The guy that started IMWatching.net saw my post about his site and sent me an email. He is a student at MIT and IMWatching is a school project. There is a bit more on the site now, including these statements regarding privacy in the FAQ.
I inquired about the response he has seen, and he reported that about 1000 people are watching nearly 6000 buddies through IMWatching.
What’s more, his mother is the director of a middle school media center, so he enjoyed reading about his creation in the context of libraries.
Living in the same town where I work, I often choose a non-library location if I want to get some personal work done outside of the house. Going to the local library would be going to work. This wouldn’t be good because A) a change of scenery is very useful and B) I bet I would revert right into librarian mode if I saw someone having trouble on one of our OPACs.
So I feel like I never get to take advantage of the neat things libraries are doing. That changed today when I was early to a meeting (by 2 hours – damn Treo lying to me again! ;) ) at the Downers Grove Public Library. I spoke to one of the Reference folks I know there, and she mentioned where I could pick up a signal in the library. Hurrah!
As I type this I’m five feet from an entrance to the library on a bench. I downloaded some documents on which I’m working, and can now head to be productive whilst drinking some coffee. Personally benefitting from wireless in libraries makes me realize how thankful some people must be to have easy and free access at their libraries.
n.b. A woman walked past me watching me type. She took a few steps back and asked if there was a wireless connection in the library. I responded that there was indeed, and wasn’t that the bee’s knees.
p.s. I should stay here all day. i just overheard a mother telling her child that in a few years people aren’t going to know what books are because everything is going electronic. Then a boy walked in and stated plainly, “It smells in the library!”
The New York Times has an article today about the popularity and sustainability of free wireless access. Libraries almost get a mention here:
Meanwhile, thousands of free hot spots have been established by public agencies, mom-and-pop businesses hoping to attract customers and individuals working to build a grass-roots based network. A handful of city governments, some in cooperation with local businesses, are deploying free Wi-Fi networks in parts of Jacksonville, Fla., lower Manhattan and Portland, Ore., among other places.
I know that quite a few libraries offer free wireless access. If we would only organize I’m sure we could get some national media coverage about our efforts. With this, more libraries would be apt to implement wireless. Not only would this be an opportunity for libraries to recieve some positive attention, it could also shape the way people use the technology. If libraries would rally around this issue we could have a real impact on the private sector. Establishment offering free wireless will someday likely render pay-as-you-go situations totally unattractive and unnecessary.
Our wireless network has been running strong for quite some time. When people have trouble connecting it is usually due to a small hardware glitch on their machine. These things generally work themselves out when I make sure they are set up to be automatically assigned an IP address (Properties of the wireless connection -> General Tab ->Properties of Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)). If this doesn’t work, an attempt to release and renew the IP address that the computer is trying to use often does the trick (Start -> Run -> cmd -> ipconfig /release (and then ipconfig /renew)).
Once I’ve gone through these steps, the internet connection must be tested to see if they had any effect. Pinging a site out on the web (Start -> Run -> cmd -> ping URL) would be a fine and dandy way to test the internet connection, but I bet people get a better idea that the connection is indeed working when they see a browser launch and their homepage appear. Also, and there is only a slim chance of this happeneing, but perhaps pinging would work but the browser would still act up. Unlikely, yes, but one never knows.
The only reason that opening their browser is not a good option is because it is a small invasion of their privacy. Before double clicking, I make sure to ask their permission. Their blessing on my action notwithstanding, I still feel awkward throughout the end of the transaction.
Am I overreacting?
I run a Film Discussion Group every other Friday at the library. This past Friday I got my equipment set up rather quickly and had a few minutes before people were going to start showing up. I did some reading, organized my desk a bit, but was feeling antsy. The best thing to do, I decided, was to take a survey of the library using the useful Razor scooter technology that had been abandoned by somebody earlier in the week.
Was I ever surprised as I rolled into the Adult Services area. Sitting at a table were two people, each with laptops. We exchanged greetings and then I asked, “Hey, did you know that the library is closed?” The responded that they didn’t, but thought perhaps that the library was closing up soon since all the lights were off and there were no people in. the. entire. library.
I was there, had some time, so I asked them if there was anything I could help them with quickly. They were slightly embarrassed and responded that they had just come in to use the wireless network.
This anecdote illustrates that many potential library users crave wireless. (I mean, come on! The library on a Friday night!? Oh, wait.) I tried to get them to stay for my Film Discussion Group, and was nearly successful, but they were on a mission for connectivity. I’m sure they ended up at a commercial establishment.
Jenny has a good thought about naming your library’s wireless network with a pro-library message (e.g. ‘we answer questions, too’ or ‘libraries rule!’). At the very least, make sure it isn’t still named ‘default’ or even ‘public.’ I’ve chosen to brand (I feel dirty using that word) the signals from our access points with the library’s name, and then the location of the AP. And whatever you do, don’t name it ‘toothing.’ If you don’t know what that is, don’t search. You’re too young.
We’ve been without web stats for a while, so I was quite happy when today they were fixed. I was even happier to see that our site recieved 9 hits coming from from http://www.wififreespot.com/ during April. People had searched for free wireless connectivity in Illinois, and found the library. Nice.
As wireless becomes even more expected, I bet that this number will increase. Being tech current and relevant is sure to make your library stand out, and bring in people that might not otherwise come into the library.
I’m very impressed with a many of the students in the LTA class I’m teaching. We had a wonderful discussion about technology in libraries that stemmed from our lesson on Virtual Reference.
I was impressed with one student who rightly tempered my enthusiasm with the mention of older library patrons probably not using things like VR or WiFi. Mention of the digital divide was natural after that. Forward thinking libraries work hard trying to accommodate all users.
Another student was interested in discussing the influence of libraries in a community. I stated in the conversation, just as I’ve written here, that commercial interests often familiarize technologies to people. Libraries must be ready to respond to patron demands after this happened. Of course I would really like to see libraries lead the way, but this is not currently happening. Librarians are, or should be, information experts, so it would be almost natural for a community to be guided by expert librarians. Any town that doesn’t have wireless in its coffee shops or eateries could be introduced to wireless by the library. Their perspecitive would be, “Oh, wow, look! The coffee shop has wireless now, but they’re charging for it!”
Besides staff and patron training, which are major tasks sprouting from the implementation of new technology at a library, something else presents itself: a new type of etiquette. Minding one’s Ps and Qs is always good practice, and this includes when your virtual space might interfere with someone’s meatspace. Although no one was upset, once whilst printing wirelessly I started using special paper that someone had loaded in a printer. Oops. Now I find myself phoning the Reference Desk whenever I’m about to remotely print from a laptop. Wireless technology, while making printing quite convenient for me, comes with the mandate of etiquette. This mandate could be releaved with more technology (a dedicated printer) but certainly that would have some implications as well, like space and money.
