Derbyshire County Council libraries currently provide open public wireless internet access in a number of libraries across the county.
It has been proposed that to provide some security and in order to conform with the requirements of the Digital Economy Act 2010 some form of authentication on wireless connections should be configured. Options proposed include a simple landing page which requires users to supply minimal information (eg a name and email address) before they gain internet access or a more involved process whereby users register with library staff and are given a username and password which in turn allows internet access.
I’m unconvinced that anything short of authentication using a properly configured existing library account is particularly useful in terms of identification and would be keen to hear whether other library services already use or are proposing to introduce such models since I am concerned that such a solution may significantly discourage use of the service.
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