The Development of Digital Libraries in Taiwan the Electronic Library Hao-Ren Ke and Ming-Jiu Hwang Volume 18
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1 Introduction The development of The rapid development of information and digital libraries in telecommunication technologies, especially Taiwan the emergence of the Internet and WWW, is gradually innovating every facet of human life. Hao-Ren Ke and As to why the Internet is so popular, we think that the content appearing on the Internet is Ming-Jiu Hwang an essential factor. After all, it is valuable and quality content that makes the Internet meaningful and go deeper and deeper into human life. Among the diversity of Internet content, the digital library (DL) plays an important role in the acquisition and dissemination of information. Taiwan, one of the four small dragons in The authors the Asia-Pacific region, started her National Hao-Ren Ke is an Associate Professor at the National Information Infrastructure (NII) Program Chiao-Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, Republic of in 1994 (Kuo, 1999). At the present stage, China. the achievements of Taiwan's NII Program E-mail: [email protected] include: Ming-Jiu Hwang is an Associate Researcher at the (1) All primary and middle schools, as well as National Science Council, Taiwan, Republic of China. universities, have connected to Internet. E-mail: [email protected] (2) The Internet population has rapidly exceeded 4 million, and is one of the highest ratios in the Asia-Pacific region. Keywords (3) Internet applications, like long-distance Libraries, Museums, Internet, Taiwan, Interlending, learning, the digital library, electronic Electronic publishing commerce, and electronic government have been developing vigorously. Abstract Introducing quality content into the Internet At the opening of the twenty-first century, developments of and leveraging the Internet as a channel for digital libraries have been attracting the attention of many accelerating the dissemination and sharing of countries and Taiwan is no exception. The purpose of this academic research are among the primary article lies in delineating recent developments of digital goals of Taiwan's NII Program. Establishing libraries in Taiwan. This article first quotes a definition of a digital libraries with cultural-, educational-, or digital library, and based on this definition, an overview of research-oriented content is obviously an some of the digital library programs in Taiwan is presented. effective strategy for achieving the goals. In These programs are divided into four categories: consequence, quite a large number of preservation of Chinese and Taiwanese culture; activities regarding digital libraries are being establishment of domestic research digital libraries; provision undertaken in Taiwan. of foreign research digital libraries and integration of So, what is a digital library? In the conventional and digital libraries. literature, there are many definitions of the term.Inthisarticle,wechoosetousea seemingly most logical definition from the Electronic access viewpoint of librarians, which was proposed The current issue and full text archive of this journal is by the American Digital Library Federation available at (1998): http://www.emerald-library.com 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 The Electronic Library collections of digital works so that they are Volume 18 . Number 5 . 2000 . pp. 336±346 readily and economically available for use by a # MCB University Press . ISSN 0264-0473 defined community or set of communities. 336 The development of digital libraries in Taiwan The Electronic Library Hao-Ren Ke and Ming-Jiu Hwang Volume 18 . Number 5 . 2000 . 336±346 Based on the above definition, Cleveland (1) National Palace Digital Museum; and (1998) gave some of its characteristics. One of (2) NSC Digital Museum Program. these characteristics is: Digital libraries are the digital face of traditional National Palace Digital Museum libraries and include both electronic (digital) as well The National Palace Museum (NPM)[1] is as print and other (e.g. film, sound) materials. internationally well-known for its tremendous Cleveland (1998) also thought that: and splendid collection of Chinese treasures. In reality, digital libraries will not be a single, The scope of NPM's collection comprises complete digital system that allows users to representative art works from every stage in promptly access all information, for all disciplines, from anywhere around the world. the history of Chinese civilization from the Instead, they will most likely be a collection of early Neolithic Age (about 10,000 to 5,000 disparate resources and disparate systems, catering BC) to nowadays. The material types of the to specific communities and user groups, collection include ceramics, jades, bronzes, created for specific purposes. They also will miscellaneous artefacts (such as studio items, include, perhaps indefinitely, paper-based lacquer wares, enamels, carvings, costumes, collections. and curios), painting and calligraphy Given the above definition and characteristics (including tablet rubbings, embroideries, of a digital library, this article delineates tapestries, and fans), rare books, and several remarkable activities of digital libraries historical documents. The number of objet in Taiwan. These activities are roughly d'art in the NPM total around 700,000. classified into four categories and will be Among the NPM collection, three kinds of elaborated in sequence: popular art works are chosen first as the (1) preservation of Chinese and Taiwanese contents of the NPM Digital Museum culture; (NPDM) (Tsai, 1999). They are: (2) establishment of domestic research digital (1) enamels from the Ming and Ch'ing libraries; dynasties; (3) provision of foreign research digital (2) the Famous Album Leaves of the Sung libraries; dynasty; and (4) integration of conventional and digital (3) Buddhist scriptures and related drawings. libraries. The enamels from the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties digital museum show precious enamel wares from the Ming and Ch'ing 2 Preservation of Chinese and periods. In addition, the characteristic, Taiwanese cultures origins, production methods, and differences Preserving cultural objects in their digital of various kinds of enamels are also presented format has aroused international attention. for education and research. The advantages are manifold. First, cultural The Sung dynasty was a golden epoch in objects have their physical lifespan. the history of Chinese calligraphy and Frequent exhibitions and unfavorable painting, and NPM collects considerable preservation environments may even quantities of these kinds of art works from this shorten the lifespan. If digital surrogates, dynasty. The purpose of the Famous Album instead of physical objects, are used for Leaves of the Sung Dynasty digital museum exhibitions, the chance of damage can be lies in exhibiting the marvelous reduced. Second, benefiting from Internet accomplishment of calligraphy and painting and DL techniques, cultural objects can be of the Sung period. introduced to the public beyond the Buddhism is one of the most prevalent limitation of time and space. It is expected religions in Taiwan. NPM has gathered about that with the power of the Internet, people 400 volumes of Chinese scriptures and 154 may cherish the value and beauty of culture leaves of Manchurian and Tibetan sutras since more than ever. the Sung dynasty. The Buddhist Scriptures Several endeavors to create cultural- and Related Drawings digital museum offers related digital libraries (we often call this the public a deeper understanding about kind of digital library a ``digital museum'') Buddhism by showing related illustration in are ongoing in Taiwan. In this section, we NPM's collection and from other domestic present two of these efforts: and international institutions. 337 The development of digital libraries in Taiwan The Electronic Library Hao-Ren Ke and Ming-Jiu Hwang Volume 18 . Number 5 . 2000 . 336±346 In addition to exhibiting a large amount of interdisciplinary cooperation. To encourage digitized art works, most of which are Joint interdisciplinary cooperation, the working Picture Expert Group (JPEG) images, several groups of each theme project should at least techniques are integrated into NPDM. For consist of three groups of professionals: instance, a powerful query system is provided (1) subject experts of the theme project's for users to discover digitized art works content; efficiently and effectively. Visible and invisible (2) computer and multimedia technologists; watermarks are attached to online images for and protecting intellectual property rights. (3) scientists of library and information Furthermore, virtual reality enables users to organization. browse, rotate and move digitized art works in Table I outlines the first year's theme three dimension. projects. They cover categories from With the uniqueness of NPM's collection, Taiwanese culture, Taiwanese natural objects since January 2000 NPDM has been selected and Chinese tradition. In the second year, as one theme project of the NSC Digital more theme projects have been chosen and Museum Program, which is described in the are ongoing. The second year's theme next sub-section; moreover, NPM will also projects encompass categories from religion, participate in the National Digital Archive life science, Chinese medicine, and Program, which is a national level program Taiwanese folk artists,