Digital Libraries: Interdisciplinary conceptions
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Transcript Digital Libraries: Interdisciplinary conceptions
What are digital libraries?
Variety of perspectives and models
Tefko Saracevic, Ph.D.
School of Communication, Information and Library Studies
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.A.
[email protected]
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~tefko
© Tefko Saracevic, Rutgers University
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On the scene
Several
different communities involved in digital
libraries, each with quite different
concepts,
Many
emphasis, approach, agenda
disciplines, institutions involved
national
& global interest
Large
research projects - U.S. & abroad
Many libraries investing & changing - hugely
Very high significance for the future of libraries
& library & information professionals
© Tefko Saracevic, Rutgers University
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Basic problems addressed
Creating
means & ways for dealing with &
using human knowledge records in the new
digitalized AND networked world
How
to deal with electronic “books”, journals,
publications, texts, images, sounds,?
create,
organize, represent, store, interact, preserve?
What
access & services to provide?
How to effect use? Communities?
AND all in a networked environment?
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Problems ...
Problems
are
technical,
organizational, operational
managerial, institutional
social, legal, economic, cultural …
Creating
a new world for libraries and for
organization, access, preservation & use of
human knowledge records in all formats
Digital revolution may be as far reaching as
that created by Gutenberg & the printed book
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What is a DIGITAL LIBRARY?
No
single, all-encompassing answer
Several perspectives
from different communities - different agendas
Little
communication among them
Coherent, integrating concept, approach not
yet emerged
Complex problems in any approach
Many
Highly
experiments; many experts & “experts”
exiting & volatile area
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Major (but only) perspectives
Two
major conceptualizations stressing:
1. distributed objects in various forms, distributed access,
representation, operability (computer science)
2. institution, collection, services, availability (libraries)
First
is research perspective
focus
on a range of research problems, with little or no
operations; “D-lib” very broadly interpreted
Second
is library operational perspective
focus
on practical problems of transforming library
institutions and services, with little or no research; “D-lib”
very specifically interpreted
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Research perspective
"Digital libraries are organized collections of
digital information. They combine the
structuring and gathering of information,
which libraries and archives have always done,
with the digital representation that computers
have made possible.”
Lesk, 1997
“Digital library is a managed collection of
information, with associated services, where
information is stored in digital formats and
accessible over a network.”
Arms, 2000
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Library perspective
“Digital libraries are organizations that provide
the resources, including the specialized staff,
to select, structure, offer intellectual access
to, interpret, distribute, preserve the
integrity of, and ensure the persistence over
time of collections of digital works so that
they are readily and economically available for
use by a defined community or set of
communities.”
Digital Libraries Federation (DLF)
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Computer science, engineering
Concentrating
on research & development
Technology centered
distributed
& organized knowledge resources
in electronic, digital formats
collect,
store, organize, distribute, access, interact
diverse types of information
– texts, images, sounds, multimedia in many areas
new
kind of distributed database services to
manage unstructured multimedia resources
Important
for infrastructure
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Examples of research areas
Interoperability
between heterogeneous collections
Data integration - text, video, sound; metadata
Network protocols and standards
Search engines & agents for searching, filtering,
navigating, summarizing, integration
Visualization & other interactive technology
browsing
Scaling
large volumes of texts & imagery; display
R&D to large collections, applications
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Libraries and information science
Concentrates
on institutions, service, practice
logical extension of libraries
Content,
collection centered
Creation
of digital collections - variety of forms
Subscription, licensing, sharing of digital resources
Organization, representation, storing
Access to collections
Guided
by service mission
various
environments, user communities
various degrees of integration - hybrid libraries
© Tefko Saracevic, Rutgers University
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Examples of operational projects
Large
number in the U.S. - various institutions - e.g.:
National
Digital Library of the Library of Congress
“provide the widest possible access to knowledge &
information for educating a free society.”
Numerous
projects in Europe - e.g.:
Library
Working Group in Britain; publishers projects
with National Libraries; Delos Working Group (Espirit);
ERCIM consortium of institutions
All
have web pages & many links to projects
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Digital libraries & organizations
Variety
of organizations built digital libraries
scientific
& technical societies
various fields, academic units
projects - institutions, consortia
government agencies, international organizations
Concentrate
on applications & access
Availability
of collections in different fields
New forms of publishing, housing & distribution
Generally aimed at services to their communities
or perceived needs
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Digital libraries & business
Offering
various kinds of digital libraries,
collections, services, information resources
concentrating
on markets, opportunities, niches
library and non-library markets
Publishers
& digital publications - BIG business
traditional
publishers changing & new emerging
providing libraries with different arrangements
electronic
licenses, subscription, storage, services
relations between libraries & publishers drastically changing
mix
of new technology & new economics
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Advantages: Why digital libraries?
Access:
brings library to users
always
available; better and wider delivery
many libraries now possible to use
Sharing:
information resources; linking
Timeliness: easier to keep current
Searching, browsing: use of computer power
Information resources: new forms possible
Services: new & new forms possible
Costs: may save effort, money??
© Tefko Saracevic, Rutgers University
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Problems for libraries
Integration
between print and digital
mixing
new digital technology with print, local with
global; managing diverse resources - all difficult
economic trade-off decisions; new economic relations
Competition
for scarce resources sharpening
Institutional, cultural & social adjustments not easy
Bridging the digital divide
Resistance, threats:
guerilla
warfare within and nuclear annihilation without
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Economic issues
Costs
not insignificant - WHO PAYS?
Two
traditions: old - users, new (“free”) - providers
Dilemma
in library budgets
licensing
of digital publications vs. subscriptions
Publishers’
economics for digital publications
approaches
vary, not settled, even scared
even: who is a publisher? - lines blurring
Economics
room
of digital libraries still up in the air
for research & experimentation
© Tefko Saracevic, Rutgers University
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Social issues
Legal
issues: copyright protection, security
Individual: privacy protection; rights; obligations
role
in information exchanges, work, needs; life ...
Organizations:
integration; changing structure
Traditional libraries: disappearing? changing?
Education: impact on all levels; integration
Computing & society: disparity between
information rich & poor; digital divide; equity
© Tefko Saracevic, Rutgers University
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General opportunities
Building
digital collections of national importance
from existing texts, documents, images
historical,
educational, strategic, legislative …
Creating
new digital documents & linking them
Cataloging Internet resources in own domain
Selecting digital resources from wherever &
creating & maintaining linkages
Developing/adapting search engines & other
management tools for digital collections
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General opportunities … continued
Providing
access to digital collections
Integrating digital & other library collections
incl.
integration of OPACs & library management tools
Establishing
services for digital libraries
online
access & offline support
education & training of users, and librarians
Addressing
social, legal, policy issues
Cooperative national & international ventures
Making libraries more central to needs & users
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Conclusions
“War is too important a matter to
be left to the generals.”
Georges Clemenceau
Digital
libraries are too important to be left
to any one discipline, any one agency
Why? Work on digital libraries is defining the
future of handling of human knowledge records
Caught a lot of interest globally & politically
They are also redefining the role of libraries in
society & the role of librarians & inf. specialists
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Conclusions … continued
Digital
libraries provide challenge & opportunity
for cooperative & interdisciplinary ventures
Provide a GREAT opportunity for many institutions
to participate in many ways
have
room for smaller institutions & projects
Digital
libraries will NOT replace libraries
But no matter what: libraries and information
agencies cannot escape digital libraries, must change
so
might as well actively join the movement
© Tefko Saracevic, Rutgers University
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© Tefko Saracevic, Rutgers University
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