DIGITAL LIBRARIES FROM 2000-2010

Digital Libraries from 2000-2010 Elizabeth A. Edleman Emporia State University LI804XO

DIGITAL LIBRARIES FROM 2000-2010 Introduction In the last 10 years, digital libraries have become increasingly important to the field of library sciences, as traditional libraries have started digitizing already existing collections and new digital collections are developed. The purpose of this bibliography is to provide more information about the development, organization and running of digital libraries from 2000-2010, and is divided up into four sections. The first, General Information about Digital Libraries, is intended to provide the reader with basic background knowledge about digital libraries. The second, Management of Digital Libraries, addresses various managerial aspects of digital libraries that keep them running smoothly. The third, Collection Development in Digital Libraries, addresses different topics regarding digital collection development. The fourth and final section, Case Studies of Digital Libraries, provides some real-life examples of digital libraries that were either developed with the intention of being digital or digitized from an already existing traditional collection.

General Information about Digital Libraries Pace, A. K. (2003). The ultimate digital library: Where the new information players meet. Chicago: American Library Association. Andrew Pace, the head of systems at the North Carolina State University Libraries, lays out different aspects of digital libraries and their relationship with traditional ones. Pace does a good job of highlighting not just the technical aspects of a digital library but also how they fit in to the overall library schema, with special attention for corporate concerns such as vendor relationships and business challenges. For a more focused viewpoint of the business and organizational concerns regarding digital libraries, see Frank Cervones (2004) How Not to Run a Digital Library Project. While The Ultimate Digital Library contains a lot of information, it is well laid out and clearly illustrated, and Pace writes in

DIGITAL LIBRARIES FROM 2000-2010 an easy-to-read style that should appeal to readers. Recommended as an introduction to anybody in the field of digital libraries.

Seadle, M. & Greifeneder, E. (2007). Defining a digital library. Library Hi Tech, 25, 169-173. In this editorial piece, Michael Seadle, Editor of Library Hi Tech and a Professor at the Institute for Library and Information Sciences at Humboldt University, Berlin, and Elke Greifeneder, a Masters student at the Institute for Library and Information Sciences at Humboldt University, Berlin, relate the process and outcome of a group of library students as they try to define a digital library. Seadle and Greifeneder first discuss already existing definitions of digital libraries and offer explanations on why none are complete. They then give some examples of what digital libraries are and what they are not, as they recount the attempts to define the term in Seadles library class. The piece concludes with the thought that digital libraries are still too young to be concretely defined right now. While the article does a thorough job of offering explanations as to what a digital library is and is not, it still doesnt ultimately define the term, which may leave the reader with unanswered questions. However, Seadle and Greifeneder write in a personable style that would make this article of interest to any reader.

Management of Digital Libraries Cervone, F. (2004). How not to run a digital library project. OCLC Systems and Services: International Digital Library Perspectives, 20, 162-166. Frank Cervone, Assistant University Librarian for Information Technology at Northwestern University, Evanston, details what project managers should and should not do in implementing digital library projects. He presents nine traps that project managers often fall into (such as Dont bother understanding the project requirements), and corresponding rules, with explanations, that project

DIGITAL LIBRARIES FROM 2000-2010 managers of digital library projects should follow. Throughout his rules, Cervone emphasizes planning and organization as essential to the management of a digital library project. He concludes with what he feels is the most critical thing for a project manager to possess cultural acceptance. Most of Cervones information would be helpful for any project managers, but some of it is tailored specifically to project managers of digital library projects. Cervone seems to draw largely from his own experience in writing this article, which introduces a definite bias to his work. Cervone writes in a very informal, chatty and often humorous style that may appeal to readers; however, he also assumes some knowledge on the readers part of project management and digital libraries. This article would be useful for a reader who was educated to some degree in library sciences and was interested in project management.

Dawson, A. (2006). Revising digital library content in response to user requests. Library Review, 55, 549 555. Alan Dawson, of the Centre for Digital Library Research in the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, explains some ways in which digital libraries may be asked to add, alter or remove materials in their collection, and the diplomacy that libraries may need to use in such situations. He starts off discussing the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, which published a cartoon in 2005 featuring the prophet Mohammed, as example of a situation where digital libraries would need to use tact and sensitivity in deciding how and what to publish in their collections. Dawson then offers nine real-life examples, eight of them from the Glasgow Digital Library (GDL) and one from Sapiens publishing service, of situations where library users wanted digital materials altered in some way. In these examples Dawson gives the reader the content, request by the patron, the librarys response and the final outcome of the. Dawson concludes his article with some thoughts on why digital libraries are more likely to receive requests to alter materials than traditional libraries, and both the positive and negative aspects of

DIGITAL LIBRARIES FROM 2000-2010 this, and the importance of clear, consistent policies regarding revisions. Dawson does a thorough job relating the various situations in which patrons may ask for the alternation of digital materials.

