A student sits alone in a carrel on the fifth floor of Central Library, working on her battery powered laptop computer, no plugs or cables in sight. In the recent past, it would have been safe to assume that she was working with productivity software such as MS Word or Excel resident on her computer, but no more. She may be surfing the web, downloading full-text articles, accessing the libraries web catalog, or sending email. That’s because the world of Dick Tracy’s wireless wrist watch communications is daily coming closer as everything to do with computers and communications, from size to connectivity evolves faster, smaller, and smarter.
Today it is possible to visit the UTA Central Library with your wireless-ready laptop, and in a few keystrokes, be surfing the web, searching the library catalog, or answering your email. The UTA Libraries’ wireless network is in operation only in the Central Library at this time, but plans are underway to extend this network to the Science and Engineering and the Architecture and Fine Art libraries. The wireless network is configured (at this time) to work best in Central’s public areas in the Internet Cafe, and in the study carrels on the third, fourth, and fifth floors, though connectivity is possible outside of these areas.
This connectivity isn’t limited to the newest laptops, according to Bob Samson, Coordinator for Information Technology in the UTA Libraries. He noted that wireless network cards can cost as little as $150. “If the card is available for older machines, along with device drivers, they will work.” The wireless system isn’t the fastest connection to the Internet, so older, slower machines will work just as well as the newer computers.
“We encourage people with their own wireless-ready computers to come use our wireless network. We’re one of the few buildings on campus to offer this” said Samson. “The wireless network works by assigning the user an IP address when they log on, then it is as if they are at a regular hardwired library computer.” Samson indicated that the statistics show that library users are beginning to log on through the wireless network. All that is needed is to get the word out that this system is in place, he said.
Here are Samson’s directions for connecting to the Libraries’ Wireless Network:
This network provides wireless network access for users with 802.11b-capable network devices (or for laptop computers checked out from the Reserves desk). Users need not use the Libraries' laptops in order to utilize the wireless network. If they have their own wireless-ready laptop, they need just a few pieces of information in order to configure their PC to use the wireless network in the Libraries:
The Central Library wireless network is configured to maximize connectivity in public seating areas, e.g. the Internet Cafe and the carrel clusters on floors three, four, and five. Users will find that connectivity can be realized in areas beyond those mentioned, however. We hope to be able to fill in t he gaps in coverage over time and as funding permits. We also hope to extend wireless network services to the branch libraries as time and money allows. For more assistance, contact the Libraries' IT helpdesk at http://www2.uta.edu/userserv/ .
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