"Computers and video technology can make facsimiles of original works such as paintings and historical documents available to

Issue-2

"Computers and video technology can make facsimiles of original works such as paintings and historical documents available to everyone. The great advantage of this new technology is that it will enable anyone—not just scholars—to conduct in-depth research without having access to the original works."

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The above stated topic seems to be true in the first glance. There are many merits and demerits for the computer and video technology used in doing research. These resources used in the efficient manner would provide a better outcome. However this may not support anyone- non scholars to conduct research as they require great camaraderie of fellow researchers and dedication.

On one hand we have the greatest computer technology, "the internet". This is possible of delivering any data around the world in seconds. Many books are made into e-books and can be easily searched for and could be used. Many great libraries like the British council libraries care connected to the servers so that people are able to browse through the expensive books and materials. They provide the exact copy of the material as authored. This gives immense pleasure for researchers who are not able to get them to their hands. Internet also bridges the major factor, "distance". For example a person sitting in his rustic surroundings when connected to the internet is able to view the most advanced machinery in this world. This gives one a great deal of freedom to research. These technologies have provided advanced "search engines" which connects the user to his closest possible answer.

Video technology also plays a cardinal part in conjunction with the internet; it can make telecast a live surgery to a group of students sitting in a corner of this world. Most of the historical documents are being preserved so they are not easily available for everyone to make use. This type of technology not only provides a facsimiles but also digital versions of the document. These digital version are easy to preserve and easy to refer.

On the other hand, these technologies also lack in some areas. The internet is a vast pool. Though it contains a huge authenticated data, there also documents that are not verified. The readers are not able to judge between them as all the work seems to be the same. There also lies another disadvantage, "paraglyism". Copying someone’s work and claiming it to be theirs. This makes many article publishers think twice before submitting to the internet. Last week a Cambridge student who was the youngest author to be published was sued for copying a work done by some other author. This could have been done only by using this thechnologies.The computer and the video technology needs some kind of basic understanding of the operating methods of the system. Thus this cant reach a plebian, but only a man who is at least little educated.

The greatest concern about the facsimile of the historical and rare documents is that many times they violate the copyright acts. This must be considered very serious as this is a sensitive issue. Taking this issue into account, many revealing research materials have to handle with care. As the authors are afraid that there would be violations of their research work, sometimes they don’t want to publish them. This proves that students researching with that particular researcher are only able to get those materials. So this emphasizes that not all can do research with these technology in hand.

The computer and video technology provides ample opportunities for many not just scholars to research under the sun. But what a research work needs is true hands-on research and not a survey from the facsimiles, though they serve as references. The computer and video technology may rise the platform of a publican to a well read man but not a erudite to a great researcher as the later requires great adept knowledge, experimental verifications and camaraderie with fellow researchers which these facsimiles can’t provide.