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02-25-2004, 12:57 PM
http://www.dailyherald.com/search/main_story.asp?intID=3803718
Library goes wireless
By Russell Lissau Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted 2/20/2004
Being unplugged is all the rage these days.
In coffee houses, shopping malls, hotel lobbies and many other public locales, you can spot people surfing the Net using specially equipped laptops that don't require telephone or cable lines to operate. Heck, you may be one of these untethered Web-heads.
More and more Wi-Fi hot spots, as places offering the high-tech service are known, are coming online all the time. The newest is Lincolnshire's Vernon Area Public Library, which is going wireless starting March 1.
Patrons will be able to send and receive e-mail, access the library's online databases or perform countless other Web-related tasks using their own computers from the relative comfort of the facility's youth- and adult-services departments.
"It's great for both the user and the library. For the user, it's convenient - they no longer need to wait to use one of our computers, and there's no enforced time limit," said Echo Morgan, spokesman for the library at 300 Olde Half Day Road. "And it enables us to expand our computer services without additional costs or additional space."
Wireless Internet access often is called Wi-Fi, as an abbreviation for the computer term wireless fidelity. Computers must be outfitted with special wireless-network cards to pick up a Wi-Fi signal at a location providing the service. The signal is sent through a transmitter connected to a traditional computer modem.
Many local libraries offer free wireless access, including facilities in Antioch, Arlington Heights, Barrington and Wheeling. Gurnee's Warren-Newport Public Library is scheduled to launch a wireless network in March or April.
Other libraries may soon go Wi-Fi, too, including the Lake Villa District Library and Ela Area Public Library in Lake Zurich.
"Certainly it's something that I want to see happen," said Ela Director Frank Novak, who hopes to have a system ready this year. "People who come in with laptops really love to have that freedom and quick access to the Internet. It's something some folks have come to expect."
Businesses have gotten in on the Wi-Fi craze, too, including Starbucks Coffee shops, McDonald's and Panera Bread Co. restaurants. The Kinko's shops in Lincolnshire and Gurnee also are wireless hot spots, as are Vernon Hills' Hawthorn Suites hotel and Gurnee's Borders bookstore.
Whereas library Wi-Fi service tends to be free, many businesses - Kinko's, Starbucks and the Hawthorn Suites hotel among them - require patrons to pay for the service. Bucking that trend is Westfield Shoppingtown Hawthorn mall in Vernon Hills, which is a gigantic free hot spot.
"It's another amenity to (offer) our customers," said Shannon Patinkin, the mall's specialty leasing manager. "It's another thing to help the shopping experience."
The Vernon library's wireless network cost about $3,400 to set up, but won't carry any ongoing monthly costs because the Web access is part of the facility's existing Internet service, Morgan said.
"It's a cost-effective solution for us, and it's a great benefit to the user," Morgan said.
Vernon's system does have a few limitations. For example, signal strength may vary depending on the location or number of users working online at one time. Additionally, wireless-network users will be unable to print documents using the library's equipment. Officials recommend patrons save data and print at home.
Those limits aside, Morgan is confident customers will enjoy the library's newest amenity.
"We've actually had a lot of people come in and ask when and if we'll ever offer wireless services," she said. "We're always looking for new ways to accommodate our users that are flexible, convenient and easy to use."
Library: Wireless system has a few limitations
Library goes wireless
By Russell Lissau Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted 2/20/2004
Being unplugged is all the rage these days.
In coffee houses, shopping malls, hotel lobbies and many other public locales, you can spot people surfing the Net using specially equipped laptops that don't require telephone or cable lines to operate. Heck, you may be one of these untethered Web-heads.
More and more Wi-Fi hot spots, as places offering the high-tech service are known, are coming online all the time. The newest is Lincolnshire's Vernon Area Public Library, which is going wireless starting March 1.
Patrons will be able to send and receive e-mail, access the library's online databases or perform countless other Web-related tasks using their own computers from the relative comfort of the facility's youth- and adult-services departments.
"It's great for both the user and the library. For the user, it's convenient - they no longer need to wait to use one of our computers, and there's no enforced time limit," said Echo Morgan, spokesman for the library at 300 Olde Half Day Road. "And it enables us to expand our computer services without additional costs or additional space."
Wireless Internet access often is called Wi-Fi, as an abbreviation for the computer term wireless fidelity. Computers must be outfitted with special wireless-network cards to pick up a Wi-Fi signal at a location providing the service. The signal is sent through a transmitter connected to a traditional computer modem.
Many local libraries offer free wireless access, including facilities in Antioch, Arlington Heights, Barrington and Wheeling. Gurnee's Warren-Newport Public Library is scheduled to launch a wireless network in March or April.
Other libraries may soon go Wi-Fi, too, including the Lake Villa District Library and Ela Area Public Library in Lake Zurich.
"Certainly it's something that I want to see happen," said Ela Director Frank Novak, who hopes to have a system ready this year. "People who come in with laptops really love to have that freedom and quick access to the Internet. It's something some folks have come to expect."
Businesses have gotten in on the Wi-Fi craze, too, including Starbucks Coffee shops, McDonald's and Panera Bread Co. restaurants. The Kinko's shops in Lincolnshire and Gurnee also are wireless hot spots, as are Vernon Hills' Hawthorn Suites hotel and Gurnee's Borders bookstore.
Whereas library Wi-Fi service tends to be free, many businesses - Kinko's, Starbucks and the Hawthorn Suites hotel among them - require patrons to pay for the service. Bucking that trend is Westfield Shoppingtown Hawthorn mall in Vernon Hills, which is a gigantic free hot spot.
"It's another amenity to (offer) our customers," said Shannon Patinkin, the mall's specialty leasing manager. "It's another thing to help the shopping experience."
The Vernon library's wireless network cost about $3,400 to set up, but won't carry any ongoing monthly costs because the Web access is part of the facility's existing Internet service, Morgan said.
"It's a cost-effective solution for us, and it's a great benefit to the user," Morgan said.
Vernon's system does have a few limitations. For example, signal strength may vary depending on the location or number of users working online at one time. Additionally, wireless-network users will be unable to print documents using the library's equipment. Officials recommend patrons save data and print at home.
Those limits aside, Morgan is confident customers will enjoy the library's newest amenity.
"We've actually had a lot of people come in and ask when and if we'll ever offer wireless services," she said. "We're always looking for new ways to accommodate our users that are flexible, convenient and easy to use."
Library: Wireless system has a few limitations