CD‐ROM and Libraries
| Published date | 01 February 1985 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb047592 |
| Pages | 21-26 |
| Date | 01 February 1985 |
| Author | Brower Murphy |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
CD-ROM and Libraries
Brower Murphy
The "five-inch" compact laserdisc
is described. The Compact Disc-Read
Only Memory data format is
explained and illustrated, as are
current and potential applications.
A sidebar presents photographs of
an IBM PC/Hitachi CD-ROM system
adopted by Library Corporation to
support its MARC database—BiblioFile.
Several
screen
displays for BiblioFile
are included.
Background
A very promising and cost-effective laser data
storage medium is the compact disc (CD). The CD
measures less than five inches (120mm) in diameter
and less than one-tenth of an inch thick. CD has a
huge digital data storage capacity.
The initial application of CD has been music. The
fidelity of digitally encoded sound far exceeds the
traditional analog LP. The bit stream on the CD is
read optically by laser beam and processed digitally
to regenerate extremely high quality stereo sound.
The audio compact disc was introduced to the public
in October 1982. Hundreds of thousands of CD
players are now being sold in the U.S., with retail
discount prices around $200. Dramatic cost reduc-
tions from the introductory $1,000 price tag have
been realized because of wide consumer acceptance
and mass production.
CDs do not scratch or wear out. Since signal
information on the disc is protected by a 1.2 mm
thick transparent layer, dust and surface damage lie
outside the focal plane of the laser beam and have
relatively little effect on read accuracy. Optical
scanning, as compared to mechanical tracking, means
that very high density information can be accessed.
The compact digital disc was first proposed by
Philips and Sony in 1980 and is currently licensed
to over 65 companies in the world. It is an established
world standard, now specified by the International
Electrotechnical Commission.
Because of the digital storage techniques being
used, the compact disc system can be applied to
the retrieval of all kinds of digitally encoded data.
The CD system used for storage and reproduction of
Murphy has been President of Library Corpora-
tion for ten years.
ISSUE 10 21
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