Narrative Reflection

Introduction to Computer Networks
We had a research about the library networks of different countries. I can see that library networks are not that prevalent here in the Philippines. Only few are here and we are not that fully aware. Comparing the library networks of the Philippine to other countries, they are more developed and they are still working for its improvement. This leads us to the question on why, what happened to the library network here in the Philippines? We may say that the country cannot establish library networks because of our economy status and we belong to the third world countries. But if we are to look in the other third world countries like the India they have a lot of library networks like the INDONET data Network, BONET (Bombay Library Networks), SIRNET (Scientific and Industrial Research Network), etc. since 1980s. Do they have a better program for their library network than the Philippines? Do they have a better information technology infrastructure? Or are they well-supported by their government?

When we talked about social networking, the Philippines is well-known for it. According to the Wikipedia, social networking is one of the most active web-based activities in the Philippines, with Filipinos being declared as the most active users on a number of web-based social network sites such as Friendster, Facebook and Multiply. The use of social networking website has become extensive in the Philippines that the country has been tagged as "The Social Networking Capital of the World," and has also become part of Filipino cyberculture. Social networking is also used in the Philippines as a form of election campaign material, as well as tools to aid criminal investigation. But in terms of the library networks, the Philippines is still far behind in the number of library networks achieved by India. Some factors maybe hindering the development of the library networks such information technology were inadequate. Some libraries do not have yet the technology to be use. Due to the high cost of the technologies like the computer, some cannot afford to have it. How much more to the additional payment on internet connection, other hardware and software to be used in networking? We all know this kind of things is needed for networking and these are too expensive. Even if we have the open source software if internet connection is not there for the information access, it is useless. Thus, the issue on digital divide is very common in the society. Another factor maybe is the administration’s support. Administration has a great impact on the improvement of the library. Thus in making a decision, we always look for the administration’s approval. The library cannot move into networking if it lacks the support of the administration because it holds the funds of the library. We all know that financial support is needed in the processing of this kind of program. One more thing is the readiness of the librarians to embrace automation. Librarians need to go on training for library networking.
Examples of library network in the Philippines are the DOST-ESEP Library Network that was established in 1994 and it is a network of eight academic libraries in the Philippines, the Mendiola consortium in Manila, the Filipinas Heritage and recently the CARE that is composed of some Universities here in Baguio and Benguet. There maybe other computer networks in the southern part of the Philippines that we do not know. Still, networking is not that fully established among libraries. The networking among libraries maybe fully established if all the libraries will support the computer network program. The problem is some libraries do not share some of their library resources and some institution’s administration does not give their support. Some library thinks that it is unfair if they will share their resources and they will get little information to other libraries. These maybe because of the lack of awareness of the librarians on what is the library network is. Some librarians may not understand the objectives or goals and advantages it will bring to each library because we always see the disadvantages.
Further, in order for the library networks in the Philippines will work, support of all libraries must be there. If the libraries will be as one, then we could look up to the government and asked for their support. One voice of all the libraries can awake the government to improve the information technology infrastructure. Thus, the libraries can be of better service not to its own community but to the whole country. All the people could now freely access information as part of their right to information.

Proprietary versus Open Source Software
As what I have observed, proprietary software is the most common used as software in Baguio and Benguet. Maybe, they have already purchase the software when the open source software is lately introduced.
Proprietary software has its advantages and disadvantages that is the same is true with open source software. Proprietary is arranged and it is just up for the librarians to fill in the needed entry in the software such as the Alexandria and Follett. Training in the used for the said program may take a short period of time, a week or a month, for you to be expert in other features such as cataloguing, circulation, extracting of reports and other. Comparing it to the Open Source Software, you have to under go for so many trainings in order to become an expert. You need to know all the details about the software because no one can teach you. It is for you to study in your own the features it has. The disadvantages of the proprietary software as I have observed in the Alexandria software that we have is that we cannot alter the source code for us to insert another application that could be use for indexing. In to our dismay, the technical support from the Utah, USA cannot relate to the question we are asking about indexing. Unlike the Open Source Software, if you are expert on the said program, you can alter and enhanced its feature and you may include to it the indexing part.
In terms of the databases that can be used for information resources, there are a lot of open source that I do not yet know. I just knew this when we had a seminar about the electronic resources and the information I have learned from this topic. EBSCOhost as one of the proprietary software is really that expensive. Many libraries cannot afford to subscribe and pay for its renewal annually. The same is true with other proprietary software, it is too expensive and you have to pay for its maintenance. In this situation, the issue on information divide comes in. The concept of information divide is the same with the concept of the digital divide. Information divide is on the information access, the gap between those who can afford to have the information and those who cannot.
However, there are also issues about the open source software development. According to Levesque (2004), one issue in an open source projects seem to have a lot of trouble with user interface design. You have to know the URL of the module in advance: there are no links to it, aside from one that's buried several pages deep. Another issue is open source projects tend to have a major problem with providing decent documentation — if they provide any documentation at all. Because they don’t have a contractual responsibility to provide this documentation, it’s usually intended to be a general guide rather than a complete manual that you could hand to a novice. Feature–centric development is another issue. With so much emphasis on features and geek cred, fundamental aspects of a programming project go missing. Sometimes it’s a lack of focus on the user interface (see User interface design), documentation, coding standards, security, project direction, specified target audience (see programming for the self), etc. Another issue is the programming for the self. A very common problem among software developers (and not just ones working on Open Source projects) is the fallacy that intuitiveness is problem–specific rather than audience–specific: what is easy to them will naturally be easy to everyone else. Religious blindness goes with the open source programmers, there's a strong tendency to immediately reject all proprietary software and anything to do with non–open source programs. It has the side effect of preventing the open source community from learning what proprietary software has to teach. Concepts invented in the world of proprietary software are automatically rejected on the assumption that there’s nothing that could possibly be learned from those who are competing with their movement.
Therefore, as one of the librarian, we should always explore and search for more about the proprietary and open source software that we could recommend for our clients to search from. This may led us to stop or to subscribe more commercial software. In that way, we can use the library budget properly on an information sources to be used by the library. What matter most for the library is too give the right information to its patron. Exploring and searching for open source and proprietary software by the librarians will help make the gap on information divide narrower. The library will then be a medium for those who cannot afford to buy their personal source of information.


