WIFI IN ACTION

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WI-FI IN ACTION

• The Metropolitan Experience
• A View from Lewisham
• Robin Knowles

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Wi-Fi in Lewisham Libraries

• Wifi Broadband access
• Log-on at all ten of Lewishams Libraries for
  free
• How has it happened?
• What has happened?
• Lessons learned?
• Way Forward

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Wifi and Libraries Why Now?

• No longer an emerging technology
• Tried and tested products available
• New chip technology, Laptops and PDAs
• Ever lower entry level costs
• Needs a low cost high quality solution suited to
  the Public Sector

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Lewisham From the Outset

• Reposition the Libraries at the front-end of a
  new service provision
• Lever off the Peoples Network
• Make their Libraries attractive to a new profile
  of users and reinvigorate the smaller libraries
• Provide a free service
• Better utilise library space for IT

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Key Elements

• How it works
• Testing Sites
• Branded Portal Walled garden
• What each Lewisham Library Did
• What RegenerateIT put in
• The Stages we followed

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Lewisham Main Library Signal Strength
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What Lewisham Libraries Did

• In each of their ten libraries they provided a
  phoneline and ADSL connection.
• Typical cost of 350 a year

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What RegenerateIT puts in

• Plug and Play solution and branded home page
• Typical costs of 1,500 a year per site
• One days training for staff

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Wifi and Lewisham Libraries

• Stages
• Pilot phase
• Main Library and Manor House Library
• Evaluation
• How has it gone?
• Rollout

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Lewisham - A Year On

• Ten Wi-Fi enabled Libraries
• Monitoring for twelve months of
• Users
• Log-ons
• Support Calls

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First Year Summary Outcomes?

• The Lewisham library usage time peaked up to
  11,820 minutes in the Month of August and has
  remained above 6,000 minutes since.
• The combined user base has accumulated to 115
  regular users.
• The main Lewisham library site has up to 100
  users now subscribed. Manor House library is much
  smaller in comparison to Lewisham and has had
  less success.
• The user base grows by 9 to 10 users per month.
• On average each user spends up to 75 minutes each
  visit connected to the Lewisham wireless network.

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User Feedback?

• Initial nervousness from Library Staff and
  worries concerning the service have not
  materialised
• Other Council staff and Meeting Room users are
  now using wireless facility.
• Walled garden has enormous potential
• Popular with current group of users
• Helpline little used (12 calls)

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Library Service Feedback?

• Very pleased with quiet rollout
• New faces appearing in libraries
• No reduction in use of fixed machines
• Word of mouth approach so far to be enhanced by
  marketing
• Planning to invest in Laptops
• Better use of Library space/meeting rooms

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Technical Feedback?

• All in service offers costs savings
• 99.5 up time in first year
• Barriers to levering off Peoples Network are
  annoying, but liveable with.
• Too much reinventing of the wheel with expensive
  consultants

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RegenerateIT HotspotsKey Features

• Wireless Broadband
• Online Authentication
• No on-site IT support required
• Aggregation features
• Full content filtering and Virus Protection
• 24/7 Helpline
• Weekly Use Reports
• Free Access / Charging model
• Branded Portal

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Way Forward

• Haringey Library Service opening all ten sites by
  end of February 2005
• Lewisham to now have a formal launch
• RegenerateIT is looking for new library services
  to partner with in 2005

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