The Promise and Perils of Digital Libraries

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Perzanowski ◽  
Jason Schultz
Keyword(s):  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Not Given ◽  
Cultural Functions

The licensing model has important implications for public libraries. The practice of library lending has depended heavily on the exhaustion principle. But in the context of ebook lending, exhaustion has not given libraries the same freedom they used to enjoy over physical copies. The restrictions imposed by copyright holders allow expansive vendor control over library ebook lending. They not only infringe upon library patrons’ freedom to borrow or access library ebook collection, but also diminish the libraries’ ability to discharge their important cultural functions. The prevalence of digital copies makes it harder for libraries to preserve works that lack perceived economic value or that are subject to censorship. It also threatens the privacy of library patrons and stifles innovation.

Digital Library And E-Governance

2010 ◽  
pp. 265-285
Author(s):  
Pradip Kumar Upadhyay ◽  
Madaswamy Moni
Keyword(s):  
Regional Development ◽  
Communication Networks ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Community Information ◽  
Level Information ◽  
Grassroots Level ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Rural Connectivity is the lifeline of Indian economy. India is a land of diversity with different types of terrain, various agro-climatic conditions, different levels of socio-economic conditions, and varied levels of regional development. At the beginning of the new millennium, 260 million people in the country did not have incomes to access a consumption basket, which defines the poverty line. Sustainable livelihood is a multi-faceted concept. Rural India thus desires to take advantage of “knowledge-intensive” techniques for its sustainable development and sustainable consumption. Grassroots level Information access (Contents) and Grassroots level access to Information (Networking) are the two essential components for grassroots level development strategies through ICT. Community Information and Communication Centres (CICC), as a concept and model, aim to “boost efficiency and enhance market” integration through Internet/ Intranet technologies for sustainable remote/regional development at grassroots level. Libraries can play an important role and participate in community action and enhance their function as proactive catalysts of social change. Community Information & Communication Networks in India empower disadvantaged community for effective information & communication, in view of the stated pronouncement of “India to become Knowledge Society”, and also facilitate “social inclusion” of marginalised rural poor to access knowledge and information. There are about 56000 Public Libraries (which include 51000 at village level), 400000 School Libraries, 11000 University/College Libraries, 13000 R&D Libraries, 28 State Libraries, and 526 District Libraries in India. Only 8.4% of the Villages have access to Public Libraries in India. Rural Public Libraries are a part of this revolution and will serve as the backbone for “literacy mission and poverty alleviation”. There are empirical evidences to support that rural digital libraries will sustain Community Information & Communication Centres (e-Community Centres). Granthalaya, a Sanskrit word means ‘Library’. This chapter deals with “e-Granthalaya: a digital agenda of library automation and networking” facilitating “rural digital libraries” and promoting “local contents” through UNICODE and interoperability capabilities of XML. Networked Library environment play an important role in rural revitalization, as libraries have emerged as asunrise industrydue to globalization and liberalization at regional level, and decentralization trends at grassroots level.

Digital Literacy

2010 ◽  
pp. 17-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adams B. Bodomo
Keyword(s):  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Electronic Materials ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
The World ◽  
Print Books

Digital literacy is an important aspect of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) and in this chapter I focus on particular elements of it, including new ways of reading and processing written language, with implications of how literacy is embedded in language. Reading in the 21st Century is no longer confined to reading print books. Electronic versions of many print materials have been made available on the World Wide Web. Some of the advantages of using electronic or digital materials include their relative accessibility and flexibility in terms of time and space. Electronic materials also allow the inclusion of multi-media elements like sound and video clips, which cannot be presented in print books. These and other factors have contributed to growing acquisition rates of e-books and e-journals in academic libraries around the world. As urban areas all over the world become more and more crowded, the save-space feature of digital libraries is an even more attractive reason why users of library facilities in academic and public libraries are being encouraged to read electronic versions of publications.

