Blis 07 (Information Technology)(1)

7/28/2019 Blis 07 (Information Technology)(1)

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: BASICS

(BLIS-07)

To understand the processes and impacts

of a globalizing technology like the Internet,

one must account for the historical

development of that technology, the process

of technology transfer in general, and the

local cultural dynamics in unique regions. The

Internet will diffuse differently in different

regions and among different sectors within

those regions. Chile, for historical and

cultural factors, should demonstrate a

different diffusion and use pattern than India

or Kenya. This leads to different definitions of

how Internet technologies are constructed

within distinct regions and poses challenges


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for the development of a symmetrical global

scientific community fuelled by new ICTs.

1. Information Technology

Information technology has been around

for a long, long time. As long as people have

been around, information technology has

been around because there were always

ways of communicating through technology

available at that point in time. There are four

main ages that divide the history of

information technology. Only the latest age

(electronic) and some of the

electromechanical age really affects us

today, but it is important to learn about how

we got to the point we are at with technology

today.

The Basics What is Information?


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Information is data processed for some

purposes. Information can only be considered

real information if it meets certain criteria

i.e.:

1.it must be communicated to the recipient

2.it must be in a language that is

understood

3.it must be in a suitable form

4.it must be relevant for achieving some

purpose

Information is any form of communication

that provides understandable and useful

knowledge for the person receiving it.

What is a Computer?

A computer is a programmable machine.

It allows the user to store all sorts of

information and then process that


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information, or data, or carry out actions with

the information, such as calculating numbers

or organizing words.

Computers can be generally classified by

size and power, although there can be

considerable overlap. Following are

descriptions of several different types of

computers.

Categorization of Computers:

(i) Mainframe computers are large-

sized, powerful multi-user computers that

can support concurrent programs. That

means they can perform different actions

or processes at the same time.

Mainframe computers can be used by as

many as hundreds or thousands of users

at the same time. Large organizations


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may use a mainframe computer to

execute large-scale processes such as

processing the organizations payroll.

(ii) Mini-computers are mid-sized

multi-processing computers. Again, they

can perform several actions at the same

time and can support from 4 to 200 users

simultaneously.

In recent years, the distinction between

mini-computers and small mainframes

has become blurred. Often the distinction

depends upon how the manufacturer

wants to market its machines.

Organizations may use a mini-computer

for such tasks as managing the

information in a small financial system or

maintaining a small database of


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information about registrations or

applications.

(iii)Personal computers (PCs), also

called microcomputers, are the most

popular type of computer in use today.

The PC is a small-sized, relatively

inexpensive computer designed for an

individual user. Today, the world of PCs is

divided between IBM-compatible and

Macintosh-compatible machines, named

after the two computer manufacturers.

Computers may be called desktop

computers, which stay on the desk, or

laptop computers, which are lightweight

and portable. Organizations and

individuals use PCs for a wide range of

tasks, including word processing,


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accounting, desktop publishing,

preparation and delivery of

presentations, organization of

spreadsheets and database

management. Entry-level PCs are much

more powerful than a few years ago, and

today there is little distinction between

PCs and workstations.

How does a Computer Work?

A computer functions in the following

manner:

The computer accepts input. Computer

input is whatever is entered or fed into

a computer system. Input can be

supplied by a person (such as by using

a keyboard) or by another computer or

device (such as a diskette or CD-ROM).


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Some examples of input include the

words and symbols in a document,

numbers for a calculation, and

instructions for completing a process,

pictures, and so on.

The computer performs useful

operations, manipulating the data in

many ways. This manipulation is called

processing. Examples of processing

include performing calculations, sorting

lists of words or numbers, modifying

documents and pictures according to

user instructions, and drawing graphs.

A computer processes data in the CPU.

The computer stores data. A computer

must store data so that it is available

for processing. Most computers have


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include reports, documents, music,

graphs, and pictures. Output can be in

several different formats, such as

paper, diskette, or on screen.

How does the Software Work?

The instructions need to be written in a

programming language that the computer

can understand. Without a program, a

computer is useless.

Programming language:

An artificial set of rules, vocabulary and

syntax used to instruct the computer to

execute certain tasks.

