Comments on: British Library Wi-Fi Access http://heatherbrooke.org/2005/iwr-british-library/ Heather Brooke is an award-winning writer, journalist and activist Sun, 29 Apr 2012 09:44:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: t wileman http://heatherbrooke.org/2005/iwr-british-library/comment-page-1/#comment-639 t wileman Tue, 19 May 2009 15:10:53 +0000 http://www.yrtk.org/2005/iwr-british-library/#comment-639 is there any reason why wifi should be given out free? no not really another example of your greed for a 'freebie' and how dare anyone refuse you whats you due... is there any reason why wifi should be given out free? no not really another example of your greed for a ‘freebie’ and how
dare anyone refuse you whats you due…

]]> By: Will van Zwanenberg http://heatherbrooke.org/2005/iwr-british-library/comment-page-1/#comment-638 Will van Zwanenberg Tue, 28 Aug 2007 20:36:19 +0000 http://www.yrtk.org/2005/iwr-british-library/#comment-638 The British Library is tragically enamoured of the marketisation philsophy that embues so much of the public sector and of public services in general. The basic thinking is that services such as a pubicly available "free" wifi service should only be introduced if their implmentation can be shown to be cost effective - i.e., can be shown to make profit. Notions of "public good" or of a "public service remit" don't factor terribly highly within the philosophy that makes up the management of the place. They're not going to introduce such a service unless they're forced to do so and with relatively meagre grants available, why would they? Even if we forced to have the words: "Sponsored by Microsoft/Tescos/Sainburys/IBM (insert your chosen wretched multinational here ...)" emblaozed across all the library's web pages, if it were free to use, to me this would be acceptable. The British Library is tragically enamoured of the marketisation philsophy that embues so much of the public sector and of public services in general. The basic thinking is that services such as a pubicly available “free” wifi service should only be introduced if their implmentation can be shown to be cost effective – i.e., can be shown to make profit. Notions of “public good” or of a “public service remit” don’t factor terribly highly within the philosophy that makes up the management of the place. They’re not going to introduce such a service unless they’re forced to do so and with relatively meagre grants available, why would they?

Even if we forced to have the words: “Sponsored by Microsoft/Tescos/Sainburys/IBM (insert your chosen wretched multinational here …)” emblaozed across all the library’s web pages, if it were free to use, to me this would be acceptable.

]]> By: Tom Steinberg http://heatherbrooke.org/2005/iwr-british-library/comment-page-1/#comment-637 Tom Steinberg Thu, 21 Apr 2005 10:13:45 +0000 http://www.yrtk.org/2005/iwr-british-library/#comment-637 Now you the humble blog reader can do something about this! www.pledgebank.com/britlib Now you the humble blog reader can do something about this! http://www.pledgebank.com/britlib

]]> By: john greig http://heatherbrooke.org/2005/iwr-british-library/comment-page-1/#comment-636 john greig Mon, 18 Apr 2005 14:15:33 +0000 http://www.yrtk.org/2005/iwr-british-library/#comment-636 AS in the BBC governor's case, yet ANOTHER meeting where minutes werent taken. AS in the BBC governor’s case, yet ANOTHER meeting where minutes werent taken.

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