Devon again ... 

Alan, the "horses for courses" bit is a reality. Staff don't monitor as such,
when asked by a waiting user they just politely ask one of the lucky ones in
situ and down here, so far, it just works. Mind you, we have got bits of
information around explaining that this is likely to happen. 

On the very valid point concerning IT or information, every understaffed
library service with miniscule training and staffing relief budgets faces huge
issues both in terms of what use our precious ICT equipment is put to and how
to survive in a sea of semi-IT literacy ... and that's just the staff. But I
don't think we can duck it ... and yes, we may well face longer term funding
issues in replacing kit and sustaining everything.

I didn't mention that we also have a third IT area, a networked Training Suite
which we administer and hire out to training organisations and they provide the
training. Mostly this is used by Community Education, our very close colleagues
in Devon Lifelong Learning. We are looking forward to the opportunity to bid
for New Opportunities Fund resources so that all our staff can be better
trained to help our users get the most out of the emerging ICT services and no
doubt raising the matched funding in Devon will take something of a miracle.

I guess the thread developing here is that parts of the traditional public
library needs to go through the scary experience of  developing very close
cooperation if not converging with other allied services ... and how do we
protect our necessary distinctiveness? At best, with such a lack of basic
resources, this process will prove both stimulating and at times screamingly
frustrating. At worst, if we don't give it a go  we could be gobbled up or
marginalised.

Back to practicalities and off the soap box, so far we've not experienced more
than the very rare spot of abusive use - we do have a clearly indicated
acceptable use policy. Emails per se could perhaps be seen as a sort of misuse,
but then a whole lot of new folk have now seen what else we have to offer ...
at this stage one could at the very least consider it a loss leader.

Exeter Central Library has a long way to go in that although we have cabled up
the entire building, it may well prove very difficult to raise the funds to buy
modern PCs for all the other departments. In the mean time, the next few months
will see the roll-out of PCs in virtually all our other service points. In each
case, at least one PC (and in the smallest there is only one!) is configured
primarily for  information purposes and any others can be used in the wider
sense described for the Central Library's hireable "DIY Suite". I am nervous as
to how servicepoint staff in much smaller libraries will cope with the scrum
and the complexity, but they are all raring to have a go! 


Mike Maguire
Devon Library & Information Services
Lifelong Learning
Devon County Council
----------
> From: Boughey, Alan <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Internet access and free e-mail
> Date: 09 October 1998 11:41
> 
> Further to the e-mail from Mike Maguire from Devon, where they have
> free, non-bookable access necessitating staff having to give users
> (abusers?) 15 minute warnings to chuck them off.  
> 
> Whilst I can appreciate the logic of this response, I am amazed that the
> staff have the time to monitor use so closely and impliment this.
> Obviously, I don't know all the circumstances, but - on the face of it -
> it would seem to be a 'generous' use of staff time, not to mention
> fraught with potential customer problems.  Perhaps it would work OK if
> you're not very busy, and - admittedly - the alternative of a booking
> system does also take staff time.
> 
> This whole arguement applies to more than just e-mail.  We also get what
> I call 'techie' type questions, usually to do with things like printing
> pictures larger than A4, joining discussion groups, etc.  Although I am
> clear myself that our services are there to provide access to
> information, the public and indeed other staff don't always understand
> or agree with those parameters.  In particular, I think this is at the
> root of SOME of the staff training problems - staff feel they are
> expected to be ICT technical experts.  
> 
> The root question is, are we providing access to IT or information
> (which just happens to be available through IT)?  Personally, I favour
> the latter.  I don't want staff to get involved in 'techie' stuff, I'd
> rather they spent their limited time/energies on helping users of all
> sources find the information they need.  That fits with the rest of our
> service, and it is something that we are better trained and equipped to
> do and we should be marketing our services as such.
> 
> Having said that, I am not against seperate, more technologically
> orientated services in public libraries - as long as these are not
> developed at the expense of IT provision in the mainstream
> information/childrens library sections. Such a section could actively
> encourage e-mail, telnet, downloading, as well as word processing, etc.
> A seperate section can be marketed and staffed appropiately to that role
> so as to be able to do that role to a good quality standard.
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ------------------------------------
> Bury Reference & Information Services
> Alan Boughey, Reference & Information Services Librarian
> Central Library, Manchester Road, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0DG.
> Tel. 0161 - 253 6047  Fax. 0161 - 253 5857


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