Libraries without wires
Have you ever considered wireless networking technology for your library? If the answer is no, maybe it’s time to take a look at wireless networking. Imagine a scenario where a patron enters the library, stops at the circulation desk to check out a wireless network card for their laptop, sits down anywhere in the building and is able to access both library network resources and internet resources. Now imagine that the development of such a network could cost less than $3000. In the past, development of wireless LAN’s of this nature was beyond of the reach of most libraries. The technology has matured significantly since mainstream wireless networking technologies were introduced in the early 1990’s. Connections are now robust, speed is good, range is excellent, and costs are low.

Want to know more? Take a look at PLA’s Technote on the subject and see Compaq’s new wireless networking products.
PLA http://www.pla.org/wireless.html
Compaq (technical) http://www.compaq.com/products/wlan/index.html

A dot.com type of town
It was only a matter of time until the first town became a .comville. Working with an e-business, half.com, Halfway, Oregon officially changed it’s name to half.com, in exchange for $75,000 and 22 computers for local schools. The financial benefits for the town of 360 residents have been terrific and the publicity has been great for both parties.

Adding Value to Your Patron's Wait
A successful library promotion often means long lines of patrons waiting to check out at the circulation desk. When wait times cannot be reduced by adding staff, you can think about "adding value to the wait".

How can you accomplish this? Take some advice from Flagship Cinemas, in Falmouth Maine, who added a bank of television sets along with wall where lines form. The screens are used to show short previews of coming attractions. "On busy nights," says their manager, "the previews make the lines more manageable. You look out in the lobby, and everybody is watching the clips.  Customers are surprised at how quickly the time passes. They hardly realize they are in a line."

Have you been to Disney World? They do the same thing - keep you occupied while waiting in line for their most visited attractions. While our libraries don't have the funds to purchase a bank of televisions or hands-on entertainment for our customers while they wait in lines, the concept is good. Think about the layout of your library at the circulation desk...are there items that you can have handy for people to grab and read while they are waiting in line? Maybe a list of "suggested books" with reviews from your staff or customers? Maybe it's just placing your local community newspapers in a holder where your customers can read them while waiting to check out...do some brainstorming with your staff to determine if you can make some easy changes to make your patrons' visit to your library more enjoyable!

"A delighted customer is six times more likely to re-purchase your product or service than a satisfied customer."
Jon Anton, Consultant, Center for Customer-Driven Quality.
Purdue University

Items submitted by:
Lori Putt - Email
NOLA Regional Library System

"Hail to the Chief"! President's day is just around the corner and for those of you who need information on any of the presidents try RefLinks 973. Here you will find links to these areas: Presidential Libraries, portraits of the presidents and first ladies, background information and various points of interest about them, etc.

Items submitted by:
Reflinks Members [email protected]