Reading Notes for 10/15 & 10/16

LAN

A local area network (LAN) is a network that connects computers or devices in a small geographic area. LANs were developed in the 1970s because larger universities and research labs obtained more computers and need higher speed interconnections. Ethernet and Wi-Fi are the two most common LAN technologies.


Computer Networks

A computer network is a group of connected computers that allow users to communicate and share resources. There are several categorical classifications for computer networks: connection method, wireless technologies, wired technologies, scale, network architecture, and network topology. There are also many types of networks classified by their scale: local area network, personal area network, home area network, wide area network, metropolitan area network, campus network, enterprise private network, virtual private network, and internetwork. The basic hardware components of a network are: network interface cards, repeaters, hubs, bridges, switches and routers.

Managing RFID in Libraries

Karen Coyle suggests that all librarians become familiar with with RFID technology. She gives a fairly objective overview of the technology. She lists some of its benefits for libraries: RFID tags are multi-use, time-saving, and are of great help when it comes to inventory. She also lists some of RFID's cons when it comes to library use. RFID tags are problematic on less-sturdy items, items that have odd shapes, or items that contain metal. Also, current RFID tags are not specific to library needs so a new type of tag would need to be created. She concludes by urging libraries to developing RFID policies because she believes that this technology will be around for a long time.