TECH: Restricting Web Browser Capabilities

[Gabe Gancarz <gabe@EDMAIL.COM>]

Well, I thank you folks who responded so quickly to my previous inquiry about the 
Iomega Zip-disk icon in Win 98.  I'm hopeful that someone can point me in the right 
direction regarding the following:

The four libraries in my high-school district are upgrading to a Web-based catalog. 
 We have eight smart OPAC terminals running Windows 98 on new PCs made by Tangent.  
Since we have plenty of other terminals for searching the Web already, we want to 
make sure our OPACs are used exclusively for searching the catalog.  Thus, we don't 
want students surfing the Web on our OPACs.

My question is this:

Is there a browser add-on software or something else that can eliminate Menu 
options like "Search" or "Edit Bookmarks..." in the Windows versions of Netscape or 
Microsoft Internet Explorer?  Also, is there something that can eliminate certain 
browser keystrokes like "Ctrl-O" to "Open" a Web page URL, thus bypassing the 
Location line we usually use?  Since our catalog's interface will include its own 
back and forward arrow buttons, we'd like to make it look as much unlike the Web as 
possible.

So far I have taken the following measures in Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.1 and 
Windows 98:

* Hid the Internet Explorer Location bar (the thing with the http:// stuff)
* Hid the Internet Explorer Toolbar (has buttons like "Back", "Home", etc.)
* Deleted all of Internet Explorer's default Favorites, or Bookmarks, both in the 
browser and in the Favorites menu of the Windows 98 Start Menu.
* Changed the Internet Explorer Desktop shortcut icon from the blue Internet 
Explorer "E" to a generic newspaper.
* Set Internet Explorer to open up automatically whenever the machine is started or 
restarted by putting a Shortcut of it in the StartUp folder.
* Set the shortcuts to open Internet Explorer as a Maximized window.
* Set the Taskbar to "Auto Hide".
* Renamed the Desktop and Start Menu shortcut icons to "Library Catalog" (used to 
be "Internet Explorer").

And, of course, I will be installing the FoolProof Control security software in 
order to restrict things that students can do within the Windows 98 environment.

I figure that about 90 percent of students will be thrown off by what I've done so 
far and subsequently use our OPAC stations appropriately.  It's the other 
exceptionally tech-savvy 10 percent who can be problematic.  So despite all the 
measures I've taken so far, I imagine that we'll still run into trouble.  I 
understand that virtually nothing is completely foolproof, but I want to minimize 
the potential problems as much as absolutely possible.

Thanks in advance for any direction you can provide!

Gabe :-)
_________________________________
GABE GANCARZ, Assistant Librarian
Glenbard East High School
Lombard, IL
gabe@edmail.com


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