[Publib] "Serious" internet users versus "entertainment"users

[Joshua Neff]

Exactly. Do patrons who are reading a book for "serious reasons" get it
longer than someone who just wants to look at the pretty pictures or look
for the smutty bits?

And in the "won't someone think of the children" column: if the kids are in
the library, checking MySpace pages or listening to podcasts or IMing their
pals, that means they're not out somewhere doing drugs or shoplifting nail
polish or getting an STD. Right?


--Joshua M. Neff
Indian Creek Branch
Olathe Public Library 

-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of Audrey Lewis
Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 1:17 PM
To: Anne Killheffer; publib at webjunction.org
Subject: Re: [Publib] "Serious" internet users versus "entertainment"users

What is the difference to the library if they are on myspace.com or if they
are doing "important" research?  Do we judge some books to be more important
than others?  Anywhere I have worked, the patron gets so much time if others
are waiting.  Everyone gets their "hour" whether they are playing solitaire
or studying medicine.  We don't make value judgements on what they are doing
on the computers unless, of course, you have rules about what they may and
may not do.

Audrey Lewis

Audrey Lewis
Director
Hoyt Library
505 Janes Street
Saginaw, MI 48607
989-755-0904

>>> "Anne Killheffer" <anne at stratford.lib.ct.us> 6/28/2006 1:47 pm >>>
Now that it is summer, the number of young teenagers who are spending the
day at the library has skyrocketed. We have ten internet computers which are
almost always booked all the time. We have software that ends each session
after 30 or 60 minutes if others are waiting, so your time on the computer
comes to an end automatically.

The computer users who are trying to write a resume or research a term paper
are annoyed, and I think rightly so, when they have to give up their
computer to someone who wants to check myspace.

I can't think of a clever solution. We can't (and we don't want to) prohibit
people from using myspace, watching Youtube, writing emails to their friend
who is actually sitting at the next computer....But I feel we have some kind
of greater responsibility to serve people who are using us as a resource to
find work or further their education.

Limited computer time to two hours a day seems like it would penalize
everyone. Giving longer sessions to people who are doing research or looking
for work would work for about one day, when everybody realized that all they
have to do to get a longer session is tell us they are doing research.

Anyone have a solution that cuts through the Gordian knot?

Anne Killheffer
Reference Librarian
Stratford Library Association
2203 Main St., Stratford, CT 06615

203-385-4164
anne at stratford.lib.ct.us