A study of the evaluation of a library’s economic value based on the users’ and librarians’ perceptions

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 561-596
Author(s):  
Younghee Noh
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Job Creation ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Evaluation Index ◽  
Human Resources Development ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public

Purpose This study aims to develop an evaluation index to evaluate the economic value among the values of the library and also attempts to measure the economic value of the library by performing a survey of the librarians and users at public libraries. The results of this research would likely encourage the librarians to feel increasingly confident about the library, while students and users, in general, would also likely be able to realize the economic value and presence of the library in more perceptive ways, thereby contributing to the activation of the library. Design/methodology/approach This study pertains to the development of an evaluation index for assessing the economic value of the library and, to evaluate the economic value of the library, has derived a preliminary evaluation index by collectively gathering and analyzing the domestic and foreign papers on the value of the library in its first phase. The preliminary evaluation index derived was verified by conducting three phases of Delphi survey by selecting ten experts. The survey questionnaire was developed to measure the economic value based on the final evaluation index derived from this study, and the economic value was measured against the perceptions of librarians and users of the public library. Findings The economic value of the library was divided into the four categories of the local economy’s value enhancement, namely, connection with the local community, human resources development, job creation and investment value enhancement for the librarians and users surveyed for assessment purposes. Consequently, the area of connection with the local community turned out to be the highest at 4.15, followed by 4.02 of the investment value improvement, 3.58 for the local economy’s value improvement and 3.50 for the human resources development and job creation, respectively. Furthermore, the respondents demonstrated the highest level of consensus on average on how the resource sharing by libraries has helped to reduce the economic burden for the residents as a matter of social value for the public library while believing that the libraries deliver a high level of return on social investments. Originality/value There are not that many studies conducted on the economic influence or the value of public libraries in Korea, and they are merely referenced in part if and when referenced to the overall value of the library. Given that, the research that focuses only on the economic value of the library must be carried out. In this respect, this research has been quite meaningful. The evaluation index developed in this research is likely to become a basic tool that can be applied to public libraries, as well as other types of libraries. Furthermore, the evaluation index developed through this research could be applied to nonprofit organizations, such as libraries, and would likely have a social ripple effect as a research that evaluates and presents the economic value of libraries. Accordingly, in this research, we have analyzed the list presented by the American Library Association and domestic research results, and have also structured the core details and derived the preliminary economic value index. Finally, 4 evaluation areas, 7 evaluation items and 22 evaluation indicators have been developed through the Delphi survey through three phases.

Adoption of DSpace by Indian libraries

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surendran Cherukodan ◽  
Humayoon Kabir S
Keyword(s):  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Google Search

Purpose – India occupies second position among the countries that have adopted DSpace open source software for institutional repositories (IRs)/digital libraries (DLs). The purpose of this paper is to examine the reasons for DSpace being preferred over other software. It inspects various instances of Indian web-based DSpace systems including the nature and growth of collection, the geographical distribution of DSpace systems and the types of institutions that adopt and maintain DSpace. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from the official website of DSpace, Google search and from online discussion forums during July 2013 to January 2014. The 132 Indian DSpace links provided in the official DSpace website were examined. Further search was carried out on Google to identify Indian IRs and DLs that are not listed by the official website. A list of Indian DSpace websites prepared by the authors was sent to the online discussion forums for further updating. An online directory of Indian DSpace websites was created using WordPress which provided for the adding of comments. The study is limited to the web-based DSpace IRs and DLs in India. Findings – The majority of the Indian IRs and DLs listed on the official website of DSpace are not visible on the internet. Many links lead to institution websites, commercial websites and personal pages of authors. Out of 132 DSpace links, only 55 are visible on the internet to search and use. Indian libraries prefer DSpace over EPrints, Fedora and Greenstone. Many institutions could not maintain continuity of their DSpace systems in the online environment. Institutions having more funding are maintaining web-based DSpace systems. The size, economic conditions, rate of literacy and number of universities in an Indian state do not influence the maintenance of digital systems. Academic institutions involving universities, technical institutions and colleges lead in the adoption and maintenance of web-based DSpace in India. Private universities and colleges have adopted DSpace for IR/DL. Public libraries constitute a minimum percentage of web-based DSpace instances. Indian courts and Parliament have adopted DSpace. Shodhganga, the Indian ETD project, is running on DSpace. Originality/value – This is the first paper examining the adoption of DSpace by Indian libraries with a focus on online visibility and the strength of collection. It can be used to understand the pattern of technology adoption by Indian libraries over the years.

