“Old Style” Libraries, Digital Libraries: Convergences, Divergences, And the Troubles in Between

What is a “Digital Library?”

Physical Libraries : Bound to the medium of the book Embodiment of the “sedimented” values & practices of print culture, including –Fixity of the print artifact / manufactured object –Finite set of well-known paths to items –Built-in structures of legitimation & authority –Importance of local repositories

“Library Function” Identify, acquire, organize, support, and preserve cultural and intellectual expression in its recorded forms Core values: –Unfettered availability of all materials to meet educational, cultural, intellectual, civic, and personal needs –Commitment to standard methods & practices in service of resource sharing & open access –Preserve the cllection, i.e. keep it permanently accessible

“Library Function,” cont’d Libraries as cultural heritage institutions Libraries as embedded in larger social systems: –Communities (cities, towns) –Colleges & universities –Corporations & similar organizations Library as social / physical / virtual nexus for the cultural & intellectual record

Repository & Service Roles All true libraries are defined by coherent and carefully assembled collections keyed to specific domains, with services supporting associated user needs. For example: –Public Libraries – general readers –College Libraries – undergraduate learning –University Libraries – advanced learning & research –Special Libraries – corporate or organizational research

Browsing & Serendipity Physical libraries, through their classified grouping of related items in open book- stacks, have long supported two key aspects of learning & intellectual inquiry: –Browsing of related items –Serendipitous encounters with unexpected or previously unknown ideas & materials

“Deep Access” Indexical and Research Aids Libraries incorporate structured tools for analytical access to “buried” information, including indexes & abstracts, reference compendia, bibliographies & finding aids, and experienced intelligent human agents, also known as “reference librarians.”

Libraries as Filtering Systems Libraries are (medium independent) complex and layered filtering and access systems –for aggregating cultural and intellectual materials –for providing efficient routes into the specific content of those materials

Evolutionary Models: From Physical to Digital Library Web Sites as “Digital Gateways:” –Villanova Library Web siteVillanova Library Web site Entry point to content & resources accessible elsewhere Delivery medium for new digital services Provides “information architecture” for wide array of heterogeneous items (databases, journals, e-books, research aids, etc.) –"Internet Public Library“"Internet Public Library“ More generic approach for general Web users –Online Books Page (UPenn)Online Books Page (UPenn)

Libraries as Content Creators: Phase I Convert physical items for digital access Describe items for access in online environment –From “cataloging” to “metadata” Provide enhanced searchability Make unique local resources universally available Sustain commitment to ideal of “coherent collections”

Library Content Creators: Some Examples Making of America (Mellon cooperative) Electronic Text Center (UVa) Perseus Project (Tufts) Digital Bridges (Lehigh) Irish Press -- (Villanova) [Netscape view] Irish Press (Villanova) [IE View]

Digital Conversion: Project Challenges Lack of standards Lack of robust, fully-functional software Metadata requirements –Descriptive –Structural Need to replicate some aspects of physical artifact Lack of integration with other services

Some Broader Projects California Digital Library National Science Digital Library (NSF) Association for Computing Machinery

The Realities of the Information Age (David Lankes, Syracuse University) Information (and Knowledge) has Escaped the Confines of Text –A Digit is a Digit The Computer Science Community is Unprepared –Digital Preservation, Digital Libraries without Name Authority, the Hidden Web Librarians at the mercy of the Computer Scientists

The Cultural Shift (Lankes, again) Librarianship as a Technical Skill Librarians as the Knowledge the Guides the Information Age –Conscience of the Computer Scientist Partners Active and Advocate for Those We Serve –Entice our Partners to Solve our Problems –Solve our Own Problems… And benefit from the solutions

Convergence of Traditional & Digital: Mature Library Technology Environment Portals & personalization “Federated searching” / Meta-searching / XML gateways SRW / SRU “Virtual reference” Course Management software resource integration Desktop delivery of shared / converted documents Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition Institutional Repositories Technology-mediated research skills training Push toward digitization of Special Collections and other unique materials Digital Rights Management

Key “Digital Library” Initiatives Google “print” (U of Michigan, Stanford, NYPL, Harvard, BL, etc.) Million books project Open Archives Initiative Metadata Harvesting Networked Digital Library of Electronic Theses & DissertationsNetworked Digital Library of Electronic Theses & Dissertations Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resource CoalitionScholarly Publishing and Academic Resource Coalition Digital Library Federation standards Fedora project

Questions?