Another form of access point is the information system which tends to be based around the browser technology but has a limited information base usually only including the local area. These access points usually have touch screens to avoid having a mouse which could be stolen or broken by clumsy use or intentional vandalism. The information stored on one of these points is usually fixed and changes rarely. This means that each unit is self contained and can be moved easily from place to place.
The information points are limited to giving information rather than interacting with the user rather like Teletext on your television. There is no facility for Email or other forms of communication. This means that although providing vital information it may not allow access to the Internet via the information point and this can cause some problems if the information on the point is not relevant to one particular customer.
The advantages to the community of such systems are based in the fact that that the information can be kept up to date and delivered electronically. There is no waste paper and no time wasted photocopying sheets to stick around the walls. The presentations can include animation and sound if needed unlike paper based systems. The system could also be programmed to log visits to particular interactive pages and therefore give a "straw poll" idea of interest in a particular activity.
The user of the system gets a more interactive information point than a notice board so they can browse to pages of interest easily and may even be able to search for keywords to locate an activity that they are interested in.
None of the information points in libraries at the moment have a printer (perhaps because of the fallible nature or the possibility of misuse) so users have to make handwritten notes on any information found. This could be seen as a limitation of this type of system.
The librarians have a slightly more technical job than before as they have to update the information from time to time. This may be a negative impact of the information/access point because it may not be updated that often meaning that not all information may be relevant.
The council who owns the information point make money from them by selling advertising space on the system. This means that the information point may have a positive impact of tourism on the economy as well as provide vital travel and tourist information to commuters and tourists.
