The Rutgers University Library s' Council Meeting

Distance Reference
The Rutgers University Library Council members voiced different opinions regarding the Distance Reference project that I presented. Some librarians were very enthused and wanted to start trials immediately. Others, had concerns regarding bandwidth , the reliability of the technology, and logistical questions with the implementation.

Technically, Marratech uses relatively little bandwidth for a product that offers SVGA screen sharing, and full motion image swapping. The latest model of Marratech uses a compression protocol H 323 that allows the unit to work on most bandwidth sizes. For smooth full motion video and the ability to open numerous windows it is recommended that the computers possess a Pentium 4 processor and 500 megs of RAM. With these specifications, the users should experience uninterrupted smooth motion videoconferencing.

The logistical questions raised are best solved by the librarians. They know which library is best suited to host the reference librarian station and which library would have patrons that would benefit by the client workstation. Library administration would also, determine how to introduce this new service to Rutgers community and what training and materials are needed by Rutgers staff to make this project successful.

It is my responsibility to purchase the webcam for this system. Marratech lists manufacturers and model numbers of webcams that are compatible with the Marratech software. Logitech is a webcam manufacturer that has two of their webacam models listed on the Marratech hardware compatibility website. Past webcams have had problems with echoing caused by the microphone picking up audio from the external speakers. Logitech has echo canceling technology built-in. I plan on locating the Distane Reference workstation in an area of a library where talking at a whisper is preferred. The headset microphone is a necessary accessory to keep conversational volume at a minimal level.

The origin of the webcam
The Webcam was invented in 1991 by researchers, Paul Jardetzky and Quentin Stafford-Fraserthat because they wanted to know when a fresh pot of coffee was ready. The pot was located on a different floor than where they worked so one day a Jardetzky and Stafford-Fraser decided to create a surveillance system around the pot of coffee. Paul Jardetzky wrote a server program and and Quentin Stafford-Fraserwrote wrote the user program. They commandeered a frame grabbing computer and made web history.
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/coffee/qsf/coffee.html

The last image of the coffee pot 2001 >>>>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webcam
Webcams typically are comprised of a lens, an image sensor, and a few electronics boards. The normal lens that comes with webcams has a fixed wideangle focal length ideal for a head and shoulders shot of the subject. . There are auxiliary tele and wide angle lens elements that are attached to the end of the normal lens.
Consumer webcams usually offer a resolution in the 640 x 480 Video Graphics Array (VGA )) region, at a rate of around 25 frames per second. High definition cameras are on the market but they require a large band width to operate.
The Distance Reference project does not require HD motion image quality. The images of talking heads can be low resolution and still display the nonverbal information necessary for a rich exchange of information