Libraries are only now beginning to install 10/100 Mbps telecommunications hardware, but standards setters have already approved IEEE 802.3z, a standard for moving traffic at 1 Gbps (one billion bits per second). The standard should unleash a flood of high-performance switches, routers, and servers that can be used in LAN backbones. This new performance comes with a minimal amount of investment as existing 10/100 Mbps equipment will be fully compatible with it. The value of the standard for large organizations is that it allows for a much bigger backbone; the trickle-down effect for smaller organizations is that it should reduce the price of 10/100 Mbps equipment.
https://librarytechnology.org/document/5841/