Computer program:

A sequence of instructions that can be

executed by a computer to carry out a

process.


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User friendly:

Computer software or hardware that is

simple to set up, run and use.

Operating system:

A collection of software that allows a

computer to function.

How Does a Computer Process

Information?

When data is input into a computer, the

numbers or words we understand are

translated into a binary numbers system.

Binary is the language of computers.

Everything you type, input, output, send,

retrieve, draw and so on is, in the end,


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converted to the computers native language

- binary.

(i) Binary number system: A numerical

system wherein each digit stands for a power

of two. The binary system uses only two

symbols, 0 and 1, to represent values.

(ii) Binary digit (bit): The values in abinary system -- the 0s and 1s -- are called

binary digits or its. It is a digit within the

binary number system. A bit is the smallest

unit of information held in a computer.

(iii)Byte: A combination of bits that

represent one character. A byte is usually

composed of 8 bits.

What Is Computer Memory?

The main type of memory and the most familiar to

users is random access memory (RAM). RAM is the


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same as main memory. A computer can both write data

into RAM and read data from RAM. Every time a user

turns on his or her computer, a set of operating

instructions is copied from the hard disk into RAM.

These instructions, which help control basic computer

functions, remain in RAM until the computer is turned

off. Most RAM is volatile, which means that it requires a

steady flow of electricity to maintain its contents. As

soon as the power is turned off, whatever data was in

RAM disappears. The contents of RAM are necessary for

the computer to process data. The results of the

processing are kept temporarily in RAM until they are

needed again or until they are saved onto the hard disk or

other storage device.

Today the storage capacity of RAM is measured in

megabytes (MB). PCs (microcomputers) typically have

between 16 and 64 MB of RAM, which means they can

hold between 16 and 64 million bytes of data (a standard


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A4 page of text typically holds about 2,000 bytes or

characters of text).

Other types of memory include:

ROM (read only memory): unlike RAM, ROM is

non-volatile and only permits the user to read data.

Computers almost always contain a small amount of

read-only memory that holds instructions for

starting up the computer.

PROM (programmable read-only memory): a

PROM is a memory chip on which you can store a

program. Once the PROM has been used, you

cannot wipe it clean and use it to store something

else. Like ROMs, PROMs are non-volatile.

EPROM (erasable programmable read-only

memory): an EPROM is a special type of PROM

that can be erased by exposing it to ultraviolet light.


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EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-

only memory): an EEPROM is a special type of

PROM that can be erased by exposing it to an

electrical charge.

How is Data Stored?

It is very important to distinguish

between memory, which refers to the

circuitry that has a direct link to the

computer processor, and the storage, which

refers to media such as disks that are not

directly linked to the processor. Remember, a

storage device is anything that is used to

store computer data. Floppy disks, hard

disks, optical disks, CDs and magnetic tapes

are all types of storage device. Physical

storage refers to how data are actually kept

on the storage disk. The most commonly


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used medium for storage is magnetic

storage. With magnetic storage the computer

stores data on disks and tape by magnetising

selected particles of an oxide-based surface

coating. The particles retain their magnetic

orientation until that orientation is changed.

Thus magnetic disks and tapes are

modifiable storage media.

The two most popular types of magnetic

storage media are hard disks and diskettes.

Magnetic tape provides a third type of

magnetic storage and optical disk is a new

storage medium. Following is a discussion of

each; the definitions included earlier are

repeated. Hard drive or hard disk storage

provides faster access to files than a

diskette.


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Hard drive: The storage area within the

computer itself, where megabytes of space

are available to store bits of information.

Hard drive is also known as a hard disk. A

hard disk platter is a flat, rigid disk made of

aluminium or glass and coated with a

magnetic oxide. A hard disk consists of one

or more platters and their read-write heads.

A read-write head is the device that reads the

data from the disk platter into the computer.

It also records (or writes) data onto the

platters. Hard disk platters in

microcomputers are typically 3 inches

(about 10 centimetres) in diameter, the same

size as the circular mylar disk in a diskette.