Bibliomining for Library Decision-Making

2011 ◽  
pp. 100-105
Author(s):  
Scott Nicholson ◽  
Jeffrey Stanton
Keyword(s):  
Digital Libraries ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Host Institution ◽  
The People ◽  
The World ◽  
Commercial Organizations ◽  
Provider Role ◽  
Huge Variety

Most people think of a library as the little brick building in the heart of their community or the big brick building in the center of a college campus. However, these notions greatly oversimplify the world of libraries. Most large commercial organizations have dedicated in-house library operations, as do schools; nongovernmental organizations; and local, state, and federal governments. With the increasing use of the World Wide Web, digital libraries have burgeoned, serving a huge variety of different user audiences. With this expanded view of libraries, two key insights arise. First, libraries are typically embedded within larger institutions. Corporate libraries serve their corporations, academic libraries serve their universities, and public libraries serve taxpaying communities who elect overseeing representatives. Second, libraries play a pivotal role within their institutions as repositories and providers of information resources. In the provider role, libraries represent in microcosm the intellectual and learning activities of the people who comprise the institution. This fact provides the basis for the strategic importance of library data mining: By ascertaining what users are seeking, bibliomining can reveal insights that have meaning in the context of the library’s host institution.

Bibliomining for Library Decision-Making

2005 ◽  
pp. 272-277
Author(s):  
Scott Nicholson ◽  
Jeffrey Stanton
Keyword(s):  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Host Institution ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
The People ◽  
The World ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
Commercial Organizations ◽  
Provider Role

Most people think of a library as the little brick building in the heart of their community or the big brick building in the center of a campus. These notions greatly oversimplify the world of libraries, however. Most large commercial organizations have dedicated in-house library operations, as do schools, non-governmental organizations, as well as local, state, and federal governments. With the increasing use of the Internet and the World Wide Web, digital libraries have burgeoned, and these serve a huge variety of different user audiences. With this expanded view of libraries, two key insights arise. First, libraries are typically embedded within larger institutions. Corporate libraries serve their corporations, academic libraries serve their universities, and public libraries serve taxpaying communities who elect overseeing representatives. Second, libraries play a pivotal role within their institutions as repositories and providers of information resources. In the provider role, libraries represent in microcosm the intellectual and learning activities of the people who comprise the institution. This fact provides the basis for the strategic importance of library data mining: By ascertaining what users are seeking, bibliomining can reveal insights that have meaning in the context of the library’s host institution.

NLP and Digital Library Management

2013 ◽  
pp. 265-290
Author(s):  
Lyne Da Sylva
Keyword(s):  
Natural Language ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Word Sense Disambiguation ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Named Entity Recognition ◽  
Efficient Solutions ◽  
Document Management ◽  
Word Sense ◽  
Library Management

The field of study of Natural Language Processing (NLP) has developed over the past 50 years or so, producing an array of now mature technology, such as automatic morphological analysis, word sense disambiguation, parsing, anaphora resolution, natural language generation, named entity recognition, etc. The proliferation of large digital collections (evolving into Digital Libraries) and the emerging economic value of information demand efficient solutions for managing the information which is available, but which is not always easy to find. This chapter presents the requirements for handling documents in digital libraries and explains how existing NLP technology can be used to facilitate the task of document management.

scholarly journals The Economic Value of Book Loans – The Case of the Municipal Library of Prague

Libri ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Stejskal ◽  
Petr Hájek ◽  
Tomas Rehak
Keyword(s):  
Information Science ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Contingent Valuation Method ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Perceived Value ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Active Management ◽  
The Public ◽  
Valuation Method ◽  
Methodological Bias

