Well, Rob, looks like it's only thee and me with our Out Of Office Assistant
turned off! (-:
Steven
Steven Heywood
Systems Manager
Rochdale Library Service
Wheatsheaf Library
Baillie Street
Rochdale, England OL16 1JZ
Tel: 01706 864967
Fax: 01706 864992
It's summer time on the Page o'Fun. Mind you don't get your feet wet!
http://www.rochdale.gov.uk/living/libraries.asp?url=pageOfFun
> ----------
> From: Steven Heywood[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Reply To: Steven Heywood
> Sent: 21 June 2002 09:48
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: access to PCs
>
> Not quite a rant. I'm still glowing with our winning a test series. (-:
>
> > <<<"Personally I would like to see all users registering in one form or
> > another here. This is driven by the need to gather accurate stats for
> our
> > PI's and such like">>>
> >
> [Rob McInroy]
> > What are we here for, to serve people or gather statistics? Talk about
> > being process driven.
> >
> <<<"Nevertheless, is it too much to ask someone to join, to give
> just a minimum amount of information, in order to be counted ?
> Particularly
> as counting is a statutory requirement ?">>>
>
> [Rob again]
> Yes, in many cases it is too much. What about asylum seekers? What
> about foreign visitors? What about holidaymakers? What about people out of
> town on business? Whenever I'm away from base I look for an internet cafe
> or
> easy everything to log on and check my email. I don't go to a library,
> because I expect to come across barriers such as this.
>
> Yes but and yes but. Unfortunately, yet again we're between a rock and a
> hard place. The very people who require us to focus on the customer
> experience are the ones who require us to interfere with it by monitoring
> every breath the poor beggars take. If it's not quantatitively measurable
> and put down in triplicate it doesn't count for anything.
>
> [Rob again]
> > Until we resolve this, until we lighten up, anally retentive librarians
> > who insist on putting barriers in the way of people using their services
> > are presiding over the slow death of public libraries. People will vote
> > with their feet...
> >
> It's up to us to strike a sensible balance. There are ways of monitoring
> use
> without requiring registration. The easiest methodologies involve setting
> up
> pseudopatrons - anonymous guests on your system - which can have whatever
> characteristics you deem appropriate. You get your detailed stats, your
> customer gets an unhundered service with no form-filling required.
>
> But librarians do love their bits of paper... We've had fully-automated
> reservations for twelve years and I'm still lobbying to get shut of the
> reservation cards!
>
> Steven
>
> Steven Heywood
> Systems Manager
> Rochdale Library Service
> Wheatsheaf Library
> Baillie Street
> Rochdale, England OL16 1JZ
> Tel: 01706 864967
> Fax: 01706 864992
>
> It's summer time on the Page o'Fun. Mind you don't get your feet wet!
> http://www.rochdale.gov.uk/living/libraries.asp?url=pageOfFun
>
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