However, the storage capacity of a hard disk

far exceeds that of a floppy disk. Also, the

access time of a hard disk is significantly


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faster than a diskette. Unlike diskettes, which

begin to rotate when one requests data, hard

disks are continually in motion, so there is no

delay as the disk spins up to speed. Like

diskettes, hard disks provide random access

to files by positioning the read-write head

over the sector that contains the requested

data.

Diskette: A small, removable, flexible mylar

plastic disk covered with a thin layer of a

magnetisable substance, onto which digital

data can be recorded and stored, also known

as a floppy disk. Diskettes get another name

floppy disk from the thin mylar disk. If one

cuts open the disk casing (not recommended

because the disk will be ruined) one would

see that the mylar disk inside is thin and


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floppy. Although todays microcomputers

typically use 3 inch (about 10 centimetre)

disks, you may still find 5 inch (about 15

centimetre) disks that were popular many

years ago. Finding a disk drive to read 5

inch disks may be very difficult. Diskettes are

generally used for transporting or shipping

data files or for making duplicate copies of

data files for back-up purposes. The storage

capacity of a diskette varies but is

considerably smaller than that of a hard

drive. Since the 1960s, magnetic tape has

been a popular form of mainframe computer

storage.

Magnetic tape is a continuous plastic strip

covered with magnetic oxide; the tape is

divided into parallel tracks onto which data


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may be recorded by selectively magnetising

parts of the surface, or spots, in each of the

tracks. The data can then be stored and

reused. When IBM introduced its first

microcomputer in 1981, the legacy of tape

storage continued in the form of a cassette

tape drive, similar to those used for audio

recording and playback. Using tape as a

primary storage device, however, instead of

a hard disk is slow and inconvenient because

tape requires sequential access rather than

random access. Sequential access means

that data is stored and read as a sequence of

bytes along the length of the tape. To find a

file stored on a microcomputer tape storage

device, one has to advance the tape to the

appropriate location of the file, and then wait

for the computer to slowly read each byte


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until it finds the beginning of the file. Like an

audio cassette, for example, a user must go

through the tape in sequence to find the part

he or she wants. Microcomputer users quickly

abandoned tape storage for the convenience

and speed of random access disk drives.

Recently, however, tape storage for

microcomputers has experienced a revival,

not as a principal storage device but for

making backup copies of the data stored on

hard disks. The data on magnetic storage can

be easily destroyed, erased, or otherwise

lost. Protecting the data on the hard disk is of

particular concern to users because it

contains so much data, which could be

difficult and time consuming to reconstruct.

This is why backups are so important.


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Back up: To copy a computer file or

collection of files to a second medium,

usually on a diskette or magnetic tape, so

that the data are safe in case the original file

is damaged or lost. Backups are usually

copied to storage devices that can be

removed from the computer and kept

separately from the original.

A tape backup is a copy of the data from a

hard disk, stored on magnetic tape and used

to recover lost data. A tape backup is

relatively inexpensive and can rescue an

organisation from the overwhelming task of

trying to reconstruct lost data. Backing up

electronic data is critical to protecting it from

loss or damage.


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The most popular types of tape drives for

microcomputers also use tape cartridges, but

there are several tape specifications and

cartridge sizes. A tape cartridge is a

removable magnetic tape module similar to a

sound or video cassette tape.

Quarter inch tape, called QIC, is a tape

cartridge that contains inch

(approximately centimetres) wide tape.

Depending on tape length, QIC tape

capacities range from 340 MB to 2 gigabytes.

Digital audio tape, called DAT, was originally

an audio recording format, but is now also

used for data storage. The 4mm wide DAT

tape format storage capacity ranges from 2

gigabytes to 12 gigabytes. In addition to


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magnetic storage, there is also optical

storage.

Optical disk is a storage device that uses

reflecting surfaces and laser technology to

read and write data on a disk, also known as

a laser disk. With optical storage, data is

burned into the storage medium using beams

of laser light. The burns form patterns of

small pits in the disk surface to represent

data. The pits on optical media are

permanent, so the data cannot be changed.

Optical media are very durable, but they do

not provide the flexibility of magnetic media

for changing the data once they are stored.

