Newer Doesn't Always Mean Better

I found this article written by a systems librarian, who says it's not a good idea to buy the latest and greatest computer for library use (later in the article, he makes the same assertion about software and wireless options). Sure, the obvious reason is that some libraries simply won't have the money. But he lists some pretty good reasons to buy technology that is one step down from the most recent:

- Protection from new technology that, after a great deal of hype, never makes it past the first generation of products, or simply does not hold up well. He lists the OS/2 and OSI networks as examples.

- Libraries usually don't run applications that require extremely high-end performance. As long as the computer can run useful software at a decent speed, that will be enough for most libraries.

- Buying just a step down will, in most cases, provide good performance for considerably less money.

Although, he also warns that it's not worth it to buy low-end stuff, even if it is cheap, if only for its inability to run new software efficiently and possibly, waning support.

And, of course, he adds that anyone looking into purchasing technology should still assess their needs and look into all their options.

As someone who is interested in public libraries, I found this article very interesting, as well as practical. As someone who doesn't follow technology news, it never occurred to me that a hot new product could fail and never make it past the first generation. It's something to think about.

Although, the information in this article might not be as helpful to someone who is interested in specialized libraries that might require advanced technology.

Introduction

Hello,

This blog is for my library science 6080 class. We are supposed to discuss topics that have to do with both libraries and technology. Since I'm pretty disgruntled after the past week of trying to install software that just won't install, for my blog topic I'm going to focus on bad library technology and what not to do. So basically I'm thinking about finding examples of technology that was used in libraries and turned out horribly, (or maybe technology that was just an inconvenience). Or maybe trying to find tips to avoid inconvenience. Something like that. More to follow.