TARGET: email in the library?

[Jody Gerlock <Jody_Gerlock@PDS.K12.NJ.US>]

Folks,
I need some input. We're an independent school with a H.S. population of
about 375. We have a school-wide email network, and we provide email
accounts for all students and faculty (students need to sign an electronic
integrity statement and abide by the rules in order to keep their
accounts). We put our system to great  use, and more and more the teachers
are setting up conferences for their classes so that students and teachers
can hand in/hand back assignments and carry on virtual discussions about
various topics. This is fine and wonderful, but I've managed to keep email
OUT of the library, as well as word processing, except at off hours and
during lunch. We have computer labs and computers in many classrooms, but
it seems to be getting harder and harder to find an open computer when a
kid needs to type something or answer his email, so they come to the
library and are dismayed to find out we don't allow it. I have my own
reasons for not wanting email in the library, but one of the reasons we
need to restrict use of our computers is that we have so few. I've only
got 9-10 student stations, and no real room to put in any more unless they
physically expand the facility. I want them to be used for research. Many
of our subscription-based services can only be accessed by school
computers, and I want students to be able to have that access any time
they come to the library, not have to wait for someone to finish an
assignment. I also keep a very quiet library, and the constant clacking of
the keyboards would cause undue distractions for those trying to
read/study if we had a bunch of people doing email and or word processing.
What I'd like is your opinions about email in a H.S. library. Do you allow
it, and how does it work out for you? Is supervision an issue? If you
don't allow it, why, and are you supported by your administration? I have
a feeling some of my faculty is starting to question my policy and I want
to know what's going on elsewhere and what some of the issues are so I can
best address their concerns and decide whether or not I'll have to make
some changes/compromises. Thanks for taking the time to respond. Please
respond to me, not the list, at Jody_Gerlock@pds.k12.nj.us.
Jody
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Jody Gerlock, Librarian, Upper School        phone (609) 924-6700 ext. 241
Princeton Day School                                    fax (609) 924-7278
P.O. Box 75, The Great Road              email: Jody_Gerlock@pds.k12.nj.us
Princeton, NJ 08542
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