There are three types of optical disks:

CD-ROMs are the most popular type of

optical storage. CD-ROM stands for


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Compact Disc Read Only Memory. A

computer CD-ROM disk, like its audio

counterpart, contains data that has been

stamped on the disk surface as a series

of pits. To read the data on a CD-ROM an

optical read head distinguishes the

patterns of pits that represent bytes. CD-

ROM disks provide tremendous storage

capacity. CD-ROMs usually come with

data already written onto them. These

days most applications software is

provided on CD-ROM.

It is now possible for computer users to

write data to an optical disk. These are

known as WORM disks, which stand for

Write Once Read Many. A single CD

holds up to 680 megabytes, equivalent to


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over 300,000 pages of text in character

format, and these disks are quite

durable. These CDs are known as CD re-

recordable (CD-R). There are other types

of WORM disks, although there is no

standard for these.

There is a third type of optical disk which

can be erased and use to rewrite new

information. These are sometimes known

as EO (erasable optical) disks and CD-RW

(CD rewritable). Magneto-optical disks

combine magnetic disk and CD-ROM

technologies. Like magnetic media they

can read and written to and like floppy

disks they are removable. They can store

over 200 MB of data, and speed of access

to this data is faster than a floppy but


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slower than a hard drive. There is no

universal standard for these yet. CD-

ROMs and magnet-optical disks are very

useful for storing images. These take up

much more storage space than data in

character format, such as in word-

processed files.

What is Software?

Technology is growing at a rate which is

bewildering, not only has it grown by leaps

and bounds but the most amazing part is the

speed at which it is growing. One of the best

technological inventions that have changed

the world in a big way is computers. The way

computers have touched each and

everybodys life is simply mind-boggling.
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But computer is just a machine until and

unless it is uploaded with some software.

Now come to the point what is software?

Well, Software in laymans words is the

language in which the computer understands

instructions or commands. There are data

stored in digital which needs to be

understood by the computer and hence we

make use of computer software.

Initially when computer were invented,

the only term that was used was hardware,

the term software came into being only to

contrast the term hardware. Hardware is

anything that is physical like a printer or a

mouse, while at the same time software

cannot be seen, it is intangible.
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What is application software? Since now

you know the meaning of software, let us

understand what application software is.

Ideally in laymans term in computers, an

application means a program which will help

the users to get the work done in a specific

way. Application software which is also

known as app, software application or just

plain application is nothing but a design to let

users perform tasks.

The tasks could be single or multiple

depending upon the need of the user. The

best examples that can be given for

application software are Microsoft Office

Suite, which includes various handy software

like Microsoft word, Microsoft Excel, various
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media players or databases like MS Access,

Oracle and others.

Computer Application software is very

different from other applications like the

operating system, a utility or a programming

language. Operating system is what helps

the computer to run, a utility is what

performs certain tasks and a programming

code is a bunch of lines in which the

computer programs are ideally generated.

Application software on its own is of no good

use if it is not supplemented with

infrastructure i.e. the system software and

computer programs which are termed as

middleware.

In short application software without

system software and middleware is no good.
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Lets take an example, to make this point

clear lets take the electric plant and electric

bulb, of what use is the electric plant if it

there is no bulb. Like electric plant generates

electricity but what is the use if it cant be

contained anywhere. The same thing is the

case of an application, on its own it is of no

use to any one.

Computer application software is

designed in a way to that it can manipulate

the given text, change the graphics, and

manipulate the numbers or all of three in one

single task. There are some packages like the

word processor, this works by just focusing

on one single task. Application software is

currently kind of boon to mankind. It would

have been really difficult to comprehend the


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miseries of not having computer application

software in our modern day living. Hope by

now you have a brief idea of computer

application software.

Software developmentSoftware development (also known

as application development, software design,

designing software, software application

development, enterprise application

development, or platform development) is

the development of a software product. The

term "software development" may be used to

refer to the activity of computer

programming, which is the process of writing

and maintaining the source code, but in a

broader sense of the term it includes all that

is involved between the conception of the
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desired software through to the final

manifestation of the software, ideally in a

planned and structured process. Therefore,

software development may include research,

new development, prototyping, modification,

reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any

other activities that result in software

products.

