Computers in Libraries: Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Handheld

Devices, and Office Applications

Presenter:Tansiongco, Kevin Conrad T.

Professor:Teodoro, Raymond

IntroductionComputers are ubiquitous feature of society with impacts in every sphere of life. Even in our high technological age, an understanding of computers is not a universal skill, and computers can cause moments of frustration. The goal of this chapter is to provide the information essential to helping you understand the basic pieces of a computer and how it operates.

Desktop Computer Essentials• Computer – an electronic device that

receives data (input), processes data, stores data & produces result (output).

• Desktop – personal computer that needs to sit on a desk or table; consists of a “box” or the central processing unit (CPU) which contains the main components of the system, some input devices (keyboard & mouse) and peripherals (monitors, printers or scanners).

• Motherboard – a piece of circuitry that serves as the foundation for the workings of the computer; this is where every component in the CPU is connected

• Processor – powers the calculations the computer must take to run the software and process information

• Random Access Memory (RAM) – helps the speed and performance of the computer by giving software some space in the memory to work in while it is running; temporarily holds the computing processes the software spawns

• Read-only Memory (ROM) – contains information that cannot be altered by the user

• Video card – allows items to be displayed on the monitor.

• Soundcard – control audio output.• Modem or network cards – allow

computer to communicate with other computers through a variety of networks

Computer Workstation

Computer Storage Media and Their Capacities

Drive Type Media Type Media Capacity

Primary Use(s)

Floppy 3.5 in. floppy disk 1.44 MB Small file storage and backup

CD-ROM CD-ROM disc 700 MB Application and distribution use

DVD-ROM DVD-ROM disc 4.7 GB-17 GB

Application distribution and archival storage

Tape Magnetic Tape Up to several GB

Archival storage and backups

No drive (USB port)

Flash drives Up to 64 GB

Mobile memory for file storage or using and distributing application

Memory Stick removable flash Memory card

64 GB storage media for a portable device

Smartcard (chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC))

pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits

8K - 128K bit

provide identification, authentication, data storage and application processing

Drive Type Media Type Media Capacity Primary Use(s)

Zip Zip disk launched with capacities of 100 MB, but later versions increased this to first 250 MB and then 750 MB.

Backup storage

Smart media (solid-state floppy disk card or SSFDC)

Flash memory card 2 MB to 128 MB read, write, and erase memory in small blocks of data (256 or 512 bytes at a time)

Removable Hard Drive

Plug and play drive 160GB to 2TB system compatibility, and features large storage options and portable design

Micro drive 1-inch hard disk designed to fit in a Compact Flash (CF) Type II slot

8 GB or more Data storage and manipulation

Computer Related MeasurementsMeasurement Definition

Bit Simplest level of computer information. A bit can have the value of 1 or 0.

Byte Eight bits, which is enough memory to represent a single alphanumeric character.

Kilobyte (KB) One thousand bytes; equivalent to a short note on a single sheet of paper

Megabyte (MB) One million bytes; equivalent to 200-300 pages

Gigabyte (GB) One billion bytes; common measurement of hard drive and storage space.

Megahertz (MHz) Common measurement of the internal speed of a computer’s processor

Bits per second (Bps) Common measurement of data transmission through modems or computer networks

Computer Software

Software - A set of instructions, stored digitally within the computer's memory, which tells the computer system what to do.

• System software is the software used to manage and control the hardware components and which allow interaction between the hardware and the other types of software. The most obvious type of system software is the computer's operating system but device drivers are also included within this category.

• Utility software is software such as anti-virus software, firewalls, disk defragmenters and so on which helps to maintain and protect the computer system but does not directly interface with the hardware.

• Applications software (also known as 'apps') are designed to allow the user of the system complete a specific task or set of tasks. They include programs such as web browsers, office software, games and so on. They are usually the reason you bought the computer system in the first place and aren't concerned with the management or maintenance of the system itself.

Generic software is mass produced with the intention that it will be used by a wide variety of different users in a range of different situations.

Bespoke software is created for a specific purpose which will be used in a known environment.

Operating Systems

• Provides the environment in which all other software operates in the computer.

• A large piece of software that controls how the computer works

• Allow multitasking, the ability to have multiple applications running at the same time and to switch back and forth between them.

• World of operating systems today is primarily divided between Macintosh, Windows computers and their respective operating system.

History of Operating Systems• DOS (Disk Operating System) –

initial computer OS characterized by its command line interface in which every task you wanted the computer to complete had to be typed out on the screen at he command prompt or included in a program.

• Macintosh – (1980s) had a graphical user interface (GUI) that consisted of a screen with little graphical images or icons that could be clicked on to run programs or open up additional screens, or folders, containing more icons; more user friendly than DOS machines and became more and more proficient at displaying and allowing the manipulation of images.

The Operation of Computers• When you start a computer by

pressing its power button and turning it on, it goes through the boot-up process.

• During the boot-up the computer gets the operating system running and gets you to a point where you can choose an application to use.

Computer Peripherals The term peripherals refers of optional

computer hardware items that have specific functions. All of these peripherals plug into the CPU, mostly using USB ports or connections. USB (Universal Serial Bus) is the dominant method for connecting peripherals, replacing earlier parallel and serial connectors.

• Monitors are essential for visually interacting with the CPU.

