There were 5 replies. 4 stressed the importance of convincing IT to give
libraries extra rights, particularly administrative control. Summaries /
extracts below:
Slough: In Slough we have full administrative access to the public-side
network. This allows us our own administration of all filtration policies
for the public. We are able to determine our own blocking policy and
determine, as we wish, which sites the public are allowed to access.
Luton: We have a separate domain for the library service, allowing us much
greater flexibility and timeliness in dealing with requests for blocking or
unblocking sites. Library staff can access Bloxx to make changes
immediately for customers (although Bloxx does block pages on Tony Hancock
etc).
North Tyneside: Because we managed to convince our IT people that the
reasonable expectations and requirements of the general public are rather
different from those of staff, we have separate Cache Pilots for the public
PCs, and it is mainly library staff who control the blocking/unblocking of
sites and categories of sites. I suspect we are in a more fortunate
position than most.
Norfolk: However, we have been able to manage the configuration of the
software in such a way that we can put the public terminals in a separate
user group and thereby allow them greater access to the internet than
general staff are permitted. However, we did feel that frontline library
staff did need to have the same access as their customers, in order to both
be able to answer any enquiries that may come their way and to maintain
their credibility as an information service.
Michael Stuart
Manager, FRILLS Leaflet Service
3rd Floor Holborn Library
32/38 Theobalds Rd, LONDON WC1X 8PA
T:020 7974 4007 F:020 7974156
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