Jul 23
The Pajama Way of Research [Law Library Journal, Vol. 99 No. 4] :
Like pajamas, e-mail reference (or chat) can represent comfort, privacy, and flexibility. We reference librarians like to think of ourselves as friendly and welcoming, but some patrons are—despite our best efforts—uncomfortable asking questions face to face… Whatever the reason, e-mail alleviates those discomforts: patrons can ask a question, phrased just the way they want, without having to stand in the reference office in front of a librarian. It’s private, too: their classmates needn’t know they’re asking questions, and no one will overhear them saying something dumb. [read more]
I’ve been digging through the back issues of Law Library Journal lately, mainly to consume Mary Whisner’s “Practicing Reference…” column. Although this particular piece focuses on the vagaries of providing academic legal reference services to law students, the passage above is also relevant to those of us working within large firms where ‘remote’ users are more likely to be at their desks down the hall (or down the stairs on another floor, or down the road in another city) than at home and wearing suits rather than pyjamas.
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Feb 25
Alaska police crimp wireless surfer - “A Palmer man has been waiting to see if he’ll be charged with criminal wrongdoing after a patrolling police officer seized the laptop he was using to play online video games in the [public library’s] parking lot… Police said that although Tanner was using an essentially free service, there are library rules governing its use and Tanner wasn’t following them.” [UPI via Engadget]
Using free wireless at library described as theft - “Tanner said he was upset that he hasn’t gotten his computer back yet. The police have told him he won’t until the case is concluded, he said. Jeanne Novosad, the library system manager, said the wireless connection is normally shut off when the library is closed. But the library was waiting on a technician to install a timer and the connection was left on after hours for several days, she said.” [Anchorage Daily News]
Online game-player chased for using city’s wireless link - “Tanner said he doesn’t think the case will go to court. Remaley said he’s not sure either. He has to talk to library officials, find out what their rules are, and make a determination. He hasn’t seen a lot of these cases, but he doesn’t think the case against Tanner is going away.” [Anchorage Daily News]
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