The library’s Information Centre operates from a specially designed room, located across from the Offices of the Holy Metropolis of Chios (entrance via Amantou Street). The creation of the Information Centre was made possible thanks to the Operational Programme “Information Society”, Measure 1.1 Equiping and Networking Schools. This measure falls under the category of Action Line 5, Creating Public Information Centres. The project was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (up to 75 per cent) and the Greek State through national resources (up to 25 per cent).

The purpose of this centre is to guarantee access to electronic resources on various subject matters, such as education, culture, economic development, etc. The goal is to familiarize users with information technology.

Thanks to the support of the automated processing department of the University of the Aegean and the Directorate for Secondary Education, new infrastructure was created, new equipment was installed and connectivity was established.

Available services

• Web surfing
• Multimedia educational material
• WiFi Hot spot
• PC equipped with basic software (text processing programmes, Excel sheets) and peripherals (such as printing facilities)
• Access to the archives of the Official Gazette of the Hellenic Republic
• Programmes installed on the PCs
• Electronic and audiovisual material
• Programmes and software specially designed for persons with disabilities

Available material

Users can access material from a wide range of topics, such as education, sports, culture and civilization, economic development, leisure and entertainment as well as health, professional orientation, the State and Public Administration.

This material is available through

• The Internet and the World Wide web, which provide access to countless databases.
• The library’s collection of audiovisual material (CD, CDROM and DVDs).
• Special software installed in the centre’s PCs.
• The library’s website.

Purpose and expected results

• Eliminate inequalities in the educational system and at the information technology front between major cities and remote areas
• Integrate citizens living in remote areas into the information society era
• Familiarize citizens with the library, its information services and various ways to access knowledge
• Educate users in searching the Web for information
• Provide remote areas with access to public library services Increase the use of public libraries
• Familiarize the general public with new technologies
• Educate users into utilizing a greater variety of library resources
• Increase the value of the central library’s material and services
• Increase connectivity between local communities and special information centres (such as Service Centres, information Centres of the Greek Manpower Employment Organization, etc.) Integrate people who are at risk of social exclusion into the information society

Benefits
Direct benefits for:

• Citizens who are at risk of social exclusion and who can have access to the information society thanks to this programme
• The islanders
• Those who visit the island
• Those who are interested in acquiring access to information related to the island and to a whole range of topics

Indirect benefits for:

• Those who have access to the Internet

License for public use

All library members can have access to the Information Centre and its Web navigation facilities. To do so, they have to fill out a form whereby they acknowledge and accept the centre’s terms of use.

A set of special rules applies for children and young people under 18. Please note that

• children 12 years old or less can access the centre provided they are accompanied by a parent or a guardian;
• users aged 12 to 18 should submit a form read and signed by their parents or guardians, whereby the latter acknowledge and accept the terms of use of the Information Centre;
• some restrictions apply in the use of Web surfing services (parental control features activated).

Instructions and terms of use

PC users should have a basic knowledge of computers. All workstations are numbered and provide basic information technology services, such as Internet connection, search in the library’s database, access to Office, etc. Additionally, some computers are equipped with special programmes, such as encyclopedias, language learning software, parental control features for accessing the Web (for younger users), etc.

Users are invite to find the workstation of their choice and are required to fill out a form, whereby they request permission to use the equipment and accept the terms of use of the centre’s hardware and software. Access to workstations is on a “first come first serve” basis.

Persons with disabilities have priority access to all workstations. The library has the right to reserve some of the centre’s PC for educational purposes, upon notifying the public.

Users are required to respect authors’ rights while using the centre’s software and hardware and to make sure that the equipment remains operational and in good shape for future use. It is therefore prohibited to

• Use, copy and distribute illicit software that come from dubious sources.
• Compress files and/or install new programmes.
• Change the Desktop configurations on the computers.
• Copy CDs or DVDs without the author’s permission, unless the material belongs to the public domain.
• Disturb other users and control electronic communications.
• Destroy or damage hardware or software, which belong either to the library or to another user.
• Save personal documents and other files to the PCs hard drive.

Note that it is allowed to use an (re)-writable CD or a memory stick provided the person in charge of the centre makes sure they are free from viruses.

Users who do not abide by the centre’s terms of use will be refused access to its services.

Network security and equipment

It is important to protect the centre’s computers to ensure they remain operational. For this reason, each user must:

• use a virus-free external storage device;
• ensure they leave the computers in the same condition they find them and log off from all programmes used;
• make sure they do not interfere with the computers’ hardware and software;
• report any technical problem they encounter while using any hardware and/or software.

The library reserves the right to:

• impose sanctions and fines for damage caused on the PCs software and hardware that was intentional or as a result of severe negligence; refuse access for up to 2 days at a time to users who do not abide by the centre’s terms of use;
• refuse total access to the Information Centre and/or the Library to users who persistently
• refuse to comply with the terms of use, do not follow the instructions they were given, disturb other users and put at risk the network’s security and the integrity of the equipment.

Cost of use

The purpose of the library’s Information Centre is to provide services free of charge.
However, to maintain our capacity to provide services such as printing, photocopying and scanning, we provide them at a fraction of their regular cost. Users are required to pay a 10 cent of the euro fee per photocopied page.

Opening hours

The Information Centre is open to the public during the library’s opening hours.
Users may have access to a computer for 45 minutes, if there are other users waiting for their turn. Otherwise, total duration should not exceed 120 minutes.
Computers turn off automatically 15 minutes before closing time.
The Information Centre personnel have the authority to turn off the computers if they believe that their use interferes with the library’s smooth operation.