Benefits of Online Library - Essay Example

BENEFITS OF ONLINE LIBRARY VERSUS ON GROUND LIBRARY The online library has many benefits that give it dominance over an on ground library. Some of them are discussed below: Time- An online library allows the user to reach his collection at anytime quickly, without ever waiting for his turn to come. No time is wasted in collecting and returning books just like the case in an on ground library. Distance- The best way to overcome the hurdle of distance is to use an online library. One is always near the library without needing to reach the place physically, preventing any hassles one can ever come across.

On the other hand, in using an on ground library, the main obstacle users face is the distance. Availability- An online library is simply magic. Nothing is ever misshelved, defaced, "on loan," lost or "mislaid." Whatever the collection, it is always and wholly available. One can get what he wants anytime every time. Accessibility- The search option in the online library allows the user to access a vast range of collection on the subject he is most interested in. One does not need to search through tiers of extraneous data because, vast as it is, everything he might want on any subject is right in front of him, on the computer's screen.

Variety- E-library offers a variety of resources on the subject input by the user. The collection ranges from books to magazines, journal articles, newspapers, book reviews, reports more easily and conveniently. The bits of potentially interesting data collected in this wealth of writing are vast, explosive, encyclopedic, and seemingly endless. MANIPULATION OF STATISTICS TO CONFIRM CERTAIN VIEWPOINT Statistics are often manipulated to convince people of a certain point of view, or to falsely frighten the public.

Statistics might be manipulated by presenting misleading representations, exploiting the tendency to assume that a correlation demonstrates causation, representing irrelevant facts based on what people belief not on what is true, providing anecdotes often emotional in nature and appealing emotion rather than logic. Statistics can mislead if it is not peer-reviewed. It is like a quality control. Without peer review, a report full of erroneous and misleading statistics can be passed off to the public as a scientific report.

An example can be the anti-smoking movement these days that try to convince people through the statistics. Although smoking is hazardous to health but proving it by the means of statistics is not always correct. For instance, Japan has the world's highest smoking population having 67% or so of the population being smokers. It is also the world's healthiest nation. China has the second highest smoking rate and it is the second highest healthiest too. Some countries still consider statistics as confidential information that should not be disclosed because their enemies could use it to undermine the security and order in the country.

We think that this is legitimate but this should not be used as an excuse to hide the statistics that have nothing to do with national security and we think that this matter should be discussed more thoroughly. Some countries collect statistics data then manipulate the data to show erroneous facts to serve its political goals. References Koch, Tom (1996), "The Message Is the Medium: Online All the Time for Everyone", Praeger Publishers: Westport, CT. Emad Omar (1998), "Human Rights and Statistics", Gammarth (Tunisia)