Issues in the development and operation of a digital library

In 2008 BCU Cluj started digitizing its special collections and periodical materials with basic tools and methodology. Since the early period the digitization laboratory grew and gained valuable experiences. It developed a workflow that enables us to manage and track every step of the digitization. DSpace software was implemented to help manage library collections and to enable us a possible connection to the Europeana digital library. The challenges and the solutions of the implementation of this open source software are described here. The paper also discusses the possibilities that the institutions with digital collection can have in providing access to the electronic materials as a new library service.

Rapid development of information communication technologies (ICTs) has made an environment globally to the growth of digital libraries. Digital libraries (DL) are facilitating researchers, scholars, learners, information professionals to access their information in variety of formats and learning support at their desktops without any geographical barrier. They are providing electronic based (e-based) information delivery to its users crossing the boundaries of time, space and location. DL users can be reached remotest corners of the world to fill their thrust of information. It makes a gateway to the users for retrieving and browsing of desired information from its huge resources like one stop shopping of big shopping mall. It provides extra services of 24X7 hour uninterrupted access through Internet to the users at their desktop. . It supports teaching, learning and research while reaching unreachable without walls. Greater revolution has occurred in the libraries recent past converting paper-based libraries to electronic based ones. With the emergence of WWW and availability of national and global networks, libraries have turned their attention to digital collections rather than building printed-based collection. In this way, librarian's role dramatically changed and is responsible for what digital repositories available for their users and how users can access to the available information within the physical walls of the library or elsewhere.

Journal of Information Science, 2000

Recent proliferation of research in digital libraries has given rise to a number of working digital libraries around the world. These digital libraries have been defined, designed and developed differently, and therefore the experience that one might have from one particular digital library might not be the same with other digital libraries. Current status of twenty digital libraries around the world: twelve from the US, three from the UK, two from Australia, one from New Zealand, one from Singapore, and one from Canada, has been reviewed. Various features of these selected digital libraries were collected from their home pages, journal articles and the information published on the Web. The parameters used to study the chosen digital libraries include: contents, type of library, organization, user interface, access, information retrieval, search features, output format, and links to other Internet resources. While some of the chosen digital libraries cater for specific subject or document format, others play the role of digital as well as virtual libraries giving access to the local digital collection as well as remote collections accessible through the Web. While most of these digital libraries have been developed for use in-house or by authorised users, some digital libraries are globally accessible. The chosen digital libraries differ in terms of the information search and output facilities, and very few have the facility to store search histories. Only four digital libraries have books in electronic form -National library of Canada in general area, Gutenberg in subject-specific area, and SETIS and Carnegie Mellon University in special collection area.

As the Internet and the World Wide Web expanded so fast, digital libraries has become a very hot topic. Since 1992 a lot of studies have been done and some achievements have been made. This chapter is a survey of these studies. We first discuss designing digital libraries, including definition of digital libraries, infrastructure requirements for digital libraries, research issues related to digital libraries, and the architecture of digital libraries. Then a project, Digital Library Initiative, is introduced as an example of implementing digital libraries.

Programming and Computer Software, 2002

Digital Libraries Initiative declared in the USA in the autumn of 1993 aroused interest to information systems of this class in many countries all over the world. Today, numerous research teams are involved in activities related to such systems. A significant number of digital libraries for diverse purposes are already in operation, and various research prototypes have been created. This subject has been discussed at international conferences dedicated specifically to digital libraries and conferences on fundamental directions of information system technologies, such as database technologies, Web technologies, textual search, data mining, and knowledge discovery. Programming and Computer Software already addressed the problems arising in relation to digital libraries. This issue of the journal further explores the subject.

The concept of digital library is not a new one, although it is only recently that digital library is gaining prominence all over the world. This article provides a holistic understanding of digital libraries including its present context and future directions. Various technical issues ingrained in the concept of digital library also has been analysed in the article. Issues like interoperability, information retrieval, property and access control and usability also has been discussed in detail. Although digital library is a technical phenomenon, it has wider social and economic implications. The article casts a critical glance at these implications as well. In the end, ongoing international efforts in the arena of digital libraries also has been discussed.

Procedia Computer Science, 2014

The Sapienza Digital Library (SDL) was released in December 2013 as result of a research project undertaken by Sapienza University of Rome and the Cineca consortium, since 2011. The digital library has been collecting materials coming from different kind of organizations including departments, libraries, and archives, belonging or donated to Sapienza University. The main result of the project was the development of an information framework supporting multidisciplinary organizations in managing digital materials, maintaining scientific, organizational and operational responsibilities. The technical solution adopted has found a tradeoff between the standardization of the digital processes and products, and the preservation of the scientific materials' peculiarities. The automatic standard translation, and the enrichment of the digital resource's metadata have reached the main goal of providing digital resources with the essential information necessary to their management in different technological contexts. The reuse of the digital information and contents, in different application contexts, has converted the holistic vision of a digital library in the implementation of an information infrastructure, setting the foundation for the long-term access and usability of its digital assets.

Pregled Nacionalnog centra za …, 2008

The paper presents some initial results of a project directed to the development of a methodology and corresponding software tools for building academic digital libraries. A particular functional model of academic digital library has been discussed. The emphasis falls on some solutions of the large set of problems concerning the development of proper mechanisms for semantics oriented search in multilingual digital libraries. A model and a prototype of an academic digital library providing different categories of users with proper access to learning materials in the fields of procedural, object oriented and functional programming will be the final result of the project. The paper discusses the requirements of the basic types of users of such digital library and suggests some relevant solutions.

2003

The digital library is a user-based library service that seamlessly connects users to the information they need electronically, regardless of source. The new technologies and higher costs cause management new difficulties in five areas: planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. The purpose of this report is to collect these problems from the literature and offer solutions when possible.

The Objectives of this module is to i) introduce basic concepts and characteristics of digital libraries to the learners; ii) define digital libraries and highlight important differences between digital libraries and its precursors and technologies such as traditional library, information retrieval systems, virtual libraries, Internet search engines, etc.; and iv) introduce terminologies that are associated with digital library. II. Learning Outcomes After going through this lesson, the learner would gain knowledge about basic concepts and characteristics of digital libraries and different terminologies that are associated with it and are used interchangeably to refer to digital libraries. The learner would have gained knowledge about different types of digital libraries and technologies behind it.