Home  Depository Administration Public Access Computers Recommended Specifications
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Recommended Specifications For Public Access Computers, 2008 |
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Monday, 17 March 2008 |
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These recommended specifications (RS) are intended to assist depository coordinators who are planning purchases of new personal computers (PCs) for public use in Federal depository libraries. This document supersedes the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) "2004 Recommended Specifications for Public Access Workstations in Federal Depository Libraries" (Administrative Notes, v. 25, no. 8, July 15, 2004).
In accordance with Depository Library Council action at its Spring 2000 meeting, these RS will become requirements October 1, 2009. See "Related Issues and Considerations" for more information.
| Processor |
Intel 3.4 GHz or comparable AMD processor minimum. AMD chips have a lower clock speed than comparable Intel chips. Dual-core chips offer more processing power and are becoming the norm for mainstream and high-end computers.
- FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: 3.8 GHz processor minimum
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Memory
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Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM, 2 GB (expandable) minimum. (DDR SDRAM - Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic RAM)
- FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: 4 GB DDR SDRAM
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| Ports |
- One (1) Serial
- Four (4) Universal Serial Bus (USB), 2.0 standard
- Two (2) Universal Serial Bus (USB) located on computer’s front panel
- One (1) Parallel
- One (1) PS/2 keyboard connector
- One (1) PS/2 mouse connector
- One (1) Headphone
- One (1) Microphone
- Two (2) IEE1394 Firewire port
- One (1) Ethernet port if connecting the computer to a networked printer
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I/O bus
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PCIe and PCI. Should have at least 2 PCIe and 2 PCI.
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Video
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If you have at least 1GB of main memory, an integrated video chip that comes with the motherboard will suffice for basic public access. If your video needs go beyond this, it is best to consider a graphics card with its own memory. Graphic cards: PCI Express slot, Nvidia GeForce, or ATI Radeon (VGA or DVI) or other comparable product.
- FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: 512MB to 1GB PCI Express slot; Nvidia GeForce, ATI Radeon (VGA or DVI)
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Audio
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Sound Blaster Audigy 2 (D) or other comparable product with Dolby Digital 5.1
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| Hard Disk Drive |
Integrated ATA/100 EIDE (specific to support for 2 removable mass storage devices) Integrated Serial ATA 150MB/s controller (specific for hard drive support, up to 2 drives supported. For greater than 2 hard drives, an additional PCI card will be required). Up to 250GB SATA 7200 RPM (or better) hard drives.
- FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: 200 GB or greater capacity, or network connectivity that provides the same.
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Removable/
External Storage |
“Thumb” drives (aka memory sticks, jump drives) are in widespread use and are often the preferred removable storage devise of library users. Libraries should have equipment that provides a USB port in a convenient location for patron use.
Do not assume that new computers have 1.44 MB drives for 3.5" floppy disks. Many manufactures do not provide these drives unless specifically ordered. If you still have floppies in your collection their content must be accessible.
See "Related Issues and Considerations" below for more information.
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| Optical Drives |
EIDE 48x CD-ROM, 16x DVD-ROM and a 48x CD-RW or CD-RW/DVD 48x/16x drives.
- FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: 16x DVD. Single platter or changer design. Should support all available standard CD formats. Avoid proprietary I/O designs.
See "Related Issues and Considerations" below for more information.
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| Monitor |
19" Flat-panel monitor with a .294 mm dot pitch. At least at 75 Hz refresh rate at 1280x1024 Pixels resolution and a 20 ms response time. Vertical and horizontal viewing angles of ±85 degrees.
- FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: 21" Flat-Panel monitor with at least a .294 mm dot pitch, with at least 85 MHz refresh rate at 1280x1024 Pixels resolution and a 20 ms response time.
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| Printer |
Laser Printer. Must support PostScript. 64MB of memory, minimum.
- FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: Laser printer 80 MB or more memory, or access to a comparable networked printer
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Keyboard and Pointing Device
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Microsoft-compatible keyboard, plus mouse or other compatible device. Strongly recommend ergonomically-designed products.
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| Internet Connectivity |
Intel® 82545GM, 64-bit, PCIx, 10/100/1000 Gigabit1Ethernet featuring Wake-up on LAN and Alert Standards Format (ASF) support OR Broadband connections such as Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or Cable. |
Headphones
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Headphones or earbuds should be available to users of audio files or mixed media presentations at government sites so other library users are not disturbed. For sanitary reasons, the library should consider having a supply of disposal earbud cushions available. Many users will already have their own headphones or earbuds and they should be permitted to use them.
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| Operating System |
Most new computers with a Windows-based operating system come preinstalled with Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, XP Professional, or Vista. (Prior to purchasing a Workstation with a 64-bit operating system, verify compatibility with all current peripheral and application vendors.) |
| Client Software |
World Wide Web graphical browser with forms support. Java-enabled browsers are required for use of some online databases. Internet Explorer 7.0, Netscape 8.1, Firefox 2, and Opera 8 versions or better are recommended.
It is recommended that workstations have virus protection software installed and regular updates scheduled. |
Viewers
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WWW graphical browser (see above) that handles GIF, JPEG, and PNG graphics. Viewers for other formats such as tiff, wpd, doc, xls, dbf, mdb, and pdf should also be available. Later versions of pdf viewers have a search capability. Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.0 is the latest version and supports assistive screen readers and access to older census files. Browser plugins and multimedia player(s) to access flv, swf, rm, mpeg, avi, and mov formats.
- FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: GEOTIFF file viewer. DLGv32 Pro Version 7.03. Viewing software for raster data, such as Photo Shop Pro, Print Shop or MrSid Viewer.
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Applications Software
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The library should consider an integrated "office suite" product that includes word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications capable of importing major file formats, e.g., RTF, ASCII text, ASCII comma delimited. |
Mapping Software
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- FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: Data manipulation package, such as ArcView 9 or higher, Landview, MapInfo 6 or higher, or other similar package.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 16 May 2008 )
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