Telecommunications alternatives in accessing image intensive digital libraries

Digital libraries are becoming vital in basic research and general surfing of the Internet and the Web. Unlike text‐based digital libraries, image intensive digital libraries have inherent problems of slow downloading and uploading. These bottlenecks are caused by low bandwidth at the “last mile”, the distance between the telecommunications carriers’ distribution center – or central office and the user premises. Telecommunications technologies which are commonly used to alleviate this problem are: high end analog modems, T… series, frame relay, ISDN, cable modems, digital subscriber line and satellites. The article summarizes the latest developments of these technologies and how they can be used by various types of information professionals and end‐users in accessing digital libraries.