Omekwu, C. O. (2008). Cataloguers in a global information network environment. The Electronic Library, 26, 188-201. Charles O. Omekwu, the Information Technology Librarian at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at the University of Lagos Campus, Lagos, describes the role he feels catalogers should have in a global information network. Omekwu first discusses the impact that digital technology and the electronic environment are having on the profession of cataloguing and creating a global information network. He then discusses the challenges, roles and skills catalogers need to take on in a globalized network specifically challenges related to the organization and management of globalized digital information. Omekwu approaches this article with a set viewpoint about the role catalogers have in the global information environment already in place and doesnt explore any other possibilities, which may make his work biased. He clearly lays out his points, and this article is very thorough; however, it might be a difficult read for people without some technical knowledge of the subject.

Rhyno, A. (2002). XML and relational databases: Uses and opportunities for libraries. OCLC Systems and Services, 18, 97-103. Art Rhyno, Systems Librarian at the Leddy Library at the University of Windsor in Ontario, compares the uses of Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) and Extensible Markup Language (XML) for storing and organizing digital files for libraries. He starts off with a description of each, and how theyve typically been used. He then discusses XMLs compatibility with the Machine

DIGITAL LIBRARIES FROM 2000-2010 Readable Cataloging (MARC) format and the potential for middleware mapping tools that can take advantage of both RDBMS and XML. Rhyno then discusses the concept of the web as a huge relational database, and the way that RDBMS and XML play into that. Rhyno concludes that both relational databases and XML can be useful for organizing digital media and offers some implications his research has for practitioners. While Rhyno clearly lays out his information and offers some background knowledge, he assumes the reader has working knowledge about XML and RDBMS this article is not for the casual reader.

Shiri, A., & Chase-Kruszewski, S. (2009). Knowledge organisation systems in North American digital library collections. Program: Electronic Library and Information Systems, 43, 121-139. For this research article, Ali Shiri, of the University of Alberta, Edmonton, and Sarah ChaseKruszewski, of the government of Alberta, Edmonton, looked at the knowledge organization systems (KOS) used by 269 digital libraries and collections in North America. They first discussed what KOSs are and why they are important to digital libraries. In this, Shiri and Chase-Kruszewski approach their research with a definite bias they work from the assumption that KOSs are essential to wellfunctioning digital libraries. They studied the featured digital libraries to see what sort of KOSs were being used, and then discussed their results. They found that while there was a wide variety of KOSs being used in the digital libraries, the most common was the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) or some variation thereof. They also found that most digital libraries made use of search interfaces, and that some used thesauri, but that wasnt always available for the searchers use. Shiri and Chase-Kruszewski clearly lay out their research and results in a way that doesnt assume a lot of technical knowledge on the readers part, and provide an interesting look at the use of KOSs in North American digital libraries.

DIGITAL LIBRARIES FROM 2000-2010 Collection Development of Digital Libraries Joint, N. (2006). Digital library futures: Collection development or collection preservation? Library Review, 55, 285-290. Nicholas Joint, editor of the Library Review, considers the direction digital libraries should take in the future preserving existing digital collections or developing new ones. He opens with a discussion about Plutchaks paper, On the Satisfied and Inept End User (1989) and uses Plutchaks

satisfaction/aptitude matrix as a lead-in to the subject of accessibility and preservation in digital libraries. Joint argues that while digital technology makes materials easily accessible, it also makes preserving them more difficult; similarly, while print materials can be well preserved they are much less accessible. It is Joints opinion that the best candidates for digital format are materials that will need to be accessed quickly, but will not need to be kept for great periods of time, while the print masters of heritage materials should be kept as the collection. He also argues that by digitizing large collections of print materials, librarians are ultimately creating more difficulties for themselves, since all of these digital files will have to be regularly updated as technology advances. Joint ends with the question of whether funding should go towards creating new digital collections or investing in those already in existence he is of the opinion that more funding should go towards preserving already-created collections. While this is a fairly dry article that wouldnt be of much interest to anybody outside the field, Joint lays out his points clearly and concisely and ultimately gives the reader his answer to the title question.

Vignau, B. S. S., & Quesada, I. L. P (2006). Collection development in a digital environment: An imperative for information organizations in the twenty-first century. Collection Building, 25, 139-144.

DIGITAL LIBRARIES FROM 2000-2010 In this conceptual paper, Barbara Susana Sanchez Vignau (from the Universidad de La Habana, Ciudad de La Habana) and Ileana Lourdes Presno Quesada (from Infomed, Ciudad de La Habana) discuss what they think is important for collection building in the 21st century. They first talk

about the importance of digital collection development and the ways that it is similar to, and differs from, traditional collection development. They then discuss the stages in the process of building a digital collection: 1. Gathering of information contents; 2. Evaluation of information contents; 3. Organization of information contents; 4. Construction of digital collection; and 5. Collection maintenance. Vignau and Quesadas outline of the process is very detailed and thorough, but largely conceptual for an account of a librarian who went through the process of developing and organizing a real-life digital collection see Hildegard Schaefflers (2004) How to Organise the Digital Library: Reengineering and Change Management in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich. Overall, this article clearly illustrates what the authors feel is important in the field of digital collection development, and would be of use to any reader interested in the topic.

