Library Web Chic

I have a sinking suspicion that MPOW blocks IRC traffic (I recently confirmed this with campus IT). I can understand why this might be. Wanting productive employees and trying to keep the network secure. However, I have a legitimate use for IRC in my job. There is an IRC channel called #code4lib whose members have been very helpful in the past in providing information when I’m trying to set up something new or troubleshooting a problem. There are also channels for dspace, Mediawiki, and Wordpress. The great thing about these channels is that you can “talk” to people who have been working on the same thing as you. I’ve recently found this more useful than listservs or other information on the web. One reason is that you can get a suggestion real time, try it and see what happens. Often I’ve been at home when I use IRC to seek out help with these problems, but sometimes I would really like to consult with colleagues while I’m at work. Maybe actually figure out the problem I’ve been trying to solve all week!

There are work-arounds if you can’t get an IRC client to connect because your network admins are blocking traffic. The best one is to use a web-based IRC client. #code4lib actually has one of their own already set up. For the others you might consider using the free web based online IRC at RLSC Network. Also, let’s say you want to provide access to IRC to your staff and your organizations network admin won’t loosen the firewall restrictions. Another option is to install CGI:IRC on your server (if you control your own server). CGI:IRC is an open source Perl/CGI program that lets you access IRC from a web browser and access IRC when stuck behind a restrictive firewall. This is actually what the #code4lib folks have set up.

This situation is symptomatic of larger problems that exist within MPOW about control of technology. I work in Systems so for the most part my access to technology is not locked down. However, for the rest of my colleagues, technology permissions are doled out in tiny, tiny scraps. This is the exact opposite of my previous place of work. Although I ranted about it at the time. (having to fix messed up computers stinks!), I’m starting to see the downsides to locking things down and making people ask permission to do everything. People can’t always explain why a particular new program could improve their work performance until they try it out. There are aspects of serendipity, curiousity and exploration with trying new technologies. People often try new technologies when something old isn’t working well for them or they want to try to do something in different ways. This is the moment when people are the most motivated and enthusiastic about new technologies. By making users wait to have something installed, that moment (and the opportunity for people to willing to change and learn something new) is lost. Personally, I go out of my mind right now if I couldn’t install, test, and try things on a regular basis. However, I’ve seen the flip side of the coin when at my previous job 3/4 of the library got a virus because they just had to download and install the dancing kitty cat. The bottom line is there is a delicate balance between security and the ability to innovate. Having your organization leaning to one side or other can be extremely detrimental.