Diane:

If you are sure that they cannot somehow reach your licensed resources while in the building, I would wonder if they are using your study rooms to conduct interviews of some kind.

As I see it, if your library is really open to the public and these folks are not causing a disruption, there is no reason to kick them out just because of who they work for.   Do you have a policy re: the use of study rooms by guests?   I can see not wanting them to take up the limited study rooms available, but you can write a policy to prevent them from taking the rooms fairly easily.  Keeping them out altogether would be more difficult unless their phone use became disruptive.

Maureen Herraghty

Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO

From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Diane Westerfield
Sent: Friday, September 16, 2011 3:00 PM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] Random Friday question: online university employees hanging out in academic libraries?

Hi,

This may not be the appropriate LISTSERV but as I’m not on any public service or reference lists, thought I would throw this out to my SERIALST compatriots.   I must not be the only librarian with “Serials” in the job title who spends time at the reference desk and has an office in a public area.

My institution is a small private liberal arts college.  Our library is open to the public and there are study rooms in the stacks which are neither locked nor closely monitored.  We have a free wireless network on campus.  The guest network does not permit access to our licensed databases, but it is fine for regular browsing.

We had a couple guys coming in, staking out study rooms with laptops and cellphones.  They said they were working for an online university.  They were kicked but one has returned.  In fact I saw him come in today.

So I’m wondering, has anybody else had online university employees coming into the library, taking over study rooms and using the wireless network?  Is this just a one-time thing here, or do online universities recommend their operatives use (abuse) their non-profit competitors’ resources?    It begs the question, why doesn’t this online university rent an office with a phone line and internet connection?  Or have the guy work from home, go to Starbucks, the public library, etc.

Thanks,

Diane Westerfield, Electronic Resources & Serials Librarian

Colorado College, Tutt Library

diane.westerfield@coloradocollege.edu

(719) 389-6661

(719) 389-6082 (fax)