Digital Library
From LIS 460 Summer 2007
created by --Covintre 21:12, 27 July 2007 (EDT)
Contents |
Digital Library defined
A digital library is a collection of cataloged items that are stored in a digital format as opposed to print, microfiche or other format. Items in a digital library can be searched for, browsed, (and even retrieved) based on descriptors created which follow standards similar to those in a traditional library setting.
There are primarily two types of digital libraries. One type collects and organizes data that was originally in a digital format. Project Gutenberg is this type of digital library. The other type transfers data that was originally in another format and transfers it into a digital work. The American Memory Project from the Library of Congress fits into this second definition. Both allow users to search through criteria to find relevant items.
Digital collections that transfer other formats allow for an archival element of preservation. As past students from the GSLIS Digital Library course explain on their completed digital archive: "There are two processes to digital preservation:
* a master digital representation of the object to be preserved, and * the capture of metadata about the digital representation and the process used to create it...
The preservation metadata must capture enough information about the technology and the storage format of the master so that the next generation of digital conservators can adequately interpret and maintain the objects."
Preserving digital information is definitely a concern for those librarians looking to create digital libraries. It becomes important to maintain software, hardware, and other products to ensure that a digital library can continue to be accessed properly.To see one MLS candidate's take on the metadata involved in digitizing prints, images, papers, objects and other materials, you can read this digital library intern's blog.
Digital libraries allow users access to direct texts and images no matter the hour. The collection is truly on the user's schedule. In addition to the convenience of anytime access, digital libraries allow users across the globe access to rare and unique documents. Multiple users can view a unique digital item at the same time, which would not be possible at a physical library. The digital library is as large as the Internet, so it can continue to branch out and expand and the need arises. The amount of resources available on a digital library is vast and overwhelming. Because the items in a digital library collection are cataloged in some way, many items can be found on their search site that would never appear on most search engines.
A major issue that arises with Digital Libraries relates to copyright. Google Books has been in the news a bit for this. Project Gutenberg avoids some of the conflict as it chooses items in the public domain. Others like ProQuest's eLibrary and Gale's Virtual Reference Library are subscriptions services which provide digitized access to print media. The Library of Congress is careful to include copyright information for each of the digitized collections, as seen in the example here. Because of the format, most digital libraries will have a similar type of disclaimer with their collections.
Visit a Digital Library
The following is an incomplete list of Digital Libraries and Digital Archives, feel free to add to this listing
- American Memory Project This Digital Library should be a wealth of information, but the difficulty in navigation constantly makes access hit or miss
- Chronicling America A new site from the Library of Congress which allows for newspaper searches for the years 1900 to 1910
- The European Library This digital library is a repository for collections from several libraries in Europe
- International Children's Digital Library Created with and for children, this site not only has unique search features, but also has various ways to read a chosen books. Books are in a variety of languages including Arabic, Spanish, French and Farsi
- Notable Women of Simmons College. LIS462 creates their own digital archive of past Simmons graduates like this one for Marion Pearl Ayer and one for Ruth Mitchell Wunderly
- NYPL Digital Collections The New York Public Library's Digital Collections include Audio Files, Manuscripts, Images, and even Exhibitions including In Motion: The African American Migration Experience
- The Open Library This digital library is set to allow users to choose a book by its cover and then read the book page by page. The collection is small but the digitization is impressive
- Pictures Catalogue Images and pictures from the National Library of Australia
- Perseus Project One of the first digital libraries, this one, from Tufts University, focuses primarily on classical studies
- Project Gutenberg Another of the first Digital Libraries, this one allows free access to books that are now in the public domain. For more information, read Amanda's entry on Project Gutenberg
- William Blake Archive From North Carolina and the LOC comes works and writings by and about this artist and poet
- WSU Digital Collection The digital collection of Washington State University
For more digital library collections, visit this List of Digital Library Projects on Wikipedia
Using Digital Libraries within a school community
Teachers & Administrators
Digital libraries have lots of possible applications for teachers.
- English teachers can use the Digital Library archives of pages on William Blake or Beatrix Potter to help share the life of an author with a class.
- History teachers can find digital library projects like In Motion to help explain major historic events. The subscription source, eLibrary has lots of video clips perfect for helping students put faces to names like Romanov.
- Foreign Language teachers can send their students to ICDL to read a children's book in the language of study.
These are just a few of the opportunities that digital libraries can bring to a classroom. Many of the digital libraries also include educational links specifically for teachers as well lists of other resources.
Students
Like teachers, students can use these digital libraries to find images, video, and documents for research and report purposes.
Digital Archives are a form of Digital library, and most, if not all, provide vast amounts of primary source documents. Some of these Archive pages even include the proper way to cite the primary source when found digitally. This would be very useful for students. Our Documents from the National Archive, is one example. Several students can see the same primary source at once. These sources are in their original format as well as in a translated readable version.
Students could also work together as a class to create a Digital Archive for their class or organization. Fujifilm suggests this lesson. And a High School in Illinois created this archive for their basketball team. Students could also create a Digital Library of their own drawings, objects and stories. Since they control the work, they could disseminate it in a digital format. An important part in these pieces is to keep the metadata element so that other users can access what is collected.
Library Teachers
In some sense, Digital Libraries allow the collections of libraries in a school to be expanded. Libraries now have access to more books, images, documents, and other materials vial the digital format.
Library Teachers can promote this resource in a variety of ways.
- Include Digital Libraries in the listings and pathfinders of useful resources.
- Promote online reading and online literacy (especially books in a foreign language)
- Refer to Digital Libraries as a location used for the finding of library resources
If a Library Teacher is very tech savvy, the teacher could collaborate with the IT and art departments to create a digital library archive of images, documents, and memorabilia specific to the school. The library teacher could share school archive resources to help create students or other members of the school community create a digital research tool.
Question I still had
...after poking on various Digital Libraries and websites, I feel a little more settled about the following:
My question: Are digital libraries the future?
Answer: From what I've read, it seems the answer is: Not Entirely. While digital libraries appear to cost less than the physical library, digital libraries have their fair share of overhead. As the Wikipedia entry explains, "Digital libraries can and do incur large costs for the conversion of print materials into digital format, for the technical skills of staff to maintain them, and for the costs of maintaining online access (i.e. servers, bandwidth costs, etc.). Also, the information in a digital library must often be "migrated" every few years to the latest digital media. This process can incur very large costs in hardware and skilled personnel."
Digital libraries certainly aren't going away. In the best of worlds, digital and physical libraries should work in tandem, both getting ideal resources and funding. As more and more forms of digital forms of ready reference enter our world, it may seem that a direct presence is unnecessary.
This is why it is important to ask, "what services does my physical library provide that users could not find elsewhere?" This is the question I pose to the group.
Articles and References
- Digital library defined by Wikipedia
- Preservation on the Marion Pearl Ayer digital collection website
