Computers In Libraries Won’t Replace Books Anytime Soon

Computers In Libraries Won’t Replace Books Anytime Soon

The idea of a paperless society has been the dream of computer enthusiasts for many years. Along with the “cashless society”, the hope that computers would replace the written word has resonated through sections of American society for many years. Although home computer usage has grown incredibly in the last 15 years making this seemingly possible in the near future, government agencies are slow to catch up. Libraries will have shelves of books for many years too come.

With home computer and Internet usage at an all time high it is no surprise that public libraries are struggling to make ends meet. Research that would have in the past required the use of a library can now be done much faster using a home PC and a few hours on Google. Couple this with the fact that library computers are generally out of date and over crowded, home research becomes the obvious choice. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in association with the American Library Association (ALA) recently funded a study that shows the demand for computer and Internet services has stretched existing library resources to capacity. The study also shows that “more than 73% of libraries reported that they are the only source of free public access to computers and the Internet on their communities”. Although there is clearly great demand for these resources, there is little growth ahead. During peak usage hours it is not uncommon in some communities to have an hour wait time for computer access, and only 25% of all libraries report they have the computers to meet demand according to the ALA. Most libraries have not had a substantial increase in computers or technology since 2002.

This lack of technology is doing the most harm to the poor. Americans who have home computers and a fast Internet connection may not realize that large portions of society are cut off from the potential this technology can bring. Many Americans are now at the point where they could not imagine not being able to access the Internet, and the knowledge that would be denied is enormous. As a bastion of knowledge it has fallen to libraries to upgrade their capabilities and help more people access the information they need.

Cost is an issue in upgrading the existing public library technology infrastructure. Tax revenue is still the primary method of funding public libraries, but local government taxes have not been enough for a long time. It has become necessary to increase fines associated with library use and solicit donations in order to make ends meet and provide information services to patrons in need of a computer. Even using older refurbished laptops and desktops that have been donated or purchased has not offered enough saving to allow libraries to catch up to demand.

A new method of cutting costs and reducing computer wait time is wireless networking. By using wireless and Satellite Internet more than 17% of libraries claim they can reduce wait time by becoming a “Wireless Hot Spot” and allowing patrons to access the Internet from their own laptops as well as the library’s. This solution also solves many bandwidth issues libraries are having, but not all. Considering that some libraries still use dial-up Internet access any improvement in this area would be helpful.

Replace Your Desktop With A Laptop

Replace Your Desktop With A Laptop

Gone are the days when a businessperson needed a desktop at work, a desktop at home, and a large, cumbersome laptop for travel. With the steady march of technology come lighter, more portable laptops with higher performance than ever before. Processors are advanced enough on almost any laptop to consider completely doing away with your desktop PC altogether.

For the gamers out there, laptops have always been too slow and too far behind the technological bandwagon to consider replacing your gaming computer with one. Now, however, laptops are being designed with the gamer in mind with faster processors, bigger screens, and high end graphics.

For the student going off to school, a small, lightweight laptop means that you can take your laptop to class with you to take notes as fast as you can type (which is often a lot faster than you can write), and be sure that they will always be legible. Additionally, laptops can have planner features to help you remember when that next assignment is due, and you will never lose your notes or keep them in a disorganized pile. Even if the rest of your life is a little hectic, keeping a laptop as your new PC can help your grades considerably.

If you decide that it is worth the investment to be able to bring your laptop to work and home with you, technology is allowing for easy set-up of your laptop with a docking station that makes time-consuming plugs a thing of the past.

There are so many benefits to consider to using a laptop as your new desktop computer. These include:

1) having your work with you at all times
2) creating far more desk and floor space now that your huge tower and monitor are gone
3) the ability to work from any location with a wireless network set up

With the only negative aspects being: if you feel the need to have the most modern technology available, you will find it difficult to upgrade many laptops, and laptops are more expensive than a desktop because of the size and convenience.

Laptops for the Businessperson:
• Dell Latitude D820
• Acer TravelMate 4650
• HP Compaq nx9420 (2.16GHz, 1GB RAM)
• Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch)

The Dell laptop is an excellent business portable, and is priced around fifteen hundred dollars. It is one of the highest rated laptops for replacement of a PC, and the reviews call it perfect for the modern businessperson.

The Acer TravelMate is a great value for the price. It has a good battery life and nice processing power with all the features a home-office user will need. The Acer costs around twelve hundred dollars, making it the least expensive laptop on this list.

The third laptop, the HP Compaq, offers corporate caliber security according to the reviews, and has a nicely sized seventeen-inch screen for ease of use for those of us who stare at computer screens all day. This model is a lot more expensive, though, running between two thousand and twenty-two hundred dollars.

Last on our list, the Apple PowerBook delivers the features and power that most users require, but at two thousand dollars is more expensive than comparable Windows laptop. Still, it is a good option for replacing your bulky desktop PC.

Laptops for the Gamer:
• Dell XPS M1710
• Toshiba Satellite P105-S921
• Toshiba Qosmio G25-AV513
• HP Pavilion zd8000

Hard core gamers will appreciate the Dell XPS, which will play the newest games at the highest settings. Running at thirty-four hundred dollars, though, this laptop does not come cheap. With all the technology packed into this case, it will at least be a long time before you need an upgrade.

The Toshiba Satellite offers lots of features for an affordable price, but will not play the most intensive games at their highest performance levels. This is still a wonderful machine, and will cost about two thousand dollars.

The Toshiba Qosmio is designed to deliver the most high-quality multimedia experience available in a laptop. The Qosmio combines TV, DVR, stereo, DVD player, and high-performance PC in one big laptop. Replace your entire entertainment system (except maybe the speakers) for anywhere from fourteen hundred to twenty-four hundred. It seems like shopping around for this model might be well in your best interests.

The HP Pavilion’s price is a relief at only twelve hundred dollars, is powerful and can play many of the newer games, if not quite the newest according to reviews.

Accessories to Consider

These laptops are all wonderful replacements for the bulky desktop computer sitting in your home office right now. There are just a few more things you need to make your laptop absolutely perfect for your office or game room.

When you go on the road all you need is your laptop and power cable, but when you bring your computer back home, you might feel more comfortable using an external keyboard, mouse, and monitor. The hook-ups for these can be painful if you have to do it frequently, but a docking port takes away the stress by mirroring all the ports, plugs, and slots on your laptop.

The first accessory that everyone should consider is a docking port. Especially wonderful for business users, these ports hook up to your printer, scanner, keyboard, monitor, mouse, network cables, power source, and any other gadgets you need them to. Instead of connecting a dozen or more wires and cables every time you move your laptop, push the laptop into the docking port and one little connection brings you back online with everything you need.

The rest of the accessories suggested here are just options, so we’ll be brief. An external mouse, keyboard, and monitor might make you more comfortable at your desk, and a joystick or controller of another sort might be essential to the hardcore gamers.

No matter what you are considering your new laptop for, replacing your space-eating desktop PC is a move that you will never regret. Your new laptop will be portable, powerful, and just more fun because of all the things you can do with it. Save yourself some time and effort and consider replacing your PC with a laptop.