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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Recurso educativo Open Access |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
2011
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ940906 |
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Table of Contents:
- The Quiet Plug Crisis: A Digital Generation Scours the Library for Electrical Outlets Kelley, Michael Access to Information Libraries Electronic Libraries Energy Costs Library Services Thirty years ago, the only person in a library looking for an electrical outlet was a blue-smocked cleaning person who had to plug in a vacuum cleaner with a very long cord. Now, hordes of patrons outfitted with amp-devouring laptops and cell phones expect and need the library to offer an endless supply of electricity. The overall demand for electricity at the library--driven by everything from electronic signage to recording studios--is straining electrical systems everywhere, even at the Pentagon's libraries. But it is the plug, the lowly plug, first patented in 1904 by one Harvey Hubbell, that is, perhaps, the biggest problem. More precisely, it is the lack of outlets for those plugs and their modern contemporary, the data port, or jack. In this article the author discusses the problem of electrical outlets in libraries, and offers some solutions, such as "pop-up" plugs and raised floors, for those not building from scratch or renovating.