WebJunction

The town of Stowe, Vermont, is a ski resort, deriving much of its income from visitors who are into schussing (not shushing), telemarking (not telemarketing) and engaging in other Nordic-sounding activities.  The Stowe Free Library had better be careful:  as a purveyor of sizzling technologies they just might turn the powder to slush.  Fortunately, the library's new technology--its wireless "hot spot" in particular--also happens to be way cool, bringing the temperatures back down to the economically safe range.

Just passing through: an out-of-town patron catches up on email. (Photo: Larraby Fellows)

The library has about 6,000 card-carrying patrons, supplemented by a significant number of one-time users (about 20%) drawn by the winter white and summer green of the mountains.

The implementation of wireless access in the library was spurred by an annoying problem:   the physical layout of the library's reference desk made it nearly impossible for librarians and patrons to get together one-on-one.  Reference and Information Services Librarian Larraby Fellows and her colleagues came up with a bright idea:  rather than jiggering with the library's wiring, why not create a wireless workstation? 

The wireless reference interview: Larraby Fellows helps patron and library trustee Phyllis Thibault (Photo: Mary Jane Crouse)

And of course, once you've got a wireless signal bouncing around the place, why not take it a step further, and give patrons access as well?  This would certainly address one problem:  among the steady stream of out-of-town visitors were a number of geeky types who would push their glasses up on their nose and say "c'mon, wireless is easy."

However, the prospect of wireless access immediately raised a major issue: security.   How do you support patrons and still keep the family jewels (the library's internal server) safe from the prying fingers of wirelessly enabled hackers?  Larraby was tasked with figuring this out, along with a host of other issues: staff education; the physical location of the hotspot; printing; and general usage policies.

Once she got past the initial deer-in-the-headlights phase, Larraby started to work--she went to conferences and emailed everyone she could think of.  Larraby also turned to WebJunction and other Internet information sources for "how I did it" stories and technical details.  One site that she found particularly useful was the Wireless Librarian.   She notes that, as it turns out, "wireless is easy--but swallowing my pride enough to ask questions was hard."  After doing a bit of web reconnaissance and digging, Larraby found it helpful to arrange for a local wireless provider to come in and give a free demonstration and evaluation--though this should not be your only source of information.  Two important caveats with this approach: stay non-committal about doing business with them, and be aware that such a provider might well make the process sound more complicated than it actually is, in an effort to sell you a full-service technical support package.

The solution to the crucial question of security came from a generous local ISP (Powershift Online Services, owned by resident Joe Allen).  Powershift volunteered to set up and maintain a second IP address using DHCP (that's "Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol" for those who aren't taciturn New Englanders).  This configuration means that the library's server and its records are completely independent of the network used by the public for its wireless access.  The second IP address gives patrons access to the world, without having to reveal to anyone what little Johnny Jones is reading in his spare time.

Larraby needed to communicate the plan with her director, Charlotte Maison, and with the library's technology consultant, Mort Butler of local computer company FixPC.  Clear and patient communications enabled her to act as the conduit between those who were implementing, and those who needed to be kept informed about the implementation.  For this purpose, visualization was key (along the lines of this example from Teton County Public Library). 

A $200 wi-fi hub that now sits on one of the library's bookshelves provides all the coverage needed for the ground floor.  Ironically, once the system was implemented the library discovered that it could also pick up a connection from the nearby elementary school's unsecured wireless network.  People unwittingly connecting to the weaker school signal and having bad reception was a bit of a problem;  since the network was called “SFL” and the elementary school’s was “SES,” the library changed its network's name to “Stowe Free Library.”

The launch of the Stowe Free Library’s Wi-Fi spot was “frighteningly smooth."  For the first two weeks there were no questions at all from patrons--until one asked "what’s 'weefee'?"  The staff briefings, and signage Larraby put together weeks before helped address the questions that did arise.

The library posted table-tents (Vermont is well known for camping as well as skiiing) outlining the wireless policy:

To make the service known, Larraby reports: "We put up signs in the local tourism office to encourage visitors to bring in laptops and get free access. (Justifying it with the fact that once they're in the library, they're likely to want to use our other resources too!) Libraries now have to compete with free Wi-Fi spots at Starbucks and Boarders--why not get down and dirty and do a little (dare I say it) advertising and marketing! Let's not forget to promote our other services, but if Wi-Fi spots are the hook that get teens, 'tweens, guys and tourists into the library, I say huzzah!"

The Stowe Free Library's (brand new!) web site is www.stowelibrary.org--it may well be one of the first libraries to implement wireless before it launched a web page. You can reach Library Director Charlotte Maison at clmaison@stowelibrary.org. [Larraby Fellowes is moving on from her short-term grant-funded position at Stowe to become a full-time reference librarian at Vermont College.]

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