[NCLUG] Networking at the library.

[Frank Whiteley]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Daniel Miles" <milesd at cs.colostate.edu>
To: <nclug at nclug.org>
Sent: Friday, August 08, 2003 14:47
Subject: Re: [NCLUG] Networking at the library.


> Well, I work at the library and every so often I'll talk to some of the
> people on the tech staff and here's the info I can give you:
>
> 2 out of 4 of the tech staff just left and there is no money to replace
> them (when you're a sales-tax funded organization and people stop buying
> things in a recession, you have no money).
>
> Summery: they have no time. They're good people and they're probably not
> ignoring you but they just haven't gotten around to it yet because
> there's so much to do.
>
> To expediate, you might want to talk to FRCC (they share the Harmony
> library with FCPL) and possibly get *their* tech staff going... I know
> that regular 4-year universities (at least the state funded ones) have
> to have some sort of "community outreach programming." As far as I can
> tell, this means that they have a budget to bring education/resources to
> the community but they can't always think of a way to use it... It's
> possible FRCC has such a program and you should talk to them too.
>
> On Fri, 2003-08-08 at 14:24, Sean Reifschneider wrote:
> > I was at the Harmony branch of the public library a few months ago and
> > was asking around a bit about networking there.  They have a really nice
> > meeting space there that would be perfect for install fests and the
> > like, and should be much easier to deal with than trying to negotiate
> > things with the CSU LUG.
> >
> > They have networking in there, but only internal networking, which we
> > couldn't use for any NCLUG meetings.  They've talked about setting up
> > the ability for people to use the net there, but want to make the public
> > part of the net segmented from the rest of the net.
> >
> > I mentioned that NCLUG is a networking group and that my company does
> > this sort of thing as part of it's business, plus many people in the
> > group are very familiar with it.  I explained that we'd donate time and
> > probably equipment to get it so that there was usable net at the
> > library, but the person I was speaking to there couldn't have been less
> > interested.  I left my card, but haven't heard a peep.
> >
> > So, my question is wether there's interest in setting up the library
> > such that we could more easily have regular install-fests, and if anyone
> > has any contacts at the library that might take it more seriously.  Or
> > perhaps some other ideas on how to approach it.
> >
> > Thoughts?
> >
> > Sean
>
We are having a similar issue with the Weld Libraries here in Greeley.  The
only library meeting place large enough for our local computer group is in
the new Farr library.  They are reticent to allow public Internet access in
the public meeting room (though they are looking at it and we've offered to
cook a solution) and, I just found out today, they aren't going to let us
use the projection system either for our Saturday meeting (seem to think
it's for internal use only).  They are either going to change their attitude
and find it difficult to get votes when they ask for money again.  I think
they've forgotten who they work for.

We met at the Windsor library a couple of months ago.  Though we couldn't
connect directly into the Internet, they did provide a computer and
projector, so it went fine.  One of our members was on the staff there (but
no longer), but they may be willing and able, if not now, at some other
point.

We met for many years in the Coors Presentation Room in Kepner Hall
(Business) at UNC.  In a sense we were sponsored by the business school,
which controlled access.  Now UNC wants $50/hour for the room, which we
can't realistically afford.  Biz could sponsor us, but the $50/hr would come
out of their budget.  Part of it is the state budget position, part of it's
the shambles of Hank Brown's legacy as UNC president IMVHO (re University
Lab School, KUNC, etc).  UNC is certainly much less a 'community' place now
(but then one big agenda was to turn it into CU Greeley).

CLUE North seems to be meeting regularly at Regis U.  Have you connected
with Regis Fort Collins?  At least you won't have to deal with the civil
servant mentality.

Frank Whiteley
Greeley