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MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT 2: Libraries Go High Tech

Building Zones technology consultants, partnered with The Cloud and Hewlett Packard (HP), has installed new wireless Internet accessible furniture in London's British Library.

The installation is an interactive one that will allow the public to use the new furniture. The library commissioned ten furniture designers to integrate wireless fidelity (WiFi) technology into space-saving, ergonomic furniture.

The designers incorporated technology from Philips, Plantronics, Skype and Toshiba to make furniture that minimizes electrical wiring and allows for secure storage of bags.

Since the WiFi service was launched last year, the British Library has become a public hotspot. The new furniture is a result of a survey previously conducted by Building Zones. The survey found that 86 percent of the library's 3,000 daily visitors had a laptop and that many of them left the library to go to Internet cafes. The study also found that email was the most requested Internet application and that most users preferred to access it from their own equipment. Building Zones concluded that there was an overwhelming demand for WiFi service.

WiFi service is available in the library's 11 reading rooms, the 225-seat auditorium, the cafe and restaurant, and the outdoor Piazza. Library visitors can now connect to the Internet with their existing service providers or use the library's pay-by-use service.

--Written by Teresa Liao

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