Home | Multimedia digital service delivery (Summary)
Full Text: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4

Filtering or blocking is the process of preventing access to sites. Traditionally libraries have avoided providing pornographic or racially inflammatory material. Libraries need to be aware of the risks that children may come across such material on the Internet. Filtering software is used in libraries to prevent Internet users accessing pornographic and other offensive sites and prevent children finding them by accident. (See Earl issue papers Internet Services: the range available to library users. Filtering; and, Filtering) A good survey of all methods of filtering and rating is on the Diffuse website. 

There are many commercially-available filtering software products on the market, Many web-sites list them see e.g. http://www.electronic-school.com.%20netprotect/  a project to create filtering software for languages other than English.

In some legal settings the publicised use of filtering software may create an implied contract with library users that they, and especially their children, will not be exposed to harmful or offensive internet material. No librarian is in a position to guarantee this and users of terminals on which the software is installed should be made aware of its shortcomings. On the other hand, some jurisdictions in Europe, like some in the USA, may not permit the censorship of the Internet. Acceptable Use Policies (AUP) are a way to address these issues in a library: such policies should be made known to both staff and public and should be in line with any national policies such as those produced by national library associations. (See Earl issue paper: Internet Acceptable use policies.)

Downloading
Downloading material from the web to the computer’s hard drive raises security issues e.g. the danger of viruses. Many libraries only allow downloading to disks which they sell, and which have been pre-formatted and checked for viruses, or they require users to submit their disks to be virus-checked.

Printing
Many libraries charge for printouts from their publicly available PCs. The easiest way to control printing and collect the fees due is to adopt some sort of printserver software and centralise printing to printers under staff control.

Software
Additional software may be required for some services such as downloading and games. Such plug-ins may include Acrobat, Flash, Macromedia, VRML and Real Audio. Some of these need very frequent updating, and some, particularly those used to download audio and video, are bandwidth-heavy and may involve long download times. Headphones need to be provided if downloading of sound files is permitted.

Booking
Most libraries will need to operate a booking system. Consideration needs to be given to the length of sessions, the number of sessions per day/week which can be booked by the same person, advance reservation systems and who is eligible to make bookings.

Assistance
The level of assistance which will be provided to library computer users. Libraries could decide to provide open learning packs, signpost online tutorials, provide only introductory help just to get people started, or run full-scale training courses either free or for a fee http://www.istar.org/.

e-mail
e-mail is an important means of seeking information and making contacts e.g. for lifelong learners. Allowing users to set up personal e-mail accounts on library computers raises administrative and financial issues. However, many libraries allow access to free web-based e-mail such as Hotmail.

Chat lines
These operate in real time. Messages are received and responded to by people who are online in the chat room at the same time. They can be a very useful source of information although they are sometimes associated with potentially harmful material and ‘computer addiction’, raising a need for quality control or mediation of the chat lines made available. Similar considerations apply to access to computer games on the Internet.

e-books
e-book is a term used to describe a text or monograph which is available in an electronic form, for example a novel published on a Web site or a short story available to be downloaded as a word processing file.

e-books are being published by a wide range of organisations including established and new specialised e-book publishers. Books available in e-book format range from being free, to a price which is the equivalent of a print book. They can be bought from major online booksellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Increasingly, the term e-books refers specifically to texts which require the use of an e-book reader, a piece of dedicated electronic reading equipment There are currently three broad types available:

• Handheld readers. Some handheld computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs) (see delivery channels) and palmtops can be used to read e-books.

• Dedicated readers. Dedicated e-book readers have been designed solely for reading e-books e.g. http://www.ebook-gemstar.com/. E-books for dedicated readers are purchased online and downloaded to the reader via a PC or through the e-book reader itself. Each purchased book can only be read on the reading device it has been registered for. Costs of these readers are expected to decrease as market penetration increases

• Desktop readers: software which converts a standard PC or laptop into an e-book reader such as Glassbook and Microsoft Reader.

Each of the different types of e-book readers use different technical standards. Consequently e-books are now being published in a number of different formats. The Open e-Book Forum http://www.openebook.org/ is addressing this issue and attempting to develop a universal e-book standard.

One way of providing library users with access to e-books is to circulate e-book readers loaded with a number of texts which have been catalogued in the OPAC (see integrated library systems & personalisation). The e-book reader has a loan period and must be returned. The library user cannot personally download books to the e-book reader or read the library’s e-books on his or her own reader.

As e-book readers become more commonly available, libraries will simply circulate e-books for users to read on their own e-book readers. Users may no longer need to physically visit a library service point to borrow or return library books. The emerging publisher-library licensing model (see also legal issues) is ‘one purchase, one loan’: an e-book can be reissued many times but only one reader can borrow one ‘copy’ at any one time.

Public libraries tend to buy most books on a ‘just-in-case’ basis. An e-book collection could mean moving to a ‘just-in-time’ model where readers’ demands are met within minutes of their requests. Other potential benefits include possible cost savings as publishers’ savings in distribution and material costs are passed on in lower prices to libraries. Unlike the printed format, the e-book does not need to be bought in both paperback and hardback, special large print editions or to be replaced because worn out.

However e-books are still in their infancy. Many libraries which have tried them out have found them troublesome and it may be that e-books are an example of a technology with limited appeal to the public. The provision of e-books could also raise concerns about privacy issues (see legal issues)

Home | Multimedia digital service delivery (Summary)
Full Text: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4