patrons to offer
> iTunes for downloading music and synching with iPods. The library staff
> is asking that this be made easily available and usable.
>
> In working with an iPod it seems to me like a nightmare because iTunes
> and iPods aren't really geared to a shared environment. Does your
> library offer this? Is it on your desktop or main menu? What about
> Windows Media player and MP3 players and ripping CDs and synching music?
>
> Are you blocking Peer-to-peer websites? What about Skype and Limewire
> and similar Internet technologies? This has become so complex to keep up
> with demand.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Jane Frasier
> Software Support Specialist
> Jefferson County (CO) Public Library
>
>

-- 
Sharon M. Foster
Technical Support
Cheshire Public Library
104 Main Street
Cheshire, CT  06410
http://www.cheshirelibrary.org