Computer Networks versus Distributed Systems
Technology really works amazingly. Thus, enabling us to have the computer networks that really help us, librarians, in bringing services to the society.
Through computer networks, resource sharing among the libraries can be achieved. We all know that there are lots of benefits that the resource sharing can give to the library. Such as reduction in the cost of library services, in the long run, preparation of cataloging data/ catalog cards provision of bibliographies, optimization utilization of library collection and the provision of more materials at low cost and in less time. This is supported by the TCIP/IP Guide that says at a high level, networks are advantageous because they allow computers and people to be connected together, so they can share resources. Some of the specific benefits of networking include communication, data sharing, Internet access, data security and management, application performance enhancement, and entertainment. Resource sharing is really that easy with the help of the computer networks. Through social networking, librarians can give information needed by other libraries. The same is true with the library users. Library users can get information to their librarians through electronic medium such as e-mail, chat, and others.
Networking can also help librarians in their paper works. Instead of going to one computer to another to copy a file and save it to the storage devices like the CDs or USBs, if the file is save in a server and you are connected to it, you can access the file directly in your computer. Even in printing, you can print your documents through the centralized printer not necessarily going to the computer where the printer is connected.
However, networking has a few drawbacks that balance against its many positive aspects. Setting up a network has costs in hardware, software, maintenance and administration. It is also necessary to manage a network to keep it running smoothly, and to address possible misuse or abuse. Data security also becomes a much bigger concern when computers are connected together, (TCIP/IP Guide). The issues on information privacy, copyright law and the like are things that the library must consider when it comes to networking.
Therefore, having a network has its pros and cons. The library must see to it that the use of the networks must not be for the downgrading of its services but for its enhancement. The library must have its own policy in the networking that is properly studied as to respect the right of their clients.

Finding Digital Resource on the Internet/ Electronic Sources and Services

With the information we have in the internet, searching is somewhat really that complicated.
According to Whitmer, undergraduates who are seeking information to complete academic assignments are increasingly turning to the Web for information because of convenience and accessibility. The information seeking behavior of most students nowadays is going to the internet. Whether, we like it or not, library is their last option for their information search. Many students in schools have internet access from home, and use search engines to find resources for their work in preference to looking up a book for various reasons. (Anderson 1998) These reasons include the novelty of the internet, the convenience of doing it from home at any time that is possible, the infinite scope of information available to choose from, the currency of the internet information and there is the perceived notion that it is quicker to look up the internet using a search engine than it is to visit a library and sort through the traditional mediums. The latter reason has in fact been proven incorrect, that the internet can take longer to find the relevant and necessary information,(Anderson 1998) the initial searching may be quicker but the sifting through the sites and irrelevant information takes time. At this point children do not have the information literacy skills to benefit in great degrees from the internet and they need to be steered toward appropriate sites to save both time and frustration, and to ensure they stay on track, (McKenzie, 2002).
With this situation, librarians should always be there to give the reliable search engines to be used by the students. The digital resource should be first examine by the information specialist before recommending it to the library users. How can the library do this? Listing of websites that can be used for information search should be provided. According to Anderson (1998) as cited by McKenzie( 2002) in her article, web sites are like any other resource which is added to the library, they must be selected according to the selection policy criteria to ensure quality and reliability of information to users, with selection based on the same care and attention given to any other resource.

Evaluating Internet Sources

The evaluation of information in the internet is very much needed this time. The effect of the information explosion because everyone can upload information in the internet has to be given an importance. As librarians who are information specialists, we must always long for the goodness of our clients. Therefore, giving them the right websites for their information search should be one of the jobs a librarian should have.
As one article has stated, all information, whether in print or by byte, needs to be evaluated by readers for authority, appropriateness, and other personal criteria for value. If you find information that is "too good to be true", it probably is. Never use information that you cannot verify. Establishing and learning criteria to filter information you find on the Internet is a good beginning for becoming a critical consumer of information in all forms. Question it information you read. Look for other sources that can authenticate or corroborate what you find. Learn to be skeptical and then learn to trust your instincts.
Librarians should explore more, to go in depth searching around networks of internet. Our library patrons may know what to search but librarians’ guidance is needed. They trust their librarians who will give them the right source of their information search.