AbstractIn recent years, the value of public library services has tended to be evaluated using the contingent valuation method. This is able to reveal readers’ hidden preferences. However, it appears that the total value of a public library as expressed by one number leads to a methodological bias related to the difficulty of assessing the value of one standard book loan. Moreover, this approach does not reflect the needs of public libraries’ management. Therefore, this study focuses on a detailed investigation of the most important public library service, book loans. For this purpose, we have employed statistical models to identify the significant determinants of willingness to pay (WTP) for book loans and WTP for purchasing books, respectively. The results suggest that loan services have the greatest perceived value for students, people who are economically active. Management who are interested in increasing the success of their institution across society must also know the perceived value of individual books so that they can adjust their library's acquisition policy. It was found that novels had the highest perceived value, followed by educational literature in the fields of economics and education as well as information science. This entirely new analytical method of measuring WTP for public services raises many new implications that could change the strategies of individual libraries – as well as the public policy strategies of donors and library ownership.

A study to evaluate the digitization level of Korean libraries (part I)

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 314-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Younghee Noh
Keyword(s):  
Digital Library ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Smart Devices ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Wide Margin ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Library Program ◽  
Reference Service

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discover and enumerate the elements of the digital library and measure how much an individual library was equipped with the characteristics of the digital library accordingly. Design/methodology/approach – For this purpose several steps were taken. First, research on the characteristics and the representative services of the digital library were comprehensively reviewed. Second, examples of the library services that were being considered for the next generation digital library were investigated to compare with the conventional library services. Third, the elements of the conventional and the digital libraries initially extracted were examined by ten experts. These experts were composed of researchers and professors specializing in digital libraries, and career librarians who had worked in the digital library field for at least ten years. The elements were verified through discussions with them. Fourth, 19 university libraries, 16 public libraries, and 17 special libraries were selected in accordance with the verified elements of the conventional and the digital libraries to measure the digitization level of the libraries. Findings – The following is a summary of the evaluation of the first eight evaluation items, which are covered in Part 1 of this study. The remaining five items will be covered in Part 2. First, the digitization level of the acquisition element and classification and cataloguing was significantly high. Second, book collections excluding “digital video,” reference service, library program service, and space service showed significantly conventional characteristics. Third, in the element of circulation services, the item of lending books offline and returning the books scored 92.64 and the item of lending-returning with use of smart devices and social media obtained significantly low scores. Also, the average in using the book return desk for the circulation service was 81.39, much higher than using the automatic book return machine, which scored 18.61, by a wide margin. Fourth, in the element of user services, the digital item of providing support for mobile services related to the library resources demonstrated higher scores than the conventional item, but other items showed more conventional characteristics. In particular, the item of duplication services for material scored 94.99, but other items such as support for publication/bookbinding services using digital publication tools and devices obtained significantly low scores. Originality/value – This study is first study in the world to measure the level of digitization of the library. Therefore, hereafter, each library will be able to measure and determine its digital position based on these elements. Up to now, some research was performed in pursuit of extracting the elements of a library but it has relied solely on literature review. Comprehensive research had never been performed as in this study.

Digital Libraries and Society

2005 ◽  
pp. 191-215
Author(s):  
Ian H. Witten
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Digital Library ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
New Information ◽  
Information Collections ◽  
Humanitarian Information ◽  
Available Technology ◽  
Socially Motivated

Digital libraries are large, organized collections of information objects. Well-designed digital library software has the potential to enable non-specialist people to conceive, assemble, build, and disseminate new information collections. This has great social import because, by democratizing information dissemination, it provides a counterbalance to disturbing commercialization initiatives in the information and entertainment industries. This chapter reviews trends in today’s information environment, introduces digital library technology and explores the use of digital libraries for disseminating humanitarian information in developing countries, a context that is both innovative and socially motivated. We demonstrate how currently available technology empowers users to build and publish information collections. Conventional public libraries are founded on the principle of open access, and extending this to digital libraries presents a challenge to human-computer interaction—a challenge that is magnified if open access is extended to those who create library collections too.

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