RE : RE : [wilhelmtux-discussion] 14. Marz,Lokaltreffen in Zurich - UNESCO pow-wow in Lugano - Internet access at GE university libraries

Claude Almansi claude.almansi at bluewin.ch
Mon Mar 10 23:41:09 CET 2003


<<Dietrich Feist has signaled that he'd be interested to have WilhelmTux
represented at the WSIS -- do you have any URLs handy where I could look
things up such as procedures, fees, etc?>>

Chantal Peyer already answered Dieter as to signing up for the Civil
Society Platform. As to WSIS itself:
- http://www.itu.int/wsis/participation/accreditation.html is the
general page about accreditation
- then scroll down to the NGOs AND CIVIL SOCIETY ENTITIES part, and try
the links for guidelines and accreditation forms (1). Registration is
free. 

Re the UNESCO.ch "experts for WSIS" pow-wow in Lugano, they've accepted
my registration in spite of its lateness. I'll be in the librarians'
group. I'd selected that one, the journalists' and the teachers' with a
preference for teachers' but as there were less people in the
librarians' that's where I'll be unless they use me as an interpreter as
they seem rather short of them. 

I don't mind the librarians' group: I just had a totally zany experience
inquiring about internet access at the libraries at Geneva University:
they don't use filters to block SOME sites there: they ONLY allow you to
access sites that have been vetted by "scholars". Oh sure, students can
then take their handwritten notes to the computer room and write them
and e-mail them themselves from there pw-protected account there, with
no filters at all. Or they can bring a laptop in the libraries, save on
a floppy and then go to the computer room.  If you are doing research
but  aren't a student or a prof, tough titty: public access is "bornes
internet" in the hall. Standing, with sticky mouses and keys you need a
sledge hammer to strike, Netscape and Acrobat, schluss punkt. Unfiltered
otherwise, though.

The IT bloke I spoke to was very apologetic, saying he didn't make the
rules, but had to abide by them.

The most surreal one was the director of the Bibliotheque publique et
universitaire (BPU). Now the University is Canton, whereas the BPU is
Town. When I studied there it meant that windows (glass, not MS ones)
got cleaned at different times inside and outside, for instance. Anyway,
the man told me that as far as online stuff was concerned, they
specialised in "human sciences for research", vetted by specialists.
"www.politechbot.com ?" I asked. He winced at the .com bit. "Gutenberg
project?" "Oh no, they are not philological enough" "Perseus project?"
Same objection. "MIT's OpenCourseWare?" "No, I told you we're
specialising in human sciences, and they are scientific and technical."
"No, they also have linguistics". "Anyway, only password-protected,
paying sites are worth accessing at university level." "But why can't
you trust people to do their own research on the internet too,
normally?" "We have limited resources and we would need more staff to
explain to them how to use a search engine: were they to put "Voltaire"
in Google, they'd come up with a hotel first (2)".

I gave up. 

If any Tuxers know of similarly absurd internet policy in other Swiss
university libraries, please let me know (before Friday, preferably,
when the UNESCO.ch pow-wow starts). OK, granted, Geneva U. has an Apache
server, they offer Star Office, and the sysops are nice and open-minded.
But that's not enough if they have to submit to mummies.

Cheers

Claude


(1)Most of the links bring to word documents, though. If you wish, I can
save the bleeders as .rtf and forward them (like a goya neighbour
putting on the lights in an orthodox Jewish household on Shabbat, LOL) .
I've already remonstrated with the executive secretariate about their
insane love for non-html formats. They said
"thank-you-we'll-try-but-.doc-and-.pdf-formats-are-easier-to-print. And
offered to send me their frigging bulletin by snail-mail 

(2) actually not: N? 2 is http://www.voltaire.net/ , sure, and it might
give some mummified scholar hiccup. But N? 1 is
http://www.voltaire.ox.ac.uk/ Fondation Voltaire, the thing the BPU
subscribed to at high price...