Two Main Varieties:LCD (liquid crystal display)

Flat Panel

CRT( Cathode Ray Tube)

• Keyboard – most commonly used input device for entering numeric and alphabetic data into a computer

Variety of Keyboards:

Ergonomic – a keyboard designed to provide users with more natural, comfortable hand, wrist and arm positions

Cordless/Wireless – a battery-powered keyboard that transmits data using wireless technology

Specialized – a keyboard with specialized keys that represents items such as those used in fast-food restaurants

Security – a keyboard that provides security features such as biometric fingerprint reader and magnetic stripe and smart card readers

Foldable/Flexible – an easily transported keyboard primarily used with PDA and pocket PC-type devices; it has a soft touch and water resistant.

• Mouse – most commonly used pointing device for personal computers.

Types of Mouse:

Mechanical – has a ball located on the bottom that rolls on a flat surface as the mouse is moved

Optomechanical – same as a mechanical mouse, but uses optical sensors to detect motion of the ball

Optical – uses a laser to detect the mouse’s movement

Wireless – battery-powered device that relies on infrared or radio waves to communicate with the computer

• Trackball – pointing device that works like a mouse turned upside down

• Joystick and wheel – pointing device commonly used for games

• Pointing Stick – pressure-sensitive device that looks like a pencil eraser mostly found in notebook computers

• Graphics Tablet – (digitizing tablet) flat drawing surface on which the user can draw figures or write something freehand

• Touch display screen - special screen with pictures and shapes which involves your finger in order to select the desired object.

• Stylus (digital pen) – pen-like writing instruments that allows user to input information by writing on a PDA (Personal digital assistant) or mobile device

• Touchpad – commonly used in laptopsScanner – device that can change images

into codes for input to the computerTypes of scanners: Image scanners – converts image into an

electronic form that can be stored in a computer’s memory

Bar code scanner - reads bar lines that are printed on products

Magnetic Scanner - read encoded information on the back of credit cards

Optical character recognition and optical mark recognition scanner – use a light source to read characters then converts the data into digital data

• Digital Cameras – take pictures and store it digitally then transfer it to the computer’s memory.

• Biometrics – an authentication technique using automated methods of recognizing a person based on psychological or behavioral characteristic.

• Virtual device – use the synchronized positioning of light emitting and sensing devices to detect user input.

Printers – produce a paper or hard copy of the processing results.

Varieties:Inkjet printer – provides good

quality of color printing for less expense.

Thermal printer – form characters by heating paper.

Mobile printer – small, battery-powered printer used to print from a notebook computer.

Label printer – prints label of various types and sizes on an adhesive-type paper

Postage printer – type of label printer that contains a built-in digital scale and prints postage stamps.

Plotters/Large-format printer – used for drawing and drafting output by engineers, architects and graphic artists.

• Speakers – generate sound, such as music or instructions on how to complete a tutorial

• Fax machine/fax modem - transmit and receive documents over a telephone line or through a computer.

• Multifunctional peripheral – provides a combination of various output options such as printing, scanning, copying and faxing.

• Data projector – projects the computer image onto a screen; mostly used for presentations.

Student Computer Standards: Minimum Configurations

• Intel Core 2, or AMD Phenom• 4 GB memory (4 GB if you plan

to upgrade to Vista/Seven)• 250 GB hard drive or higher• DVDRW• Ethernet card and cable• WPA2 A/G/N Intel wireless card.

(Atheros cards may or may not work on our network)

• Windows 7 Home Premium or Higher and Microsoft Office

• External Hard Drive or Online backup Account

Student Computer Standards: Recommended Configurations

•Intel® Core™ i3, i5, i7 or AMD Phenom 2 or higher•8 GB Memory or more•250+ GB hard drive•DVDRW•Ethernet card and cable•WPA2 A/G/N intel wireless card (Atheros cards may or may not work on our network)•Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate and Microsoft Office•External Hard Drive or Online backup Account

NOTE: Intel based wireless cards are recommended for use with the university wireless network. Other cards may be untested and not compatible.

Computers in Other Forms• Laptops

– Developed to take the computer’s CPU, monitor, keyboard and mouse along with you in a single unit.

• Tablet PCs– very similar to laptops in their composition and

computing power but offer a new interface for interacting with software

• Mobile devices– Represents an explosion of devices that bring

computer power and applications in a small package.

Library Uses for Computers• Collection Organization Control – Libraries hold the maintenance, organization and

growth of their mission so it have adopted even earlier the use of computers for cataloging, acquisitions, and circulation operations.

• Interlibrary Loan– It can be much easier to locate libraries who

owned a desired book, video or periodical article, also, the management of borrowed and loaned items is much more convenient than with paper files

• Electronic Reference Resources– Libraries are providing periodical and

reference databases to their communities both from within the library and from individual user’ computers at home or work.

• Internet Access Tool– Libraries need to provide access in ways that fit

their missions, and for many libraries this means having access to the Internet from a number of public computers as well as from most or all staff computers.

• Management/Office Tool– Libraries need to have software that is

commonly found in business and home settings like word processing applications, spreadsheet software and database software

• Instructional Tool– Libraries that have a need for creating

instructional materials and presentations will make use of a variety of instructional software.

• Miscellaneous Library Tasks– Staff members responsible for creating

documents for a library’s Web site will need Web design software on their computers, catalogers may have software packages installed to access, edit, and download bibliographic records for use in an online catalog, and larger libraries may use online calendar software to create schedules for desk coverage or staff meetings.

Work Cited:Burke, J.J. (2009). Neal-Schuman

library technology companion. 3rd ed. NY: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.