Total Information Network Essay Example for Free

Total Information Network Essay Total information is a paradox; no one library or resource can serve the need for scholarly pursuits though a network of such is gradually moving toward satisfying particular informational needs. The recent times are a witness to increased cataloging and documentation- which in time will be part of historical documents and databases. There is a particular inclination toward the use of the internet for informational necessities that, though not an all-inclusive resort, accords one the flexibility the modern world demands. Students and academicians benefit from the online resources at their disposal. Online libraries such as questia.com and bibliomania.com are gaining popularity from a scholarly clientele because of the flexibility it can accord one from using those online resources. Questia.com boasts of over a million journals and tens of thousands of books in fields from architecture to law, economics to psychology etc. Tools such as the encyclopedia and thesaurus, along with newspapers and magazines in their reading room, are extra amenities. Bibliomania.com has a voluminous collection of fiction, drama, poetry, and short stories, and non-fiction, biographies and religious texts in its domain. In addition, study tools such as study guides and references are part of the package.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On a more complex note, the online library libraryspot.com is connected to an even wider array of libraries- online, academic, government, public, state, law and medical libraries for one’s research needs. The online government libraries give one access to the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Internet Law Library, the White House Press Room, National Library of Education, National Library of Medicine, National Agricultural Library and the Air Force Library. As an example, the National Archives (archives.gov) allows for an exploration of federal research documents (legislative, executive and judicial), research and order, America’s Historical Documents and presidential files. The Library of Congress (loc.gov for the online counterpart), being Congress’ research arm and â€Å"the oldest federal cultural institution† is the largest library in the world and has for its collection millions of books, manuscripts, maps, photographs and recordings. The online academic libraries give one access to select university libraries per state (e.g. Indiana University in Indiana and Columbia University in New York) that have their own collection of books, journals, dissertations and other documents along with regular library materials. The public libraries portal is connected to PublicLibraries.com, Libweb, UK Public Libraries and the Public Libraries of Europe- all of which are online. The state libraries section channels you to state-specific libraries with public records on population censuses, marriage indexes, family and local histories, military and pension information, and cemetery location files. The National Library of Medicine online and Medical Libraries online, and the Law Library Catalogs online, the Law Library of Congress online and the American Association of Law Libraries online, are cached under the medical and law libraries, respectively. Access to these online libraries is usually free, although some require a login ID and password.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For a model, the Walden Library is an excellent resource. It has a wide array of articles, books, dissertations, government resources and textbooks which one could get from Walden databases, local libraries, commercial sources and by document delivery. Walden University’s Document Delivery Service is a unique feature that allows researchers to borrow books and obtain materials’ photocopies owned by the IU-Bloomington Libraries. Registration is a requirement, and an email with a username/password will be forwarded to the subscriber. Materials requests can then be submitted (e.g. books, photocopies) after checking on an IU-Bloomington ownership from the online catalog. The service is free but typical delivery time is 7-10 days or longer and there is an assumption of responsibility for the book’s return amidst any circumstance. The Walden Library even has a portal connected to other local libraries, online bookstores and commercial sources, should the requested material prove to be inaccessible. A portal linking one to the librarian, should one have particular queries, is also an amenity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Building a total information network need not be an impossibility!