mysiteonline™

Although this is not meant as a marketing scheme (we've had wireless for a very long time), I couldn't figure out what to title this as. At our library, such as many medium to large sized libraries (and even some smaller ones now) offer free wireless internet access for their patrons. However, this sometimes brings in the oddball PlayStation Portable (PSP) gamer, the "sit in my car outside the building with my laptop" internet surfer, and the creepy "oh sweet, porn!" people in to the library. Some of it isn't bad:

- Oh, I see you have a playstation portable. If you're interested, we have some game play strategy books for you.
- (While walking back from lunch break) Hey, nice laptop. You know, if you actually want to come inside the library, we do have a café with coffee, bagels, deserts, sandwiches... We also have some DIY books that show you how to extend the range of your computer's wireless signal.
- ....ok, so I can't think of anything for this guy except maybe pointing him towards the picture books of modern dance or realistic painters/sculptors, but then I'd be ever afraid to go near those books again. We usually kick them out anyway.

However, today, we had something a little different. Can you see what's odd in this picture?

Read on for a close up and explanation...
If you couldn't make out what didn't belong in the image above, try taking a look at the one below:


So, someone was telling me recently about a story that free wireless access was being advertised at a public building and how someone asked if there were any requirements to connect to it - to which, the reply was that there were none. About an hour or so later, a car drove up, and out of the trunk a fold-up table, CRT monitor, mouse, keyboard, and desktop all ended up being set up outside this building on the sidewalk. Apparently it was a nice day. I couldn't believe it. I chuckled about it with them for about a minute or so in disbelief and went on my merry way. As I walked in this morning, I happened to see this guy's PC resting on one of our study/work tables. I instantly remembered the story (though not who told it to me) and just started laughing over the slight irony over how it was unbelievable and so random...yet here it was.

I haven't seen the patron sitting at the PC yet today, it's just been set up there with a blank screen, but powered on. Who knows, maybe he had to use our free toilet access too! (Someone told me it was a "he", I'm not simply generalizing.)

Any interesting similar stories to share of where you work and patron/customer habits?