by Charles Dugan, Brad Whetzel, and Claudia Davidage
Thanks to a grant awarded to Charlotte Johnson and Fred Noel, patrons of Lovejoy Library now benefit from the use of wireless laptop computers. The laptops enable users to access online journal databases, search Illinet Online, surf the Internet, send and receive email, participate in instant 
messaging, and use various application programs. They can do this from virtually any place on the three main floors of the Library.
The Dell Inspirion and Latitude laptop computers are battery-powered, requiring no electrical outlet. Through a special network card that acts in much the same way as an antenna, they receive signals broadcast by the Library’s wireless network at various points in the building. There is no need to connect cables or wires, freeing users to take the small computers to the location of resources they need without disrupting work in progress. So that users can save their work and take it with them when they leave the Library, the laptops are equipped with floppy or Zip disk drives.
Windows 2000 or Windows XP operating system is installed on each of the 10 laptops. Each is equipped with the Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Excel, Access, and Power Point--programs for word processing, spreadsheet, database, and electronic presentation respectively. SPSS statistical software is also installed. For working with the Internet, each laptop is supplied with Internet Explorer with some additional browser enhancement software, the Adobe Acrobat Reader necessary for viewing images and reading text in PDF format, and Shock Wave and Flash Player, programs which permit laptops to display various types of media that may accompany music CD’s or specialized web pages. The laptops are protected from virus infection by McAfee anti-virus software.
Fairly sharing ten laptop computers among a user group of approximately 15,000 SIUE students, faculty and staff and ensuring that users understand the capabilities and requirements of the equipment before they start to work necessitated adding a step to the Library’s traditional loan procedures. To obtain laptop privileges, a prospective user must first complete a Wireless Laptop Computer and Network Card Check Out Agreement. This form thoroughly explains computer limitations and specifically details the conditions of the two-hour loan. Staff at the Circulation Desk collect the signed agreement forms and verify the patron’s status before loans are made. The Reserves Supervisor emails each user a copy of laptop policies to reinforce the information.
Stressing familiarity with the policies is intended to decrease the risk of individual work loss. As the Check-Out Agreement explains, work not saved on personal disks will be erased when the user logs off the machine or when it is re-started. To protect individual privacy and simplify laptop maintenance, any data other than the core programs installed by the Library, will automatically be erased. In addition, battery life may vary depending upon the application in use. Users must be aware of these conditions before working with a laptop.
Laptop loans are controlled through the library catalog’s circulation module. The computers are barcoded and catalogued as Reserve items. Checking out barcoded material is fast and simple and loans are automatically monitored by the system. Important circulation statistics are also generated. Users benefit from the convenience of checking the online catalog from home, dorm, or other location, to determine if any laptops are available before making a trip to the Library. Patrons may also check their personal library record to be sure that they are currently in good standing for laptop borrowing.
Uses for the laptop computers are diverse and range from basic word processing to more complex operations. For example, our Fine Arts Librarian, Therese Dickman, reports that Music students simultaneously listen to a recording played by the laptop, follow a music score, and make notes with the laptop’s word processing software. The laptops permit Alexandra Babione, a first year English Composition instructor, to move part of her teaching out of the classroom and into the library environment. Mrs. Babione is aware that although students appear to be Internet savvy, they frequently do not know how to conduct serious, in-depth, academic research using appropriate electronic resources. They often cannot distinguish between web pages and databases that contain scholarly journals and other publications. In an attempt to address this problem, she began bringing her own laptop to the Library when she held conferences with individual students. She demonstrated how to use a laptop to access information as well as how to record and save the information to the laptop during research. With the library laptops now available, teacher and pupil move throughout the building to review print and electronic resources at numerous locations. Mrs. Babione believes there are multiple benefits to the kind of teaching made possible by the wireless laptops. Besides learning the technical skills necessary to use a computer, students who receive this personalized instruction and individual attention feel more comfortable using a variety of resources provided by the Library and are more confident and willing to ask librarians for assistance when working on their own.
Library patrons with their own laptop computers quickly became interested in having access to online resources using their own equipment and software. To meet this new demand, the Library recently initiated a spin-off service of loaning network cards, configured for Lovejoy Library’s wireless network. Through this service, students may borrow instructions and the software necessary to install a wireless network card on personal computers. Although the card and installation instructions and software must be returned, the configuration remains on the laptop so that upon return visits, the user need only pick up a wireless network card and plug it into his computer.
Lovejoy Library implemented laptop computer loans in July 2003. Although advertising for the laptop service was limited to one lone sign on the circulation counter, the demand for the equipment increased rapidly. From July 2003 until the end of Fall Semester 2003, 326 authorized users made 1,514 laptop loans. The convenience of using laptop computers while doing library research ensures the continued popularity of the service.
