[12774] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Elimination Of Personal Software Workstations
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Pierre Clark)
Mon Mar 15 20:16:05 1999
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 13:39:53 -0600
From: Pierre Clark <"Pierre_C;lark"@tripod.net>
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I picked up the following message (that seems to be about five weeks
old) from a listserv:
fyi - Steve
----- Original Message -----
From: Universal Access Canada
To:
Sent: Saturday, February 27, 1999 7:46 AM
Subject: Re: [UA-C] Word and various public access programs (fwd)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 14:47:54 -0600
From: Joyce Latham
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Subject: Re: Word and various public access programs
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
The Chicago Public Library is currently eliminating personal software
workstations in all but our computer centers. We found the expectations
of
the public extreme, and answers about writing resumes, novels and
letters to
judges in legal cases beyond the pale of our expertise, as well as
excessively time consuming. While we very much favor the ideal of a
complete workstation -- WP, Internet, resource access -- we have found
it to
be a mjor distraction from the actual work of librarianship.
I would be very interested in hearing other folks comments on same.
Joyce Latham
Director of Library Automation
CPL
I just read this thread and am sorry I missed it (it seems to be dated 2
December 1998 and was forwarded 2/22/99 from a 2/15/99 contact from
Joyce Latham). I don't know who else has responded to this or if this
policy at the library has started already. I am acquainted with Ms.
Latham and my organizations, NeighborTech, Inc. and the Neighborhood
Technology Access Council, worked with Suzanne Whelden and Linda Porter
at the Harold Washington Public Library to present ten seminars on
technology access at the main library.
I believe this policy will be a great blow to increasing access for
community residents; our attendance at the seminars (20-30 people each
seminar) indicates a strong interest in technology among library patrons
and an expectation by patrons for technology information and up-to-date
technology tools. It was Ms. Latham who said that technology access
should be considered a civil right. If that's true, then eliminating
personal workstations in every library is a backward step in the
direction of that recognition. And in fact, the "actual work of
librarianship" is to provide information to patrons, and in a
technological age, there can be no more important or relevant
information to be presented than access to technology tools. I will have
more to say about this later after I have researched whether this has
gone into effect as well as a plan to deal with this very important
access issue. Please feel free to call me or write me with any comments.
