Basic question: can it be done? I would think that one could install a program to a local user area without having root permissions, but the lack of information on how to do so leads me to believe otherwise.

My major problem is being stuck at work with RH9 and no way to either a) install mp3 playability or b) install a program that will convert mp3 to ogg, so if you've got answers to those without needing to install things, I'm all ears.

Thanks!

I believe it is possible to do so.
I have done it with amsn on an account with no root permissions.
As long as it's done in a folder where you have read/write permissions then it should be ok.
If you want to listen to mp3s then try compiling xmms from source into your home folder and then do the same with the mp3 plugin for it.

Yes, you can install without root priviledges. As nitr8 said, you only need to have write permissions in the directory you wish to install to. My standard is /home/username/local_install. To do so:

After the make install, you'll probably have the traditional subdirectories: bin, man, lib, etc. depending on what files the program installs. Then you can add /home/username/local_install/bin to your path. Done.

Depending on which program you're installing (they are all different), it may want to put files elsewhere. You'll have to hack at the Makefile to get it to work the way you need. I would argue those programs are either A) have a poorly written Makefile or B) are system utilities (like cron) that don't necessarily make sense to install under a user account.