Software can be developed for a variety

of purposes, the three most common being to

meet specific needs of a specific

client/business (the case with custom

software), to meet a perceived need of some

set of potential users (the case

with commercial and open source software),

or for personal use (e.g. a scientist may write

software to automate a mundane
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task). Embedded software development, that

is, the development of embedded

software such as used for controlling

consumer products, requires the

development process to be integrated with

the development of the controlled physical

product.

The need for better quality control of the

software development process has given rise

to the discipline ofsoftware engineering,

which aims to apply the systematic approach

exemplified in the engineering paradigm to

the process of software development.

Areas of Computer Application in Library

A modern library cannot be imagined

without the application of computers. In the

library and information centres. Computers
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can be used for performing efficiently all

sorts of activities from the procurement of

the reading materials to their organization

and use. So, it can serve as a remedy for all

the existing problems of libraries and

information centres. But, till now computers

have been used successfully in the following

areas of library activities.

(i) Library House Keeping Operation: In

case of library house-keeping operation, the

computer is used for acquisition of books and

other reading materials, their classification,

cataloguing, circulation and serial control.

a) Acquisition:The selection of materials

can be made by the computer. Any library

which is a part of online computerized library

system has access to catalogue entries and


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bibliographic data of all the libraries in the

system. These databases can be used as a

selection tools to purchase new documents

for the particular library in question. Other

offline databases can also be used as

selection tools for non current documents

and sometimes out of print books. For other

documents, conventional book selection

methods may be used. The MARC

bibliographic record service has opened up a

new vista in both cataloguing and

bibliographic database that can be used as a

book selection tool.

The ordering and acquisition are the

routine jobs in the library and for a single

time ordering it requires repetitive operation

by different sections. These repetitive


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operations and the requisite checking can

very well be done by the application of the

computer system. Both offline and online

acquisition can be performed by the use of

computers.

b) Classification: A computer based

classification system is being experimented

at the Documentation Research and Training

Centre, Bangalore. It is based on Colon

Classification System.

c) Cataloguing:The computerized

cataloguing system operates with high speed

for performing routine and repetitive jobs.

Besides, in the cataloguing unit, computer

can also be used in various other ways such

as producing book plates, book pockets, book

cards, spine labels, etc. It can also produce a


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variety of records, card catalogues in the

book form, printed catalogue, etc. as

byproducts. The following uses of computer

in cataloguing have already been able to

draw the attention of the librarians.

The MARC project was started in

November, 1965 by the Library of Congress,

USA. The latest development in the system

includes the CoMARC (Co-Operative Machine

Readable Cataloguing). Computer Output

Microfilm (COM) was developed in the USA by

Stromberg Carlson Company. The Online

Computer Library Center (OCLC), previously

known as the Ohio College Library Centre

was started in August 1970. All these have

successfully used computers for cataloguing

of documents.


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d) Serial Control: Serials are continuing

publication having reasonably permanent

titles and appearing usually at regular

intervals. Their contents usually vary from

issue to issue. An article as a single

bibliographic unit may be published in more

than one issue and even in more than one

volume. Obviously, the users may be

interested in an issue of a serial as a

bibliographic unit, or an article spread over a

number of issues as a bibliographic unit. So,

serial control comprises complex operations

of library activities because of the vary

nature and characteristics of Serial as library

material. Again, the conflict between the

physical unit and the bibliographic unit

makes Serial control a complex task.


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In case of Serial, the current issues, the

retrospective or immediate back issues and

bound volumes under every year of

publication is an ongoing process. In this

case, the library should encounter the search

problem because of the conflict between the

title and the corporate body, the old titles

and the changed titles, nature of irregularity

in publication (more than one issue in a

single publication and the like). These

situations pose the problem of listing,

acquisition, accessioning, cataloguing and

creation of records in the desired format.

e) Circulation:The circulation activities are

the life-stream of the library services. The

library documents are for use and are

intended for the users. At various points,


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documents are to be trapped for the users

who have recorded their priority in using

such documents. The circulation is a flow of

document, but the flow should be controlled

by library operations so as to serve the users

in the best possible way with the available

materials in the library.

ii) Library Administrations: In case of

library administration, the library automation

helps in

a) Providing Access Right to Staff Members

b) Providing Access Right to Library Users

c) Exception Reporting

d) Generation of Library Statistics / Report

iii) Information Retrieval: Today,

Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) or

sometimes Web OPAC facility provided by the


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library and information centres helps in easy

retrieval of information. Computers are also

used for searching Library Database e.g.

