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Internet here costs upward of $75 a month. That is a lot of money for folks around here...with a landline, and cable the bill is easily over $125.
As for people with vision problems using a Kindle...if you have macular degeneration, your days are numbered on being able to use your Kindle. Does not work well after 20/100....and worse.
As for people with vision problems using a Kindle...if you have macular degeneration, your days are numbered on being able to use your Kindle. Does not work well after 20/100....and worse.
Not so. E-ink Kindles provide way larger magnification than large-print books.
They also allow one to switch to a serif type, which some persons with MD find easier to read.
Rapidly advancing MD (20/100 is still moderate) is often accompanied by depression and anxiety, resulting in loss of confidence and interest in reading. But with a Kindle, one with worse vision who's highly motivated can still read. There are many testimonials to that effect.
Anytime I go to a public library the computers are busy. I've used them when I'm having computer trouble at home or when I'm out of town. It's been years now but I was over in England and went to one of their public libraries and used the computer to pay my bills online and read my email.
I've never seen anyone using pornography or playing games on library computers. It's usually high school students or adults looking things up or reading email. Computers have long been a great addition to the printed format reference materials. I can also access Ancestry.com for free at the library and it contains a lot of information such as census data and birth records.
I'm not on any library committees, so I don't know the details about their policies regarding the computers. I imagine there were a few lively discussions, and then they made a decision about how to handle it which (as far as I know) seems to be working well. Like other posters, I'm at the library quite a bit and I don't recall ever walking by someone working on a computer and seeing a porn site or a video game. To be fair I'm usually minding my own business so maybe I just don't see it.
I have to say that I'm loving this conversation, though. The more we discuss whether or not it's possible to see someone on a library computer accessing porn, the more we intrigue people.
I'll bet quite a few people have dropped by their local library just as a result of this thread. And the more people drop by a library, the more they will stay open, expand, and continue offering the newer services.
Which may be the exact opposite of what the OP intended, but life is ironic that way.
Many persons using library computers have home internet access but are temporarily unable to use it due to circumstances - home broadband or power failure, personal computer failure, in transit while moving or traveling. In addition, many people who have home internet don't have working printers so they come to the library to print out documents and photos.
At least where I live - when we have failures (power or broadband) - they tend to affect areas - not single houses. If we're out - the library is probably out too. You have to be a local (with a library card) - or pay a non-local "use fee" - to use the computers in our library. I suspect that it is not an unusual requirement. Our local libraries seem to charge about 20 cents a page for printing. Between the cost of gas - and the printing charge - it would make sense economically to get a new printer if yours is broken (they available for < $100 these days).
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Most public libraries prohibit pornography and many prohibit gaming on library computers. All libraries have written policy statements covering use of library computers and internet. In my experience, these are strictly enforced.
The most common uses of library computers are job searching and applications, checking email, and using social sites like Facebook. Many of the social site users are older adults who are trying to shared photos, etc. with families and friends.
Children most commonly use them to play educational games installed by the library and to do homework.
If your libraries don't allow pornography and gaming - they're violating the first amendment (and breaking the law as expressed by the Supreme Court of the United States). The only things a public library can prohibit are access to obscene material (and not all pornography is obscene by legal standards) and child pornography (which is considered obscene in the United States).
And how do you know what people use library computers for? Since two of the most common uses of the internet are visiting pornography and gaming websites - it stands to reason that those are two of the most common uses of library internet access as well. FWIW - gambling is right up there in terms of internet use too. So websites like that would probably be popular on library computers (assuming people are comfortable paying money on a public computer).
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Many job seekers don't have the necessary computer skills to search/apply. Further, online job applications are diabolically hard to complete. Many require attaching or pasting a resume, something low-level job applicants need help with. At public libraries, they get personal assistance and resources, and often times, classes in how to search and apply. I've never seen a retailer that will provide the intensive 1-on-1 help they need.
In the last library in which I worked, we had 46 adult computer stations and at any given time, at least a dozen were being used by job applicants.
So you are perhaps making the case for remedial education in school systems. I don't think a library should be used to teach people who lack basic computer skills. If nothing else - it's rude to other people trying to use the computers (the computers tend to be next to other computers). BTW - who helps these people with "personal assistance" and what "resources" are used? And is this something that's common in your local library? If it is - I'd be really mad at the products of my local school system. BTW - at least where I live - the school systems provide free classes for adults who need to be brought up to speed in terms of basic computer skills. Robyn
I do live in a somewhat affluent area - but computer use is very high these days - everywhere - at least when it comes to schools. Even for children whose parents don't have great educations or a lot of money:
And I'd shut down every library in Florida if our students weren't getting decent access to and training in using computers because there wasn't enough money to pay for everything. Robyn
Internet here costs upward of $75 a month. That is a lot of money for folks around here...with a landline, and cable the bill is easily over $125.
As for people with vision problems using a Kindle...if you have macular degeneration, your days are numbered on being able to use your Kindle. Does not work well after 20/100....and worse.
Where do you live? Our broadband (Comcast) is $50/month + tax. AT&T (DSL) costs exactly the same. The cheapest broadband Comcast offers here is $30/month + tax (it's slower than the broadband I have)
And you know something - for a person without a lot of money - there is always very cheap dial-up (I used to have a dial-up back-up connection when I had DSL - and had to use it when the DSL went "on the fritz". For learning/reading type things - including email - it's absolutely ok. For streaming video or playing games - it stinks. OTOH - if we're talking about learning/communicating type things - it will do.
FWIW - I've been on line since the early 1980's - and have used modems that would be considered relics these days. Robyn
Anytime I go to a public library the computers are busy. I've used them when I'm having computer trouble at home or when I'm out of town. It's been years now but I was over in England and went to one of their public libraries and used the computer to pay my bills online and read my email...
OT - but it's not normally advisable to do things like entering sensitive financial information (credit card #s - bank account #s - and the like) on public computers - especially if they're connected to a public wifi system. Don't think I'd want my email floating around on a public network either. Robyn
I do live in a somewhat affluent area - but computer use is very high these days - everywhere - at least when it comes to schools. Even for children whose parents don't have great educations or a lot of money:
And I'd shut down every library in Florida if our students weren't getting decent access to and training in using computers because there wasn't enough money to pay for everything. Robyn
Now you have a choice, folks; whom do you believe? The numbers aren't even close.
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