Various information systems have been developed mainly based on conventional documents in many years of pursuit of the needs of a diverse society. All these information system usefulness and functions have been tested for a long time. The Internet and the global network have pushed these information systems into fierce competition. Nowadays, the trend of using internet as a convenient information system has increased tremendously among the educated society and the younger generation. At the same time, it is also true that, in most cases, internet users provide a large number of unnecessary, unreliable, and irrelevant documents, from which it becomes very difficult to find the required documents.
Comparing traditional library and information systems and Internet information systems, we see the following differences:
| Information systems on the Internet | Conventional library and information systems |
| Unregulated | 1. Controlled |
| Arbitrary | 2. Selective |
| Undirected | 3. Special purpose driven |
| Based on use and access only | 4. Proprietary |
| Demand for information retrieval is high, so their accuracy is low | 5. Demand for information retrieval is low, so their efficiency is high. |
A library and information system generally addresses the following functions:
1. Data collection, production and publication;
2. Information organization;
3. Data storage;
4. Data extraction;
5. Information service;
6. Data control.
Just as producing or publishing information in a print environment is time-consuming and expensive; it is just as easy, fast and almost cost-free on the Internet. Again, if any information is to be published on the Internet, no one can confine it within any geographical limits. So anyone can publish information on the internet very easily, so the acceptance is also increasing for everyone.
Like any physical library or information management organization on the Internet, instruction is not dependent on a specific location or one or a few computers. With the help of various information networks stored on millions of computers worldwide, billions of pieces of data are accessible to everyone through a single interface.
Thus, unlimited information and documents are practically not available in any library. On the Internet, large volumes of data can be accessed and transferred from computer to computer using the Z 39.50 protocol or some other standard. This huge database can be searched almost in the blink of an eye, which is not possible with conventional library management.
Libraries sensibly organize a limited number of information or documents using various devices in their management, such as classification schemes, catalog codes, thesauruses, subject headings, etc. But the Internet contains an infinite number of information or documents without any specific policy. No such policy are used here. There is extensive research on how to properly organize the large amount of static pages on the Internet following a universal policy. Libraries hold a limited number of documents and information in classified form. Some tried and tested techniques, such as classification, indexing, and indexing tools, have been used for a long time to extract these documents or data. These tools have been replaced by search engines, database engineering, metadata, markup languages, etc. in the case of the Internet.
Like a library, the Internet can be thought of as an imaginary library. All the services that a library uses to serve information can also be used in so-called “cyberspace” at a much faster rate.
Information control is an important responsibility in the age of information explosion. Control in conventional data centers is a lot of simplification, lack of numbers and manual control.
Since there is no such catalyst in the case of the Internet, how to control information on the Internet is a matter of research.
Today, the spread and acceptance of the Internet can no longer be denied by libraries like everyone else. Libraries are now using the Internet very intelligently in three ways.
1. As a source of information;
2. As through digital data storage;
3. As by providing various services;
Now, using the Internet, libraries are reaching customers’ homes, offices or wherever they want, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of geographical distance. Libraries are now truly global through the Internet. From acquisition to collection of resources, bibliographic services to OPAC services, reference services, online full text, databases to e-books, recent information-aware services to selected information, building consortia between libraries, exchange of resources, etc., proper use of Internet in almost all areas has united library services. Special status has reached a special level.
Briefly from the above discussion, the reasons for using the Internet by libraries are discussed below:
1. Enhancing local collections of libraries using the Internet as an information source;
2. Providing access to local and marginal information sources;
3. To increase the productivity of the intermediation activities in the library;
4. Deliver information to the customer’s desktop;
5. Providing efficient information services;
6. To deliver the content of the information to the customer in the form of full text, animation or multimedia;
7. To facilitate the exchange and joint use of resources among libraries;
8. To encourage professional development.
Internet-based collection development involves the process of locating, selecting, reviewing, and organizing information from the Internet to make it available to users. Due to the vast amount of information available online, people use different methods to collect it. For example, information can be accessed by using FTP, telnet, web browsers like Internet Explorer or Mozilla/Firefox, or by directly extracting information from online catalogs like the Library of Congress (LC) web catalog (WorldCat). Another method is push technology, which involves obtaining information through specific application software. In a 1996 speech at the Charleston Conference, C.R. McClure provided advice on this topic.
1. Since the Internet cannot control information sources such as libraries, such information sources should be avoided;
2 Links to certain credible information sources from the libraries own website may be used but no private website may be accepted as an information source;
3. Linking Internet resources to the library’s OPAC and providing them to its customers increases the credibility of the information and provides some controlled information to the customers;
4. If a publication has its own website, the library may use it as a disposable Internet information source.
There are several factors to consider when adding Internet access to library collections. Such as the variable search facility of the source, the facility of better timing, timeliness and recent information, 24-hour accessibility, etc. The durability of Internet resources, their experience terms, location of old documents, etc. should be carefully assessed.
