Best Practices

Automating the Enforcement of Public Computing Policies

Management of the public computers, printers, and the library wireless network requires a lot of time and effort. Staff must create and enforce policies to ensure that the resources are being used fairly and are not being wasted. Setting up a system to automate the enforcement of those policies saves staff both time and money. A computer and printer management system can offer a variety of ways in to automate many of the daily tasks involved with offering the public computers, printers, and wireless network.

The library can automatically enforce operating hours, during which the computers are available for use by the public. Once the library is closed, the computers are automatically closed down. Staff no longer have to ask patrons to finish using the computers. If the library offers wireless internet access for patrons who bring in their own laptops, operating hours can be configured for that as well. The wireless internet access can also be restricted to the library’s operating hours to encourage patrons to leave when the library closes.

Time limits can be set on computer usage. Different computer groups can have different time limits. If computers are available, patrons can be automatically given time extensions to allow them to use more time. Once computers become busy, patrons can use the self-serve station to sign up on a waiting list. Scrolling electronic signs and restaurant-style pagers can be used to automatically notify patrons of their turn to use a computer. This can all be accomplished using software and without staff oversight.

Printing and its associated print waste are major issues in a public computing environment. Print management software can be configured to enforce payment for printing, effectively eliminating abandoned printouts and print waste. Coin/bill vending hardware and credit/debit card processing can be used to offer self-serve options for payment for printing. To reduce the costs of coin/bill vending hardware and the maintenance costs associated with multiple vending machines, libraries can use a single coin/bill machine for payment for photocopies and printing from the library-owned computers as well as patron-owned computers on the wireless network.

A web filtering solution can automate the enforcement of the library’s internet filter policies. The computer management software can be configured to automatically allow patrons of a certain age group or patron group different web filter levels. Staff no longer need to manually change filter levels to allow adults less restricted access to the internet while children have more restricted access. If an override is necessary, staff can do so remotely from any staff desk. The web filtering solution can also serve a web security function by automatically blocking patrons from accessing sites containing viruses or malicious software. This protects the public computers from viruses and malware and reduces the maintenance and downtime associated with virus removal.

Computer usage statistics can be automatically collected by the computer management software. This allows the staff to review the computer and printer usage patterns to adjust policies such as time limits or number of reservations allowed, and to help maximize the utilization of the computing resources. 

Librarica LLC offers solutions for the management of printers and wired/wireless computers in public and academic libraries and computer labs. www.librarica.com