International Nuclear Information System.

iv) Building Digital / Virtual Libraries

Collection: Computers can also be used to

build digital or virtual collection or for

institutional repository of the library.

v) Resource Sharing: In order to facilitate

the provision of material request on inter

library loan basis, the use of computers and

other latest telecommunication devices is

being put to use in almost all the countries of

the world. The Online Union catalogue is also

a product of computer application in library.

vi) Library Network: INFLIBNET,

Developing Library Network (DELNET) is the


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example of taking library automation as its

first step or base structure.

vii) Information System: World Science

Information System (UNISIST), Medical

Literature Analysis and Retrieval System

(MEDLARS), illustrate the advanced stage of

library automation.

viii) User Services: The library automation

also helps to provide Current Awareness

Service (CAS), Selective Dissemination of

Information (SDI) Services, Indexing and

Abstracting Service, Web Based Translation

Services, Computer Based Indexing and

Abstracting Services, and so on.

Impact of IT on LIS

IT gives us the concept of remote access

that brings the concepts of Global Village. IT


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connects different parts of the world with

high speed; bring more capacity, and easy

retrieval mechanism. If any information is fed

into the computer system today then it is

also available to the outsider today itself.

There is no time lag in between. Uses of IT

avoids duplication, so the information is

becoming less costly.

The impact of new technologies is

seen in almost every human activity. The

computers are also transforming the libraries

into a paperless atmosphere. Again, it is the

use of IT that gives librarians a wide scope,

wide audience, and raise the status.

a) Collection: Information is collected as

mashup, tag, bookmark, hyper text.


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b) Transportation: Information is

transmitted through optical fiber cables.

c) Storage: The computer storage reduces

the bulk of the printed materials in the

library. The optical disk, hard disc are very

commonly used in all types of libraries.

d) Processing: Different types of computer

software and other equipments are used for

information processing.

e) Retrieval: The use of computer for

information retrieval gives precise result in

fraction of a second.

The overall impact of IT on library and

information science is broadly subdivided

into three major divisions, such as -


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a) Impact on Technical Services:

Automation, in the form of bibliographic

utilities and MARC format has revolutionized

the practice of cataloguing. Todays librarians

rely on MARC format to provide proper

cataloguing services to their users. Online

Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) can

substantially reduce the cost of maintaining a

catalogue. If the OPAC is integrated with

technical service files in a full function

automated system, work throughout the

department can be streamlined and

reorganized. The impact on staff

responsibility and assignment can be

significant. The co-operative collection

development and management have become

increasingly important in libraries due to tight

budgets, rising prices and the information


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explosion. Bibliographic utilities facilitate

these efforts through shared holdings,

information and automated inter-library loan

sub-systems to speed resource sharing.

b) Impact on Public Services: OPACs

which provide speedy online access to the

entire library's holding by means of computer

terminals are affecting library operations.

c) Impact on Library Organization

Structure: The right type of planning is vital

for the efficient working of a library. Planning

of a library organizational structure requires

a thorough understanding of need of the

users, objectives and functions of a library or

information center. The emergence of

information technology provided greater

impetus for information transfer at both inter


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and intra-organizational level. Organization of

all types become involved with IT and have

implemented, IT based system.

Conclusion

Libraries and information centers has

very important role in advancement of

education, scientific research and socio-

economic development of any society. These

are the service centers, where very

personalized service is extended to the users.

As a result of recent expansion in

communication infrastructure, expanding

computer culture, advance in printing

technology etc. has created more awareness

about information use. It has resulted in

increasing library services. The future


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libraries may not be recognized by their size;

these will be perhaps recognized by variety

of services and approaches, where

information search areas will be outlined.

Documents

Blis 07 (Information Technology)(1)