A highly readable and in-depth treatment of the digital library arena that provides an up-to-date overview of the progress, nature and future impact of digital libraries, from their collections and technology-centred foundations over two decades ago to their emergent, community-centred engagement with the social web.

Exploring the Digital Library, a volume in The Jossey-Bass Online Teaching and Learning series, addresses the key issue of library services for faculty and their students in the online learning environment. Written by librarians at Athabasca University, a leading institution in distance education, this book shows how faculty can effectively use digital libraries in their day-to-day work and in the design of electronic courses. Exploring the Digital Library is filled with information, ideas, and Discusses how information and communication technologies are transforming scholarship communication Provides suggestions for integrating digital libraries into teaching and course development Describes approaches to promoting information literacy skills and integrating these skills across the curriculum Outlines the skills and knowledge required in digital library use Suggests opportunities for faculty and librarians to collaborate in the online educational environment

A landmark textbook on digital libraries for LIS students, educators and practising information professionals throughout the world. Exploring Digital Libraries is a highly readable, thought-provoking authorative and in-depth treatment of the digital library arena that provides an up-to-date overview of the progress, nature and future impact of digital libraries, from their collections and technology-centred foundations over two decades ago to their emergent, community-centred engagement with the social web. This essential textbook: • Brings students and working librarians up to date on the progress, nature and impact of digital libraries, bridging the gap since the publication of the best-known digital library texts • Frames digital library research and practice in the context of the social web and makes the case for moving beyond collections to a new emphasis on libraries’ value to their communities • Introduces several new frameworks and novel syntheses that elucidate digital library themes, suggest strategic directions, and break new ground in the digital library literature. • Calls a good deal of attention to digital library research, but is written from the perspective of strategy and in-depth experience • Provides a global perspective and integrates material from many sources in one place - the chapters on open repositories and hybrid libraries draw together past, present and prospective work in a way that is unique in the literature. Readership: Exploring Digital Libraries suits the needs of a range of readers, from working librarians and library leaders to LIS students and educators, or anyone who wants a highly readable and thought-provoking overview of the field and its importance to the future of libraries.

An authoritative and truly global exploration of current research in digital libraries. Internationally-renowned academics discuss what has been achieved with digital libraries and what we can expect in the future through the prism of research. The increasing number of digital libraries in all sectors and the pressure of ever demanding and diverse user needs has encouraged development of user-centred interfaces, intelligent search and retrieval capabilities, effective metadata description and contents organization. In addition to the two editors who are renowned for their works in digital library research, this collection brings together established international names in the field to analyse these developments in relation to users and information access and the future trends and challenges that practitioners will face. Readership: LIS students, academics and researchers interested in digital libraries and access and those developing, managing or just starting out with digital libraries

Digital library is commonly seen as a type of information retrieval system which stores and accesses digital content remotely via computer networks. However, the vision of digital libraries is not limited to technology or management, but user experience. This book is an attempt to share the practical experiences of solutions to the operation of digital libraries. To indicate interdisciplinary routes towards successful applications, the chapters in this book explore the implication of digital libraries from the perspectives of design, operation, and promotion. Without common agreement on a broadly accepted model of digital libraries, authors from diverse fields seek to develop theories and empirical investigations that to advance our understanding of digital libraries.

Every year, leading librarians, scholars, and administrators from the United States are invited to give papers on important library-related topics at the Kanazawa Institute of Technology's Roundtable. From 1995 to 1999, some aspect of digital library development was the theme of the symposium, and the essays in this collection are all devoted to that topic. In these essays, some of the most innovative thinkers and practitioners discuss how digital libraries have been conceived and implemented in the United States. Insight into the policy, legal, and technical frameworks of digital libraries is given, while honest views of problems encountered in trying to integrate digital and traditional libraries are given. Finally, some of the essays explore how users are affected by digital library services.

Equally valuable for LIS students just learning about the digital landscape, information professionals taking their first steps to create digital content, and organizations who already have well-established digital credentials, Purcell’s book outlines methods applicable and scalable to many different types and sizes of libraries and archives.