Indiana State University has wireless access throughout the Library. We
have an inhouse laptop available for use by a patron while in the
department. The problem, of course, for someone with a persornal laptop
is that we have a secure network, so a person can't just walk in without
going to our university computer support (IT) and getting a guest
account. Good luck with that!
I haven't been successful in getting a permanent guest account with
limited privileges established yet, one that provides access but doesn't
encroach on any of our various licenses, etc.
David Vancil
Indiana State U
>>> ewilkie@ix.netcom.com 11/26/2005 11:57 AM >>>
Being one of these researchers who lives and dies by his laptop
computer, I
am often frustrated that there is no Internet access for an individual
researcher's machine in most reading rooms. Most places do have at
least
one computer for public use that has Internet access, but there is no
real
way to easily transfer any information one finds to one's own machine.
I am
thinking especially of ESTC records and other databases that hold
information about books and of bibliographies, many of which are now
on-line. It is somewhat frustrating not to be able to compare on the
fly
what those sources have to offer to the book in hand on my own
machine.
For example, since I work primarily with pre-1850 materials, I always
check
Sabin. In most libraries, that work has to be called from the stacks
or,
even worse, is considered so antiquated and bulky that it has been sent
to
remote storage. And because many libraries don't have the relatively
rare
printed index to the work, I am often not even sure that I have
discovered
if the book that interests me is even in there. But because two
commercial
services have Sabin on-line, it would be great to be able to check them
while I was there in the reading room, thereby sparing me perhaps a
nasty
bibliographical surprise when I finally can check Sabin and the library
is
now 1500 miles away.
Since practically every motel or hotel I stay in has wireless Internet
access these days, I was wondering how many rare book reading rooms out
there have wireless access or plan to offer it at some point in the
future.
The question is asked merely in the spirit of trying to judge where
such
things are heading in the research library world out there.
Everett Wilkie
2006 Carey Road
Kinston, NC 28501
ewilkie@ix.netcom.com
252-522-0261
Cell: 860-712-4421
"Big Bird Seed Sale"
--Store sign