International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions UNIVERSAL DATAFLOW AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORE PROGRAMME OCCASIONAL PAPER 8 DIGITAL LIBRARIES: DEFINITIONS, ISSUES AND CHALLENGES Gary Cleveland IFLA UDT Core Programme March, 1998 International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions UNIVERSAL DATAFLOW AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORE PROGRAMME The IFLA Core Programme on Universal Dataflow and Telecommunications (UDT) seeks to facilitate the international and national exchange of electronic data by providing the library community with pragmatic approaches to resource sharing. The programme monitors and promotes the use of relevant standards, promotes the use of relevant technologies and monitors relevant policy issues in an effort to overcome barriers to the electronic transfer of data in library fields. CONTACT INFORMATION Mailing Address: IFLA International Office for UDT c/o National Library of Canada 395 Wellington Street Ottawa, CANADA K1A 0N4 UDT Staff Contacts: Leigh Swain, Director Email: [email protected] Phone: (819) 994-6833 or Louise Lantaigne, Administration Officer Email: [email protected] Phone: (819) 994-6963 Fax: (819) 994-6835 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.ifla.org/udt/ Occasional papers are available electronically at: http://www.ifla.org/udt/op/ UDT Occasional Papers # 8 Universal Dataflow and Telecommunications Core Programme International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions DIGITAL LIBRARIES: Definitions, Issues and Challenges Gary Cleveland UDT Core Programme [email protected] March, 1998 The idea of easy, finger-tip access to information— each of these different phrases meant. “Digital what we conceptualize as digital libraries today— library” is simply the most current and most widely began with Vannenar Bush’s Memex machine accepted term and is now used almost exclusively at (Bush, 1945) and has continued to evolve with each conferences, online, and in the literature. advance in information technology. With the arrival of computers, the concept centered on large Another factor adding to the confusion is that digital bibliographic databases, the now familiar online libraries are at the focal point of many different areas retrieval and public access systems that are part of of research, and what constitutes a digital library any contemporary library. When computers were differs depending upon the research community that connected into large networks forming the Internet, is describing it (Nurnberg, et al, 1995). For the concept evolved again, and research turned to example: creating libraries of digital information that could be accessed by anyone from anywhere in the world. · from an information retrieval point of view, it is Phrases like “virtual library,” “electronic library,” a large database “library without walls” and, most recently, “digital · for people who work on hypertext technology, it library,” all have been used interchangeably to is one particular application of hypertext describe this broad concept. methods · for those working in wide-area information But what does this phrase mean? What is digital delivery, it is an application of the Web library? And what are the issues and challenges in · and for library science, it is another step in the creating them? Moreover, what are the issues continuing automation of libraries that began involved in creating a coordinated scheme of digital over 25 years ago libraries? It has been suggested that digital libraries will only be viable within such a scheme (Chapman In fact, a digital library is all of these things. These and Kenny, 1996). This paper provides a very high- different research approaches will all add to the level overview of digital libraries and briefly outlines development of digital libraries. each of these questions in turn. Third, confusion arises from the fact that there are 1. WHAT IS A DIGITAL LIBRARY? many things on the Internet that people are calling “digital libraries,” which¾from a librarian’s point What is a digital library? There is much confusion of view¾are not. For example: surrounding this phrase, stemming from three factors. First, the library community has used · for computer scientists and software developers, several different phrases over the years to denote this collections of computer algorithms or software concept—electronic library, virtual library, library programs are digital libraries. without walls—and it never was quite clear what · for database vendors or commercial document suppliers, their databases and electronic that libraries do to develop and organize collections document delivery services and digital libraries. and to help users find information. · for large corporations, a digital library is the document management systems that control The institutions involved in the American Digital their business documents in electronic form. Library Federation came up with a similar notion of · for a publisher, it may be an online version of a “digital library.” It also emphasizes the traditional catalogue. underpinnings of libraries—selection, access, and · and for at least one very large software preservation—as well as the fact that digital libraries company, a digital library is the collection of will necessarily be constructed to serve particular whatever it can buy the rights to, and then communities (Waters, 1998): charge people for using. Digital libraries are organizations that provide A fairly spectacular example of what many people the resources, including the specialized staff, to consider to be a digital library today is the World select, structure, offer intellectual access to, Wide Web. The Web is a gathering of thousands interpret, distribute, preserve the integrity of, and ensure the persistence over time of and thousands of documents. Many would call this collections of digital works so that they are huge collection a digital library because they can readily and economically available for use by a find information, just as they can do banking in a defined community or set of communities. “digital bank” or buy compact discs in a “digital record store.” Yet, is the Web a digital library? With the assumption that digital libraries are According to Clifford Lynch, once of the leading libraries first and foremost, we can list some scholars in the area of digital library research, it is characteristics. These characteristics have been not. Lynch (1997:52) states: gleaned from various discussions about digital libraries, both online and in print (See Arms, 1995; One sometimes hears the Internet characterized Graham, 1995a; Chepesuik, 1997; Lynch and as the world's library for the digital age. This Garcia-Molina, 1995): description does not stand up under even casual examination. The Internet¾and particularly its collection of multimedia resources known as the · digital libraries are the digital face of traditional World Wide Web¾was not designed to support libraries that include both digital collections and the organized publication and retrieval of traditional, fixed media collections. So they information as libraries are. It has evolved into encompass both electronic and paper materials. what might be thought of as a chaotic repository for the collective output of the world's digital · digital libraries will also include digital "printing presses.".... ...In short, the Net is not a materials that exist outside the physical and digital library. administrative bounds of any one digital library Thus, in examining the various examples of what are · digital libraries will include all the processes called digital libraries, it appears that librarians have and services that are the backbone and nervous been confused about what a digital library is, that the system of libraries. However, such traditional word “library” has been appropriated by many processes, though forming the basis digital different groups to describe either their areas of library work, will have to be revised and research or signify a simple collection of digital enhanced to accommodate the differences objects. between new digital media and traditional fixed media. So what is a working definition of “digital library” that makes sense to librarians? As a starting point, · digital libraries ideally provide a coherent view we should assume that digital libraries are libraries of all of the information contained within a with the same purposes, functions, and goals as library, no matter its form or format traditional libraries¾collection development and management, subject analysis, index creation, · digital libraries will serve particular provision of access, reference work, and communities or constituencies, as traditional preservation. A narrow focus on digital formats libraries do now, though those communities may alone hides the extensive behind-the-scenes work be widely dispersed throughout the network. Digital Libraries: Definitions, Issues and Challenges - 2 - · digital libraries will require both the skills of · high-speed local networks and fast connections librarians and well as those of computer to the Internet scientists to be viable. · relational databases that support a variety of digital formats One thing digital libraries will not be is a single, · full text search engines to index and provide completely digital system that provides instant access access to resources to all information, for all sectors of society, from · a variety of servers, such as Web servers and anywhere in the world. This is simply unrealistic. FTP servers This concept comes