Week 6 Reading Notes

Week 6 Reading Notes
1) Local Area Network: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Area_Network
Local Area Network (LAN)- computer network covering a small physical area (such as home or office)
-in contrast with Wide Area Networks (WAN), have higher data-transfer rates, cover smaller geographic area, do not require use of leased telecommunication lines
-Ethernet over twisted pair cabling and Wi-Fi are most commonly used
-began developing in the 1960s as large universities and labs acquired more computers & there was a great need for highspeed interconnections
-structured cabling is the basis of most LANs today, and fiber-optic cabling is being used more frequently for high-bandwidth local networking

-This article provided a good overview of LANs. I found some of the technical aspects at the end to be a little confusing, but I think this is a good read for a very basic explanation of LANs, especially since we all make use of these in our personal and professional lives but a lot of us, myself included, may have limited technical experience related to LANs.

2) Computer network http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_network
computer network- group of interconnected computers; allows computers to connect with others and to share resources and information
-ARPANET (funded by the The Advanced Research Projects Agency, for the DoD) was the first operational computer network in the world
-networks may be classified by a wide variety of characteristics, including connection method, wired technologies, and wireless technologies
-Networks are often classified as Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), Personal Area Network (PAN), Virtual Private Network (VPN), Campus Area Network (CAN), Storage Area Network (SAN), etc. depending on their scale, scope and purpose.
-also Internet, Intranet, and Extranet
-All networks are made up of basic hardware building blocks to interconnect network nodes, such as Network Interface Cards (NICs), Bridges, Hubs, Switches, and Routers.
-router: networking device that forwards packets between networks using information in protocol headers and forwarding tables to determine the best next router for each packet

This article defined computer networks, and outlined several different types. I think everyone in the information field should have a general understanding of these, even if we aren't planning or receiving training to work in the IT field. One reason I feel this way is many smaller libraries (like the one I work in) don't have a designated IT department- we have to phone a helpdesk located elsewhere if technical issues arise. I think it's important to be familiar with the different types of network and technology so we can both accurately describe the problems to the IT professionals whose job it is to fix them, and in some cases, they may be able to provide us with enough assistance to fix the problem ourselves if we have at least a very basic understanding of the technologies. I have definitely been told I am "the worst person ever" at describing problems with my computer ("My Internet broke!" is apparently not a helpful statement) and while I do not fully agree with that harsh assertion made about me, I think it definitely highlights the need to understand at least enough about the technologies we're relying on at work to be able to not only use them but describe them when things go wrong.

3) Common types of computer networks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dpgqDdfUjQ
The Youtube video featured the CIO of Relativity explaining types of computer networks that we read about in the Wikipedia article. I felt like the video was really helpful because as someone who is not very familiar with this subject, hearing someone explain the topic in pretty simple terms made it a little easier to understand than when I was just reading dry technical articles.

4) Coyle, K. (2005). Management of RFID in libraries. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 31(5), 486-489.Karen Coyle briefly outlines what RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) technology is, and how it can be used in libraries in terms of its being a more advanced technology than barcodesCoyle also briefly explains some of the other types of RIFD technology, such as on toll booths or office entry cards. If I am understanding correctly, I have a debit card (Visa Pay Wave) with RFID technology and it is wonderfully convenient and simple to use. After the brief introduction, Coyle mostly focuses on the management of RFID technology in libraries, asking questions such as whether they should use this technology, and pointing out some of the pros and cons. After reading the article, I felt like I learned a lot about this technology and the possible benefits in terms of inventory and statistical analysis in the library, but I would like to learn more about it because I wasn't sure whether or not I agreed with its use. I think one of the biggest issues right now would come back to the simple, practical issue of funding- it may pay off in the long run, but libraries are in such dire straits right now that it may not be wise to invest in new technology that doesn't have an immediate benefit towards helping libraries keep their doors open. I also dislike the idea of completely self-service library check out sytems, because I think that people have too many questions and issues and many people seem to look forward to intereacting with the library staff. I agree that libraries serve a social role in many communities and we should not completely eliminate that aspect of the library in favor of convenience. In the long run, however, it sounds as if RFID could be very beneficial to the library in many ways.