Week 5 Readings

Wikipedia articles expanded on the basic terms and definitions. It also describes the limitations of the computer network. The computer network gives me better understanding as how China was able to block the information about Tienanmen Square to their citizens. RFID tags article was quite interesting article. The size of technology piece are getting smaller. It also opens up an old issue of protecting patrons' privacy. Such electronic automation would create a reading list in the system... how far we must protect our patrons from invasion of their privacy. The library would face variety of the situations like a hacker could access the network to find out their reading list or Federal agency requesting a reading list. To develop a full automation system would mean less workers for the library, is this something we want in long run? One could observe Walmart, where they have self-checkout scanners... most of time customers get frustrated with their self-checkout scanners.  I'm in favor of RFID tags; only up to a point where the workers are not replaced by the machines.