Several scenarios to continue the conversation about community guests, and provide some structure to address their impact on the library and the services we offer to our core patrons, students, faculty and staff.
I would suggest that it would beneficial to reach some consensus, and report out perhaps three recommendations. The “best case” practice, which is likely to be the most restrictive. An “acceptable” solution, providing only restricted access. And finally a “compromised” recommendation, because it would reflect the political reality this campus can tolerate.
- continue to do what we currently do, log in guests, following recent policy guidelines (March ’09)
- require either sign in sheet, or show identification, and follow the first scenario above.
- create additional independent workstations that can only connect to CONSULS, and/or databases, but not the Web at large.
- combine 2 and 3
- require university ID to use workstations, this would not limit or deny folks from the other CSUs, create unique long in for them.
- same as 5 but substitute Alumni card, or limit access as in 3.
- other
Meeting with Todd McInerney? --Veronica, Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:41:03 -0400 reply
Apologies to everyone about the delay in scheduling this meeting. It is now scheduled for April 3 - next Friday. I will be talking to Todd about the guest account and what we can do with it to restrict access, etc. I will focus on these things:
- "hardwiring" a printer to the guest account so community users have to pay for printing.
- restricting access to the open 'net using the account.
- setting an automatic timeout on the guest account.
- restricting the number of guest logons at one time.
Please add other questions/ideas you may have.
Time spent logging on --Jenny, Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:02:44 -0400 reply
I still have a lingering concern about time professional librarians spend logging people on. At certain times we are logging on 8, 9 public users. Is this an appropriate use of time for librarians of our rank and salary range? Thoughts for consideration.
Emails from ECSU and SCSU Access Services --Russ, Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:17:22 -0400 reply
------ Forwarded Message
From: Greg Robinson
At ECSU we have six workstations available to non-ECSU/CSU/UConn? folks. We require photo ID, we sign the person in for a specific workstation, we try to note when they leave also (although that is sometimes difficult to catch). We issue special PIN numbers that are generated by Fortress time limit software on these six workstations to log them in and to automatically logs the computer off in two hours. We limit non-ECSU folks to one two-hour sign up per day. We do not keep the sign in sheets beyond two weeks.
We can issue a limited number of guest logins to CSU students and staff from other campuses or UConn? students and faculty which can be used on any workstation in the library and are not limited to two hours. We still require valid, current university photo ID and we still take down the user information and retain it for two weeks when we issue those logins. We can also issue wireless logins for anybody to use with their own wireless laptops. These are good for 24 hours. We require current photo ID and record user information when we issue those, also.
Since all these guest logins are anonymous, we were told that in order to offer Internet access to folks who could not be identified by their ECSU login, we would need to ID the guest users and retain the information for “some period” of time. We more or less arbitrarily picked two weeks since no one specified anything to us.
From: Shirley Cavanagh Sent: Friday, March 27, 2009 9:32 AM To: Diane Pizzo; ROBINSON, Gregory (Library); Jan Kozovich; Kim Farrington; Russ Gladstone; Shirley Cavanagh Subject: Question re public access computers
Hi All-
Here at Southern, we have 3 public computers that do not need login passwords/authorizations and are available for guests. We also don’t ask our public library patrons to sign in or show any identification. Our new IT CEO has just informed our systems librarian that we should be complying with the Communication Assistance for Law Enforcement Act. The IT Department is in process of purchasing a software application that generates temporary windows accounts and records user information. Until this purchase gets done, she’s informed us that we should be keeping records such as name of guest, contact info, driver’s license, etc.
I was wondering if you offer public access computers and how you handle their use. Do they need to obtain log in information or sign up in order to use a public access computer? I’m going to do more research into the law and how academic libraries follow the law, but I wanted to get your input.
Thanks for your help. Have a good weekend!!
Shirley
------ End of Forwarded Message
ED's Data comparisons Peer Institutions plus --Russ, Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:38:59 -0400 reply
Library Access Policies Community Patrons: Peer Institutions 3/30/2009
Library Borrowing Workstations Worcester No borrowing OPAC & databases only, no WWW on any public workstation
Clarion Borrowing allowed; gratis Registration required; free
Framingham No borrowing Research only; no games, email, No word processing
Indiana Borrowing allowed; gratis Registration required; no word (South Bend) processing
Rutgers $100 annual fee to borrow (Camden)
Shippensburg $10 annual fee to borrow No restrictions on computer use
Fredonia $2 fee for card Registration required; 6 of 40 (SUNY) workstations available to public; No print-outs
Plattsburgh $15 initial fee to borrow; Logged on by librarian (SUNY) then $10 annually
U. of Mich. $250 for borrowers card 4 of 75 computers available to Flint Incl. access to Ann Arbor public. No registration,
U. of Wisc. $20 fee for card Library research has priority River Falls
Other Libraries Selected at Random
Binghamton $10 annual fee Computer account valid 2 hrs
U. of Texas $100 annual fee Registration required for temporary Access
Penn State Registration required (1 day access)
Purdue Registration required, free $1 per day fee