Like personal computing, the Internet is a ubiquitous part of American life. The ease with which we are able to access information via the Internet masks the complexity of the infrastructure that is the Internet, and the complexity of the myriad processes that are necessary in order to transmit a simple message or file over the Internet. Jeff Tyson offers an overview of these topics in the entries titled “How Internet Infrastructure Works”, available as part of howstuffworks.com’s library. These web pages provide a comprehensive introduction to the various technologies and acronyms that make the modern web possible. A few highlights:
- The Internet is an immense collection of expansive corporate networks that agree to communicate with one another at Network Access Points (NAPs). In this way, every computer “on” the Internet connects to every other.
- Although no one “owns” the Internet, the fac t that the Internet is made of networks of computers that are linked together via infrastructure that is owned by private telecommunications corporations is relevant to understanding how information is sent across the Internet.
- Various technologies, including the Domain Name System (DNS) and the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) are central to the simplicity of use that characterizes today’s Internet. However, these technologies evolved as the size of the networks comprising the Internet grew; web pages used to be accessible only by providing the exact IP address of the computer that a user sought to link to.
Despite its technical complexity,” the Internet” has become synonymous with Google, at least for information consumers who are understandably more interested in using the Internet to access information than to learn about the Internet itself. Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the fathers of Google, discuss various innovations by Google that aim to improve users’ experience of information retrieval on the Internet. Particularly interesting is the visualization of the information that Google is processing at any given second:
Although the technical processes involved in the Internet are likely beyond the scope of the work of most library professionals, the Internet, and therefore its functionality, are increasingly central to library operations and services. Integrated Library Systems (ILS) leverage web technologies to interconnect various aspects of library operations, such as circulation, electronic resource management, and search and retrieval. In his article titled “Dismantling Integrated Library Systems”, Andrew Pace discusses various issues involved with the selection and implementation of integrated library systems, and suggests that libraries might consider dismantling of integrated modules and reconfiguring library systems using web technologies.
Although the technical processes involved in the Internet are likely beyond the scope of the work of most library professionals, the Internet, and therefore its functionality, are increasingly central to library operations and services. Integrated Library Systems (ILS) leverage web technologies to interconnect various aspects of library operations, such as circulation, electronic resource management, and search and retrieval. In his article titled “Dismantling Integrated Library Systems”, Andrew Pace discusses various issues involved with the selection and implementation of integrated library systems, and suggests that libraries might consider dismantling of integrated modules and reconfiguring library systems using web technologies.
Integrated library systems and the use of web technologies to integrate library systems are just one aspect of the role of the Internet in library operations. Additionally, the Internet has an increasing presence in the provision of library services. Therefore, knowledge and understanding of Internet technologies is increasingly important to the work of library and information professionals.
