How important - for a free society - is the right of a reader anonymously
to access information? This simple solution doesn't guarantee anonymity,
whereas consultation of print media on public library premises usually is
totally anonymous.
Aggregated usage statistics don't compromise anonymity, but server logs
do - they would be discoverable evidence in legal proceedings for
example.
Edward Barrow
Business Development Manager, New Technologies
Copyright Licensing Agency - http://www.cla.co.uk/
tel:+44(0)20 7631 5523/fax +44(0)20 7631 5500
mobile: +44(0)77 1035 6416
email:[log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [SMTP:MIME @SMTP [log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, December 15, 2000 12:11 PM
To: [log in to unmask]; Barrow Edward
Subject: Re: Monitoring public use of internet access
<< File: ENVELOPE.TXT >>
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--
Why not do what we do in West Lothian? All internet/desktop users are
registered as library members. Their registration allows book borrowing
but
is identified as a 'special' internet membership so that we can generate
system statistics which give detailed customer profiles - age, gender
etc.
Every time anyone logs on for a session, we 'issue' the PC to them using
their card. This then gives us use information. Allied with the
borrower
information we can obtain very detailed use breakdown in the same way as
for book use.
We have not seen the need to do so, but it would be possible to set up
separate barcodes to scan in issues separately for 'Internet Use'; Word
Processing use etc.
It's cheap and cheerful but works very well.
George Kerr
----------
> From: [log in to unmask]
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Monitoring public use of internet access
> Date: 14 December 2000 15:43
>
> As part of our "People's Network" strategy, we need to monitor the kind
of
> use - morally-acceptable and otherwise - made of our public-access
internet
> points.
> Questionnaires, however brief, are of limited use. The ideal, to my
mind,
> woild be a system whereby a user logs onto the computer by means of
scanning
> his/her reader's ticket. A programme on board could then not only
record
the
> user's identity but also the use made of the facility -
> internet/word-processing/spreadsheets etc.
>
> Does anyone know of such a system currently in use?
>
> Many thanks.
>
> Alun Williams
> -------------------------------------------------------------
> Mae'r e-bost hwn ac unrhyw atodiad iddo yn gyfrinachol ac fe'i bwriedir
ar gyfer y sawl a enwir arno yn unig. Gall gynnwys gwybodaeth
freintiedig.
Os yw wedi eich cyrraedd trwy gamgymeriad ni ellwch ei gopo, ei
ddosbarthu
na'i ddangos i unrhyw un arall a dylech gysylltu 'r Cyngor ar unwaith.
> Mae unrhyw gynnwys nad yw'n ymwneud busnes swyddogol Cyngor Gwynedd yn
personol i'r awdur ac nid yw'n awdurdodedig gan y Cyngor.
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