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The Internet is not a single network; it incorporates the ARPANET, NSFNET, and many regional networks, which operate using the same family of communications protocols. Although it comprises networks administered by a variety of organizations, to the user it appears as an integrated whole. Just as anyone with a telephone can dial a friend anywhere in the country regardless of which local or long--distance telephone companies own the lines along which the signals travel, a computer connected to the Internet can communicate with any other computer on the Internet. The number of universities with access to this network has been growing fast since the National Science Foundation introduced NSFNET to provide researchers with high--speed access to supercomputer centers. In early 1989 it reaches around 300 academic institutions, and at many of these any computer or terminal attached to the campus network has access to the network. The Internet supports a wide variety of network services: the most commonly used are electronic mail, transfer of files between computers, and the ability to link to a remote computer as if one were at a terminal connected directly. However, the network is designed to support much more sophisticated functions that will be necessary for achieving the vision of transparent access to remote resources. A single logical database may be distributed over several machines, and software running on a user's workstation can refer to files stored on a computer across the country just as if they were stored on the workstation. These advanced network applications are only just emerging from the experimental stage; currently most network use is conscious. A researcher sends a message to a colleague using her network address, or logs on to a remote computer.
Several institutions have made their online information systems or databases accessible to remote users who log in over the Internet. For instance, the CARL system in Colorado, the Dante database at Dartmouth, and RPI's information system can all be reached over the Internet. To protect copyright, the tradition of free, open access to all information held by libraries sometimes has to be compromised to comply with restrictions incorporated into licenses by the owners of databases. For instance, the MELVYL online catalog is accessible over the Internet but access to MEDLINE is restricted to users on the University of California campuses. Other institutions require passwords or have restricted remote access over the Internet entirely, even when it is technically simple. This conflict will have to be resolved before the vision of a global information environment can be achieved, but such resolution will not come without considerable experience of pragmatic approaches.
In some disciplines, mainly technical fields such as computer science or engineering, access to the Internet is vital to keeping up with developments. Electronic mail is much more heavily used for communicating with colleagues around the world than paper, and the mail system supports an enormous number of mailing lists which function as bulletin boards on various topics. A wide variety of information, including working papers, reports, software, and documentation is accessible over the Internet through an informal distribution scheme based on a file transfer facility known as "anonymous FTP". FTP (File Transfer Protocol) allows a user to transfer files from one computer to another. Normally the user needs to sign on to an authorized computer account on both computers. However, anyone who has files or documents that they wish to make publicly accessible can store them so that they can be accessed by others who sign on as "anonymous". Once signed on, the remote user can look at a list of available files and request that some be transferred to his own computer. This facility provides a primitive form of networked information server.
The potential of networks for accumulating and distributing information in specialized areas is demonstrated by an example at the University of Delaware. With support from the Delaware Institute for Medical Education and Research, Dr Borgaonkar of the Medical Center of Delaware maintains two databases that support both research and practice in cytogenetics, the study of heredity through genetic means and the analysis of cells. The first, "Chromosomal Variation in Man -- A Catalog of Chromosomal Variants and Anomalies", is a bibliographic database which contains citations to relevant material scattered in the literature. The second, "International Registry of Abnormal Karyotypes -- Repository of Human Chromosomal Variants and Anomalies", holds unpublished data on about 350,000 chromosomal analyses, including 65,000 abnormalities. The information is submitted in personal communications, often over BITNET, by over 300 practitioners and researchers around the world. The databases are published in printed form, but there is a four--year interval between editions of the catalog and two years between editions of the registry. The field is developing rapidly, and online access is essential for locating recent data. Currently, most remote users send requests by electronic mail. The search is performed locally by Dr. Borgoankar or his staff, and the results returned by electronic mail. The university's support group for academic computing expects more demand for direct online access in the future, and the computer on which the database is stored is already accessible from the Internet, BITNET, and commercial packet--switched networks. (Copyright, Digital Press, 1989)
Campus Strategies for Libraries and Electronic Information (1989) and Campus Networking Strategies (1988) are both published by Digital Press. Call 1-800-343-8321, the Educational Services Order Fulfillment Division. CSLEI is $34.95 (Part # EY-C185E-DP-SS). CNS was $30 (Part # EY-6736E-DP).
Both books are also available at reduced prices through EDUCOM (609) 520-3340. I believe CNS is $20, and CSLEI is $25. You can place an order over BITNET by sending mail to PUBS@EDUCOM.
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