Witten, I. H. & Bainbridge, D. (2003). How to build a digital library. Amsterdam: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers. In this book, Witten (professor of computer science at the University of Waikato and director of the New Zealand Digital Library research project) and Bainbridge (senior lecturer in computer science at the University of Waikato) lead the reader through some of the many facets of building a digital collection. How to Build a Digital Library is broken up into nine chapters 1. Orientation: The world of digital libraries; 2. Preliminaries: Sorting out the ingredients; 3. Presentation: User interfaces; 4. Documents: The raw material; 5. Markup and metadata: Elements of organization; 6. Construction: Building collections with Greenstone; 7. Delivery: How Greenstone works; 8. Interoperability: Standards and protocols; and 9. Visions: Future, past and present. As the chapter list suggests, Witten and

DIGITAL LIBRARIES FROM 2000-2010 Bainbridge endorse Greenstone software almost exclusively, which makes the book biased in its favor.

And while the information contained in the book is sound and well-laid out, it tends to approach the topic from an information technology standpoint, and focuses more on the technological aspects of digital collection development. This could be a good thing for some readers, but may make the book difficult for others who dont have that background. How to Build a Digital Library also focuses heavily on metadata and the organization of digital files. Overall, this would be a good resource for somebody interested in developing a digital collection.

Case Studies of Digital Libraries Han, Y. (2004). Digital content management: The search for a content management system. Library Hi Tech, 22, 355-365. In this case study, Yan Han, the systems librarian of the University of Arizona library, Tucson, describes the process they went through to find and implement a content management system (CMS) for the digital resources in their library. After defining the requirements the library had for a CMS organization, presentation, access and preservation the library had to find a system that would fulfill them. Due to cost restrictions, the library was unable to develop their own CMS, so they looked at 17 existing systems to determine which would be best for their library. The choices were narrowed down to three Fedora, Greenstone and DSpace and they were analyzed based on five areas: preservation issues, metadata issues, access issues, system features, and other noticeable issues. After discussing the various pros and cons of each CMS examined, Han notes that Dspace was chosen as the best suited for the University of Arizona library and was the one they desired, but doesnt offer any information on whether or not they have implemented the system and if so how it is working for them. Although the article very clearly details the process of finding a CMS, it leaves the reader with unanswered questions due to the lack of follow-up information.

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Marmor, M. (2006). The ARTstor Digital Library: A case study in collection building. Collection Building, 25, 95-99. Max Marmor, of ARTstor, New York, recounts how the ARTstor Digital Library was developed. He first talks about the concept behind ARTstor, a library of almost 500,000 digital images from collaborations with sources such as museums, libraries, universities and individuals. He then discusses at length how the librarys different collections - such as the Charter Collection and ARTstor Image Gallery - were built, and the strategy and serendipity that went into creating them, especially early on in the librarys history when many art collections were replacing teaching slides with digital images. Marmor then recounts some of the challenges ARTstor has faced, such as playing the role of marriage broker between the library and potential content providers. Marmor provides some good information about the retrieval systems used by ARTstor, but not much on how the digital files themselves are organized. This is a case study of the building of one particular digital collection; for a more general and comprehensive account of digital collection building, please see How to Build a Digital Library (Witten & Bainbridge, 2003). Overall, this is a case study that would be of interest to those involved in art collections and/or general collection development.

Oversight hearing on the Library of Congress: Hearing before the Committee on House Administration House of Representatives. 109th Cong., 2nd Sess., 19-20 (2006) (testimony of Laura Campbell). Accessed on 4/27/2010 at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgidbname=109_house_hearings&docid=f:32720.pdf In her statement to the Committee on House Administration, Laura Campbell, the Associate Librarian for Strategic Initiatives at the Library of Congress (LoC), describes the different digital programs that the LoC has implemented and ones they are planning to implement, as well as past and bin/getdoc.cgi?

DIGITAL LIBRARIES FROM 2000-2010 projected growth. She describes the National Digital Library, the Teaching with Primary Sources

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program, the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program, and the World Digital Library. Campbells statement is of interest because it shows how far-ranging and diverse digital programs can be, from the Teaching with Primary Sources program that is aimed at students and teachers in America to the World Digital Library that aims to compile information across countries. While she is clearly biased towards the LoC programs, Campbells straight-forward style, combined with the breadth of the programs mentioned, makes this a worthwhile read for anybody who is interested in digital collections.

Schaeffler, H. (2004). How to organize the digital library: Reengineering and change management in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich. Library Hi Tech, 22, 340-346. Hildegard Schaeffler, Head of Serials and Electronic Media at Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State University) in Munich, describes how her library has introduced digital resources to the system. She first describes the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, an academic library that has local, regional and sub-regional responsibilities; she then describes the way that the system was reengineered to accommodate digital resources using a matrix organization that added two new departments. The Serials and Electronic Media unit relates to any periodicals, online or in print, and any digital resource that requires a license, and Digital Library unit strives to cover all other aspects of the digital library. Schaeffler says that this two-departmental matrix approach to reengineering the library has been particularly effective, and overall seems pleased with the outcome. The paper is rather technical and probably would not be of interest to a casual reader. This article clearly lays out what the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek did to incorporate digital resources into an already existing library, and may be of use to others considering the same thing.