Schools connect to the district office's Internet server over Ethernet lines. Students can now access the Internet from the library or from their classrooms, most of which have at least one PC or Mac. In addition to searching the district libraries, they can also search the county and town public library system and the Library of Congress. Eventually, the district hopes to add remote capabilities to the system so that students can access the library's collections from home. Moreland has handled the issue of Internet safety by having students and parents sign Internet usage agreements.
Schools require they go to the library for 'purposeful research' only.
In fact, one school calls a library pass a 'purpose pass'. According to both Nickel and Jenny Mendoza, the district's network coordinator, the Sun based system was easy to set up, install and maintain. So that Moreland staff could maintain and provide technical support to their networks, Sun's Open Gateways Program also donated training to the district at SunU, the company's educational arm. Mendoza attended classes in Solaris, Sun's operating system, and network administration. Everyone involved with Moreland's library modernization project agrees that the new media centers are big hits on campus.