We use NHS-net for our access from the Library Office to the world (1.8
staff and a developing multidisciplinary service).  The 4 public access PCs
in our main library and the 4 in the
room-with-not-a-lot-in-it-but-still-called-a-library on our other hospital
site also have full access to the NHSnet and Web (as well as Microsoft
Office).

We have a constantly evolving system for access to these PCs, which were
ordered and installed before we had any licences to use them.  The "LoveBug"
virus also pointed out to the IT people that the cheap shareware solution
they'd adopted for some of us wasn't adequate at times of threat.  Because
otherwise it would take about 3 weeks to read, I wil;l report on the current
state of play, arrived at by negotiation between the Library and IT persons.
If anyone is masochistic enough to want to know more, please email me back.

The strategy for getting people online isn't a strategy - it's been
opportunistic in the extreme.  Ourt aim is to provide good access by the
time that the NHSnet/NeLH for NHS staff  offers a range of valuable
resources we cannot live without.

Junior doctors - can all have a username for NHS if funded for an NT Client
User Licence and Exchange (now c.£30 a head?).  This gives them all a unique
access to the NHSnet and personal responsibility for data security while
using it.  Some people have been funded by the Trust (by mistake, on purpose
or as a planned improvement to system security) and others by individual
departments to ensure their juniors had full access to information.  Good
points: they all have to adhere to the Trust security policy monitored by
IT, not the Library; all have 24 hour access on either hospital site
Bad points: we allocate usernames but IT have to do the things to the system
which reset passwords or sort out problems.  They work nothing like 24 hours
a day, so some users are left high and dry.  printing is hard to control
when we are not here.  IT does not have the time to install more technology
to charge for printing, so we've just started leaving a reasonable amount of
paper in the printer, and then almost emptying the photocopier when we go
home to stop whole packets of paper being taken from there.  

Medical Students - NT licences funded by SIFT.  They don't have exchange as
they either use Hotmail or else telnet/use web methods to communicate with
email at their home university (c.£17 per head cost)

Consultants and staff grade doctors, registrars - have access direct from
IT, who offer them all a username.  However, many use the PCs in the
libraries as offices are not actually linked up.

Other staff:  we could not start to administer individual usernames to all
the staff of the Trust, so we now have two machines on NHSnet available for
use dusing the staffed hours for the Library.  These have proved popular,
though I still need to do more publicity for them.  We funded these from
NMET, along with a first year of OVID databases and full text too.

If you'd like to know any more , get in touch.

Laxton Library
Postgraduate Medical Education Centre
Peterborough District Hospital
Thorpe Road
Peterborough
PE3 6DA
01733 874662
Fax 01733 347142 

"Unless expressly stated otherwise, the contents of this message represent
only the views of the sender as expressed only to the intended recipient, do
not commit Peterborough Hospitals Trust (PHT) to any course of action and
are not intended to impose any legal obligation upon PHT."

> -----Original Message-----
> From: G.L.Matthews [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 19 June 2000 14:36
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: NHSnet - library security and policy issues
> 
> 
> As a library about(ish) to get NHSnet, we too would be very 
> interested 
> in hearing other people's experiences. Perhaps replies could be 
> addressed to the List?
> 
> Graham Matthews
> Principal Librarian
> Rotherham Health Care Library & Info Service
> -----------------------
> 
> Dear all,
> 
> We're after some advice from libraries with NHSnet.  As a 
> hospital we have
> only recently acquired access to the NHSnet, and so have not 
> yet worked out
> all the pros and cons - the onsite Network services 
> department are quite
> concerned with the security issues of what should and 
> shouldn't be accessed
> on the Internet, but as a information service this is even 
> more difficult to
> limit, so the main questions are:
> 
> 1)  What software/hardware systems do libraries use in order 
> to monitor
> access through NHSnet - names and prices?
> 
> 2)  What policies do libraries have over access?
> 
> Regards,
> Michelle
> 
> Warner Library
> Broomfield Hospital
> Chelmsford
> Essex
> 


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