Networked Readiness Indexed
The Networked Readiness Index has shown us the situation of the Philippines in terms of the Information and Communication Technology infrastructure. Other countries in Asia like Singapore are already excelling in the top. These give me a clear picture on how the Philippines is not that really ready on networking. Perhaps, the economical situation and the topographical situation of the country is the one holding back the Philippines. Having the networking is expensive and we have to purchase additional technologies that are needed. The government’s attention is still focused in the three basic needs of man- food, shelter and clothing. The physical hunger of the people is where they put their attention. More on housing, health, education and others are the programs by the government. The environment infrastructure of the ICT is given a lesser attention because it is not really the basic needs of man. The topographical situation, Philippines is composed of so many islands, is another factor. Putting up a networked in a far place where electricity is not present is too much costly.


Network Security
The network security or the information security of our clients is one librarians or the information specialist is having a difficult to deal with. Especially in the information access of the clients. Information professionals will be dealing with the issues in information ethics against the information seekers. This includes the Intellectual Property Rights, privacy, right to information and their role as information professionals in supporting resistance to censorship.
Professionals in library and information science are being faced with a comparable task. The internet with its search engines can often find thousands, even hundreds of thousands of words for which one has searched. But while these are important data, they are too many. One needs to select, evaluate, organize, and coherently relate all these items in order to provide useful productive information. To do this well, libraries must choose to include and to exclude various items. And this raises the issue of restricting access to data, which often provokes charges of censorship and concerns of bias, censorship, or being judgmental. The issues on when will the information professionals restrict the library users in their access of data and when will the information specialist say that the information is bad or good. When will the information specialist do censorship without violating the library users’ right to information?
The central reason for limiting access is the worry that young people who are perfectly capable of understanding and implementing this material may lack the sense to realize what harm could result from experiments with such items. The issue about this will go back to the role of library in the society. The role as information providers, especially in the information age, not just databases. Other libraries frequently claim that one of the reasons that they do not limit access to, or interfere with the use of, materials by their patrons is because the library respects the privacy and their right to information .
Therefore, the actions of the informational professionals about the ethical issues should be governed by the code of ethics of the profession and policies of the library. The policies should then be flexible in order to incorporate and revised it to cover the moral and ethics aspect of the profession.

Library Web Services
“Cataloguing is becoming irrelevant as a result of widespread use of library networks”

It is very true that cataloguing is becoming irrelevant as a result of widespread use of library networks. This cataloguing may refer to us as the manual cataloging. Because of the library networks, preparation of the cataloguing data/catalogue cards for publication is available. We can copy catalog the book from other library and use it for our own library collection catalog. However, cataloguing is still needed to build up our own collection. The rare materials and publications owned by our institution are, I know, not yet online for us to copy. So, it is up still to the librarian to catalog it.
Furthermore, each library has its own practice in cataloging. The way one library catalog his own collection may differ from one library. The factors are the language or culture and the kind of clients the library is catering. Isn’t it that in subject cataloguing we have to adjust in what is commonly used as language of the society and that is what we are going to put as subject? The same is true with the kind of client we serving, we have to put subject according to class. We may use the catalog of other library as our bases but we must also check and find out the appropriate subject to be used.
According to Mckenzie (2002), the internet allows schools to increase their resources infinitely with little cost, (Harden 2000 ) however these resources need to be organized into a system which facilitates accessibility so that students can find what they are looking for both in traditional mediums and the new medium of the internet. The librarian needs to let the users know what is in the collection, regardless of the format of the materials (Campbell & Cox). The catalogue with the advent of the OPAC has become an avenue for provision of resources rather than a catalogue of ownership of resources, and as such needs to include such resources as relevant websites and other internet based resources. (Morgan 1995).
Web sites are like any other resource which is added to the library, they must be selected according to the selection policy criteria to ensure quality and reliability of information to users, with selection based on the same care and attention given to any other resource. (Anderson 1998) The websites which have been catalogued by SCIS have been selected for their usefulness in the educational setting, to save time, librarians could accept this criteria, however they should still investigate the site to see its usefulness for their own clientele. By SCIS providing the website address, time is saved in the searching process for the school librarian. Many librarians use the SCIS OPAC to search for new resources, and the provision of websites on the OPAC gives it a new dimension with the websites readily available for use at no further acquisition cost with direct access from the SCIS OPAC for selection and immediate use. In this way the SCIS OPAC becomes more of a dynamic working tool than just a catalogue of available resources that have been catalogued correctly, (McKenzie, 2002).
With the statement above, we can see that cataloguing is still a need for the organization of information. Some libraries abroad are cataloguing some of the relevant information in the internet for their clients. Even if we are in networking, we can’t still find subject terms that is commonly used by our clients.