Week 6: Computer Networks, Wireless Networks

Because the computer is capable of preserving digitally so much information, it would seem logical to develop a means to transfer the content from one source onto the next. Although the invention of the disk had managed to accomplish this task, human nature would once again become dissatisfied in the long run as usual. There was obviously a need to transfer information with much greater efficiency, i.e. simpler and quicker. With the introduction of the Internet, computers were able to create networks; thus establishing the means that would provide such a solution (for the time being, of course). A few types of commonly used computer networks to name are the Personal Area Network (PAN), Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Campus Area Network (CAN; utilizing interconnecting LANs) and the Metropolitan Area Network (MAN; similar to the CAN, only the WAN is incorporated as well) among others. As networks had been developing and catering to more and more individuals, the results in their respective order were ranging for the amounts they serve, from a single person, to a group of people, and to an entire population. Because the library is a system that functions like any other organization, such as a business office, it would seem suitable and logical for a staff to attend their duties via a LAN, which is the sort of network designed for that sort of a setting. Since the library is often recognized as a powerhouse for sources of information, the utilization of such a network should enable for the system more efficient means to organize their materials. However, there will always be circumstances beyond the control of the networks. For example, the computer can always claim that a certain item is in their possession at a certain location, and yet it cannot be found within the system, or at least not in the particular area to which it was pointed earlier. This is why there is the option of incorporating the Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) into libraries. How the technology works is that the items are tagged with a computer chip and are retrieved with an antenna. Through the use of this innovation, books that end up lost in the shuffle or just about anywhere outside at random (perhaps misplaced by a patron or even stolen by a thief) now have a greater chance of being found by the library.

If I have not already done so more openly, I would like to make a reference to “The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century” by Thomas L. Friedman. What I am to explain is based what I could recollect from my readings since my senior year as an undergrad. How the book got its title came from the author’s comparison between the increase of networking and the establishment of the playing field. In order for a field to be rendered as playable, the area needs to be flattened. Once it has been flattened, the field becomes an invitation for players and people who want to be involved in the game are always welcome to play. A network functions in a similar manner. Once it has been established, those who wish to be involved are always invited to do so. As more people wanted to get involved with the phenomenon, the network needed to expand so as to make sure they received their opportunities as well. The situation appeared as though the network was becoming one big game and the whole world just wanted to play. In order for people all over the earth to be able to play the game that has reached across the globe, the world needed to be “flattened.” Compared to the Wikipedia articles on the “Local Area Network” and “Computer Network,” and the Frank J. Klein video on “Common Types of Computer Networks,” what Friedman had presented does indeed seem like a promising future ahead of us. Putting the Karen Coyle article on “Management of RFID in Libraries” into consideration, Friedman is beginning to appear more naïve and delusional, since there is a potential dark side he may have overlooked. No one can ever deny what these networks are capable of accomplishing, but the possible dilemma that the RFID is capable of imposing could be a real turn off. Apart from the ethical issues, such as privacy, that the technology has been raising, financial matters also seem to be a concern. Whether or not Friedman’s dream of a “flat world” is possible, it is quite clear that such an achievement would take tremendous time, effort, and money. Even when other people are invited to and participating in the playing field, there is no guarantee that they will enjoy the game (or at least not on their terms); hence the expression: “You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.”