Week Six Reading Notes

UTube - "Common Types of Networks"

I really liked the ease of this video - he explained it in a simple and clear manner without tons of examples to bog you down or confuse you.
The most common networks in order (1-5) according to him:
1. Personal Area Network - like a personal computer's printer, this is the most common network
2. Land/Local Area Network - in 1 building, or in one type of facility
3. Wide Area Network - large geographic area
4. Campus Area Networks - spans over several different facilities connected through either wire or wireless on college campuses
5. Metropolitan Area Networks - many many connections - very big and ever expanding

Wiki's: "Computer Network"

This is a little more in depth than the UTube video. It gives a definition of computer networks - a group of interconnected computers which are classified according to their characteristics. These characteristics are scale, connection method (hardware technology to connect), functional relationship, and network topology (the way in which devices in the network see their logical relations to one another). Wiki goes into much more detail to explain the different types of networks such as the global area network (GAN)and their connections such as what is internetwork (intranet, Internet, and externet). GAN is basically a model for "supporting mobile communications across an arbitrary number of wireless LANS, satellite coverage area, ect." One of the most interesting things I learned is how the Internet is not considered to be a part of intranet and externet and the differences between the three networks. Wiki also talks about the basic hardware components which are network interface cards, repeaters, hubs, bridges, switches, and routers. The most interesting thing I learned about the network hardware components is about the router being a networking device which forwards "data packets between networks using headers and forwarding tables to determine the best path to forward the packets." I found this interesting because a router is a common enough piece of equipment many people rely on, but not necessarily ever thought about how it works/what it does.

Wiki's: "Local Area Network"

More of a historical look at how the LAN developed. It gives the advantages of LAN over WANs - such as their "higher data-transfer rates, smaller geographic range, and the lack of need for leased communication lines." This article talks about the history of the earlier systems, then the personal computer, and finally cabling. It also talks about the technical aspects such as how ethernet is the most common data link layer protocol and IP, but that there are still many different options that are being used by smaller groups of people. The most interesting thing I learned from this article is that eventually LANs can become MANs, WANs, or a part of the Internet depending on how the connections are made.

Karen Coyle's "Management of RFID in Libaries"

I found this article to be the most interesting in this week's set. There are so many possibilities with RFID's and although there are some things which must be worked on and other problems that must be solved, I really think RFID's could help change the ways libraries manage their materials and in a less expensive way too.

Background on RFID's:

• RFID - R(Radio) F(Frequency) ID (identifier) = consists of a computer chip and an antenna
• Metaphor given helps understand better what an RFID is - "RFID is like a barcode but is read with an electromagnetic field rather than by a laser beam", but that the similarities end there (486).
• More advanced than a barcode - does not have to be visible to be read, can carry a more complex message, the chip can carry many bytes of information (hopefully will expand even more in the future)
• It is not a single technology - different RFID products on the market today such as tags that are used for automated toll taking, card keys to gain entrance, or those to track animals
• Considering future use of them to stop counterfeiting of many products
• And what varies between them is the amount of information that they carry
• Libraries use the lower priced ones - with short ranges and limited functionality

Should Libraries use RFID?

• Privacy Issues
• In defense of the library using RFID's: "Libraries use new technologies because the conditions in the general environment that led to the development of the technology are also the conditions in which the library operates."

RFID and Library Functions

• RFID for tracking in and out items rather than barcodes- because items are returned it is not considered a "throw away RFID" and makes sense since it costs less than barcodes = more bang for their buck
• Can be used for security too - checked-in and checked-out tag can be read by the security gates. But there are problems - can be shielded by Mylar, can be removed easily
• But there is savings for security because a single RFID tag can do multiple functions (not just a security tag, not just a barcode, ect) = integrated circulation and security system
• RFID's (unlike barcodes) can read multiple tags at once allowing one to check out a single stack of books with a single transaction
• Can be read on the shelf - time of taking inventory goes down, as well as the cost goes down, and more inventories can be completed

Justifcation and Return Investment

• Because libraries do not measure profit as part of their equation, it makes it harder to demonstrate the RFIDs are worth their cost
• See Laura Smart's article for 14 gains of libraries if they used this technology
• Can become 100 % self-check out or have a 50-50 between choosing what one you want to do - THE ONLY PROBLEM - replacing librarians for machines - less jobs available for librarians

Some Problems Remain

• Problem of less sturdy and oddball items such as cases, magazines, CDS, and sheet music
• If this does not work for such items then the alternative system still needs to be maintained - two systems running at once - ends up being more expensive, more time consuming, and probably causes more confusion
• Which way are RFID tags leaning? Towards durability to carry information or to eventually be thrown away and not durable? Libraries need durable tags, and if the market shifts towards throw-away ones, there could be many problems

Muddiest Point from readings: Hubs - and why are they used for specific places - and why they aren't use for all network hardware?