10/12 Reading Notes

Local Area Network

Before reading this article, I was familiar with LANs because I have worked with them even before working in a library.  However, I was not very familiar with the general history of LANs and how they have developed over the years.  Some things of which I was not aware contained within the article were that the cable used in telephone networks set the standard for the structured cabling of LANs today.  I was also not aware that LANs could be classified as metropolitan  area networks (MANs), even though I have heard LANs referred to as WANs (wide area networks). 

Computer Network

This article efficiently expounded on the LAN article from Wikipedia in my opinion.  It provided essential information about computer networks for people not familiar with them, as well as discussing the elements of computer networks such as hubs, bridges, and routers.  The section of this article that I considered to be most informative was the section discussing overlay networks, because I was not very familiar with overlay networks before reading this article.  It seems that overlay networks are one of the many computer networks that continue to be improved, and also contribute to the improvement of other computer networks.    

Common Types of Computer Networks

This video was narrated well, although it did not really add any significant information that was not discussed or linked within the Wikipedia articles.  This video and others similar to it could be useful to someone that would prefer to hear someone discussing the various types of computer networks for beginners.  Even though much of the information that was discussed by Mr. Klein in the video was mentioned in the Wikipedia articles, it can be helpful to hear someone describing the information that is being discussed, especially if it is described cogently and succinctly.     

Management of RFID in Libraries

This article does provide some good insight into the development of RFID, although the article could have discussed the privacy issues regarding RFID to a greater extent.  As well as the privacy issues concerning RFID, the costs of the implementation of RFID in libraries is another issue that should be examined.  Even though libraries could experience more convenience as a result of using RFID in materials, libraries must consider whether or not the results of RFID are truly worth the purchase.  Despite the controversies concerning RFID presently, in the future RFID may be improved to mollify the privacy and cost issues, so to make RFID an ultimately efficient means of tracking and identifying materials.  If improved, RFID may also lead to other more efficient means of product identification.