Page 20 - DLIS105_REFERENCE_SOURCES_AND_SERVICES

Unit 1: Reference and Information Sources

concepts. Cybermedia does not require an encompassing space as cyberspace does. Moreover while Notes
using cybermedia, a person sees physical objects like computer in the real world. The media comprises
interconnected databases on a worldwide scale and functions on receipt of input [Internet 1].
Internet–It is a worldwide network of computer networks connecting millions of computers
harbouring every type of information retrievable usually from multiple angles practically in no
time and from any part of the world.

The initial work for the launching of Internet was started by Advanced Research
Projects Agency (ARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defence (ARPA/DARPA)
in early 1960s. JCR Licklider of MIT, the first head/of the computer research
programme at DARPA envisioned a globally interconnected set of networks
through which anybody could access data or program from any site in the
world.

In 1969, four host computers were connected together to form a network. In 1972, e-mail was
introduced over the network. The network has grown from four computers in 1969 to 100 in 1977,
28,000 plus in 1987 and 20,000,000 in 1997 [Meadow, 2000].
To enter the wonderful world of Internet, what you need is a computer of adequate capacity that
will be equipped with a sound card, Internet connection that you may get from an Internet Service
Provider (ISP) like Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (VSNL), a password, which the ISP will supply, and
software like Netscape Navigator. In the system, there may be provisions for sending and receiving
e-mails and voice mails and fitting a camera with which your photograph may be transmitted to the
receiver when you speak and vice versa. Now you also can enter Internet as well as World Wide
Web (or simply Web, in short). Using a search engine like Google, you can search any item that
comes to your mind. The search engine is not something like a car engine. It is simply a powerful
computer program that searches given keywords existing in the cyberspace and returns a list of
websites wherein the given keywords exist. You can access the matter recorded in any of the websites
by just clicking on it.
Internet can be compared with a huge library harbouring books, journals, newspapers, reports,
patents, theses, video cassettes, and so on. However, this library we are calling Internet is imaginary.
Four walls do not bound it, neither there are racks and shelves. For locating information on
something, there is no dictionary or classified catalogue. But you have powerful search engines
with which you can search the item(s) you need.
Internet is the most important reference source that man could ever evolve. In Internet you will find
dictionaries, encyclopaedias, directories, yearbooks, bibliographies, primary periodicals, secondary
periodicals, life sketches of persons, description of places, and so on. While searching Internet, you
will have to remember that:
(i) all documents in Internet are in digitised form, not all of them can be browsed free of
charge, neither all can be downloaded;
(ii) each and every document the world has produced is not available in Internet, what is
available is only a small percentage;
(iii) there will be some documents in Internet which will not be available in your library and
vice versa;
(iv) documents in Internet in many cases are more up-to-date that their counterparts available
in your library;
(v) usually, documents in Internet are updated more frequently than printed documents;
(vi) Internet supplements your library collection and not replaces it;

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