Keeping Moorestown Library Plugged In

When you walk into the to use one of the library computers, Wi-Fi, or the catalog, have you ever wondered how the many computers, printers and network connections are hooked up?

The library Internet connection into the building is very much like the one you may have at home from Comcast. But that's where the similarity ends. The library has a computer room on the ground floor that houses a rack containing a network of ports, which all the library computers are plugged into. These ports and switches control and manage traffic flow from the outside world to the library and from the library to the outside world.

Before anything enters or leaves the library on the network, it must pass through a “firewall.” The firewall protects the library computer network from unauthorized access from the outside and from the inside. The firewall also hosts the library Wi-Fi network. Wi-Fi is separate from the main library network, so that owners of notebook computers and other Internet-ready devices can bring them in and use the library’s high-speed Internet connection too.

The Moorestown Library computer room also contains servers that house the library circulation database system and servers that host the library email and website software.

The library currently has 10 computers in the adult area and four in the children’s area that require you to log in by using your library card. In addition, the library offers two computers for short-term Internet access that do not require a library card. All these computers offer the full suite of Microsoft Office software for public use. In addition, every public access computer is connected to a high-speed color laser printer.

Keeping all this equipment operating and trouble-free is the job of an IT specialist. Making sure machines don’t have out-of-order signs on them and software is kept up-to-date is a very important function of the network. Unlike your home, where only a few people use the computer, the library may have several hundred people per week using the computers. It is our job to make sure they are operating the way they are supposed to.

Remember this the next time you come into the library. There is always a lot going on “behind the scenes” that you never see.